What Do Our First-Date Outfits Really Say About Us?

When it comes to navigating today's dating world (especially the online one), it can be hard enough to find someone you can tolerate a drink with on a Thursday night, let alone your true love. Between all the unspoken rules — Who should be the first one to reach out? How do you phrase that text message? Is it okay to call the next day? — and stiff competition, it's enough to turn us off from romance completely. But then, when you throw in extra pressure to dress the part, how is anyone supposed to stack up?

This is the question Natalie Joos of Tales of Endearment asks. She recently went on a blind date with a well-to-do lawyer and found herself on the business-end of a brutally honest outfit critique. After admitting that she had trouble deciding what to wear for the evening to her finely-coiffed date, he replied, "You should have just worn a skirt!" The seemingly harmless quip was followed by continuous complaints about her lack of skin. Justifiably offended by her date's harsh (and slightly misogynistic) judgments, she took to the streets to find out what other New York men thought of her first-date outfit.

While most of the West Villagers she stopped agreed that her tank-top-and-jeans combo trumps a short skirt any day when it comes to laid-back attire, it still begs the question: Just what is the proper first-date ensemble? And, do men even have a right to judge us for our sartorial choices? We may be quick to write off any fashion-related comments from the opposite sex as piggish or inappropriate, but it runs the risk of a double standard. After all, we each have friends who have dropped a guy for sporting a bad pair of corduroys or a sloppy haircut. What do you think: Can an outfit speak louder than words when it comes to trying out romances? (Tales of Endearment)