The first rule of dressing for a date is to dress carefully and thoughtfully. Make sure that your clothes and shoes complement each other. Don't turn up in white pants and a yellow shirt or a purple top with green tights. Inspect everything for small tears, missing buttons and risky zippers. The girls should pay attention to their make-up and hair; while men need to shave and choose their perfume with care. Remember, you don't need green eye shadow to impress you date; neither can you turn up smelling like a fruitcake! Always remember to ask another's opinion before leaving the house--yes, this does help!

Dressing, depends largely on whether your date is scheduled for the day or night. For the women, if you are out in the day, avoid loud make-up and sweet perfumes. Generally, daytime dates are casual, so pants and tops or casual salwar kameezes are a safe bet for the girls, while clean jeans, cotton trousers and athletic shirts or T-shirts are great for guys. Your perfume should be equally light--florals or lemony fragrances for the girls and woody or lemony ones for the guys.

At night, make-up can get a little darker, though not gaudy, and perfumes can do a drastic shift to heavy, bitter and musky fragrances for both. Colours for day and night are very different. While the day complements pastels or brighter colours like yellows, oranges, greens etc, the night is a good time for rich reds, blues, purples and blacks. Footwear should be comfortable and neat--do away with the worn-out old sneakers and the shaky heeled shoes, at least when it comes to going out on a date. If you know before hand that you need to dress formally, find out exactly what the function is about or where the venue is. For office parties or college socials, girls should avoid high slits or outfits that reveal too much, garish make-up and jewellery. Sophisticated gowns, trouser suits or saris are all-time favourites.
Elegance and simplicity are the key words when you meet your date's colleagues and friends. The men should stick to well-matched shirts and ties, if a suit is not necessary, keep in mind the style and class of it all. For a romantic dinner-for-two take trouble to dress to your partner's liking, but don't under-dress. The girls can sport semi-formal skirts and tops, churidar kurtas or trousers. The guys could wear clean jeans, cotton trousers, T-shirts, shirts or even cotton kurtas.

If your date is going to be a casual or a fun date, like a movie or bowling, dress comfortably. Girls should avoid stilettos and shoulders that keep slipping. Guys should avoid looking like they're reporting to work. With fashion styles really blooming, the options are endless--but be sensible to know what suits you best. Here again, neat and clean are the key words.

The most difficult situation is when you don't know where the two of you are headed. In such cases, semi-formal is the best way to go. This would put you somewhere in between jeans and a salwar kameez for the girl, and shirt and trousers or cargo pants for the guys. Not very simple? Well, think fashionable, neat, clean and attractive when you choose your clothes for such a date. You don't need to be a connoisseur when it comes to dressing for a date.

But, you can't afford to be shoddy either. A little time and thinking really goes a long way in sending the right signals to your date by the way you dress. Both men and women should go that extra mile to stand before the mirror, before standing before their date. After all, clothes also maketh a successful and enjoyable date!