Top 5 style tips to keep you looking at your best on Valentine’s Day

Personal style is important at the best of times, but rarely is it more important than on Valentine’s Day, that most romantic of celebrations. If you’re planning on going out to a formal event with your date – whether it’s an established relationship or you’re meeting her for the first time that evening – you’ll already know how crucial it is to dress to impress. We’ve got you covered there! It’s worth taking a quick look through our most vital style tips for the night – as well as some key mistakes to avoid!

1. Make sure the fit is right

This is one of the most obvious pointers we can give, but you might be surprised at how many people still get it wrong! Looking good in a suit (or any sort of clothes, really) is all about creating a proper silhouette – an outline that’s suited to your body type. It doesn’t matter if you’re tall or short, thin or fat, if your clothes are suited to your body type then you’re always capable of looking good. It’s only when your clothes don’t fit that things start to break down. If they’re too baggy, you can look sloppy, whereas if they’re too tight or restrictive, you’ll look similarly uncomfortable (and in the latter case, possibly even vain – definitely not what you want!). We could go on, but we’ll leave it in this nutshell: make sure your suit fits you.

2. Pay attention to your shoes

Shoes can be often overlooked as a piece of your overall ensemble, but their importance is not to be underestimated! It’s said that one of the first thing a woman notices about a man is his shoes. We can’t vouch for the veracity of that statement, but we definitely recommend that you don’t risk it! Your shoes need to suit you, they need to be colour-matched to your suit, and most importantly of all, they need to be clean!

3. Don’t wear a mismatched belt and shoes

Since we’re on the topic of shoes, you also need to think about how they match up to your belt. In short, you should always wear a belt that matches your shoes in terms of the material, colour and finish. For example, black shoes should be matched with a black belt, and equally brown shoes paired with a brown belt. Once again, mismatching them looks – at best – careless, and can severely undercut the polished, effortless sense of style you’ll want to project on your date for the evening.

4. Don’t overaccessorise your outfit

We’ve talked about accessories before here on the blog at Acorn, and there’s no denying that if you’re careful with them and you know what you’re doing, they can be used to brilliant effect. A smart watch, for example, is great for putting the finishing touches on your suit, as does a neat pair of cufflinks. But as with many things in life, moderation is key. Don’t use a lapel pin, pocket square, tie bar, and all sorts of other jewellery all at once! It looks busy, ostentatious, and all too messy. Two or three is the absolute maximum. When it comes to accessories, less is more.

5. Get a proper tie

Speaking of accessories, when it comes to formal suiting, you can’t overlook your tie. There seems to be a rising trend of men wearing pencil-thin ties with otherwise perfectly proportioned suits. This is a shame, as it completely undercuts the otherwise measured effect of structure, and can make the wearer look amateur. There are of course exceptions to this, but maybe you’ll agree that Valentine’s Day isn’t necessarily the best day to experiment! Instead, stick with a decent tie of a proper colour, weight and proportion, and opt for the classic Windsor knot. You might even want to go for a bowtie (depending on your chosen establishment for the night). Anything’s better than a tie that’s too thin!

Whatever the specifics of your personal style, as long as you follow these key style rules, you can’t go wrong! And if you’re thinking about refreshing your wardrobe, we’ve got plenty of fantastic cotton shirting fabrics to choose from here at Acorn. Our formal collection might be the best one to check out first if you’re going for a high-end restaurant for the evening – whether on Valentine’s Day itself, or some time in future! And if you have any questions or you want to place an order, just give us a call on 01282 698 662.