La Belle Vie: Time for your Valentine
Valentine's Day. Eagerly anticipated by some, dreaded by a few and resolutely ignored by the vast majority, it comes round every year whether we like it or not. In these tough economic times, the hyper-commercialization of this holiday seems even more incongruous than usual, giving us the chance to take it back to what it's really all about — sharing the love.
As we all know Valentine's Day is primarily for the ladies — if you want to remain in your girlfriend's good graces or make a good impression on that chick you've had your sights on for a while, you'd better start planning. This is a great opportunity to remind the fairer sex that you are in fact a gentleman and not just a raging bro. A few hints: Inviting her to play pong with you — not a date. Inviting her to watch you play in some sports match — also not a date. Taking her to FoCo for dinner — do I even need to say it? NOT A DATE.
If you want to have dinner in town, then you’d best to make reservations. After all, this is Hanover, where options are limited, and, "There's no space at Canoe Club, shall we just get EBAs?" probably isn't going to go down well. Although high-maintenance is generally not a good look on a guy, we girls do like to think that you've made a bit of an effort. A nice shirt (iron it!) and V-neck sweater combo should do the trick.
Girls, if your boyfriend is used to seeing you in your sweats between your spin class and your bio lab, now is your chance to remind him that you are, in fact, a lady. And not just any lady, but one who blow-dries her hair, paints her nails and spends longer than 10 minutes thinking about what to wear. At least on this occasion.
Dressing for evenings out in Hanover is relatively straight-forward once you get the hang of it. I'd advise either of two options: nice top, skinny jeans and high heels, or dress/skirt and flat shoes. I'd steer clear of red, unless you can manage to make it look ironic. This is a great opportunity to let out your inner girlie girl, so embrace delicate ruffles, soft textures and elegant jewelry. Take time over the little things: Choose a purse that really complements your outfit, put on some scented body lotion and be precise with your makeup. The effort you make won't go unnoticed.
At the end of the day, it's not rocket science. There is one thing that everyone wants for Valentine's Day: time. Just spend some time together. And try to be your most beautiful self while you do it.