Alright, folks – this weekend was a doozy for me. Chronic pain flares, no chocolate in the house, loads of work to do and no energy to be had, and I was sure it must be a full moon because the world just seemed out of whack.
No full moon: just life serving up a few “off” days.
The time came for my now weekly Production, and while I was grateful for the distraction, it also needed to be EASY. For the uninitiated, most weekends since the pandemic I dress up to watch opera at home. This weekend it was for a date night (also at home), but nonetheless it was a lovely reason to break the sweatpants monotony of the WFH week.
Drumroll Please: THIS is the Easiest Date Night Outfit EVERRRRR
The easiest date night outfit, it turns out, is a well-fitted maxi dress in a beautiful fabric. This one is from one of my favorite boho-chic brands, Alexis, that I got through Rent the Runway. The silk fabric, low back, and handkerchief hem gave a slightly gritty, Italian cinema kind of vibe. I loved the idea of running around barefoot in this dress with big, messy hair. Something so lovely and earthy about that. Like I’m the type of woman who makes her own wine and bathes in olive oil. Sardines from the can, maybe a cannoli for breakfast, someone whose hands smell like garlic and hair smells like oranges.
Not to overly romanticize a dress, or anything.
For the big messy hair – I slept with it coiled up in bobby pins, probably about 10-15 coils in all. A friend recommended using Lottabody Setting Lotion on my hair before curling, so I sprayed it on each chunk of hair before twisting it into the coil and let it dry overnight. The next day, I took out the pins, shook out the curls and wound up with what can only be described, preferably in operatic style, as a Mega Mane. This method works for my type 2A hair and will probably work well for any other straight or slightly wavy hair type.
For the barefoot look – I picked shoes that made me look barefoot. Literally laughed out loud at how ridiculous that line is, but I’m almost delirious with headache at this point so we’ll just go with it.
Bang for Your Buck 😉
In any case: the response to this outfit, both on Instagram and especially from my husband, was ludicrous in proportion to the effort I put in. I threw on a dress, shook out my hair, and the man lost it.
I’m thinking, “really? This is what crêmes your brûlée and not the snatch-waisted leather pants and bustier? Not a figure-hugging sparkly minidress? Not even the hotdog dress (ok, maybe the hot dog dress, between you and me)?” To be honest, I could have easily picked out this outfit back in middle school when wearing anything other than bootleg jeans was a fashion statement. It took almost zero effort – talk about a favorable cost/benefit ratio, am I right?
But that’s the magic of truly effortless style, don’t you think? The appeal is found exactly in the parts that are slightly undone. Bare feet, messy hair, lipstick that’s slightly smudged. It feels more real, more accessible, singularly romantic in a way that’s completely attainable.
So here we have it – the easiest date night outfit, ever.
love,
Stig
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