Our anonymous writer from Online Dating Matches returns with some advice on dating attire. Click here for his previous installment.

Think back to the last girl you met and took out on a date. Unlike the U.S. Treasury’s shotgun marriage to Citibank this week, you probably spent a good amount of time and/or money before she finally agreed to go out with you. You carefully planned where you would take her, how much you would spend and (hopefully) where you would wind up if the date was a success. Did you give any consideration to the clothes that you were going to wear, or did you just throw together a collared shirt, ironed blue jeans and some tennis shoes that you picked up at Walmart’s Black Friday Sale, hoping for that “casual look” ? There’s a good chance that if the date was a failure, it could be due in part to what you were wearing (or not wearing).

Studies have shown that women tend to remember colors and patters long after men do. Mis-matched shirts/shoes and pants could cause some fashion conscious women to get turned off right from the get-go. Remember the old deodorant commercial “You never get a second chance to make a first impression?” Such is the case when you are out on a date.

Being that everyone is unique when it comes to their styles and tastes, there really isn’t a catch-all dress code for taking women out on a date. You should instead plan to dress for the occasion. Going out to a nice restaurant for dinner calls for a different dress code than going to the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. If you are planning on taking her out to dinner, think ahead. Are you accident-prone when eating? Is there a chance you might get food on your shirt? If so, wear a dark colored show that won’t show spaghetti stains. If you plan on taking her dancing, will the pants/shirt/shoes combo you are wearing hold up to 3 hours on the dance floor? No matter how good your clothes/accessories may look, the last thing you want is to be uncomfortable (and subconsciously giving off the same vibe, whether or not your date knows the actual reason).

You should also try to get to know the girl you are taking out. Some women are extremely fashion conscious, while others only care that you remembered that the left foot goes in the left shoe. Find out to which degree her fashion tastes flutter. The hot little bohemian hippie chick that you met last week might think you are too materialistic for her tastes if you show up to your first date in $1,500 worth of clothes you picked up at Bloomingdales the day before. Just think of what happened to Sarah Palin’s reputation with the average Joes of the world when we she was caught spending $150,000 on wardrobes. Once you have done your due diligence in preparing your inner fashion designer for the first date, now it’s time to get dressed (or high tail your ass at the last minute for some clothes).

Shirts:

Collared shirts are pretty much the norm for a casual date nowadays. In the wintertime, long sleeved shirts, sweaters and/or a nice jacket work as well. Make sure to color coordinate.

The first one or two buttons on your collared shirt should be left unbuttoned, unless you have a crew of loggers following you around asking for permission to clear-cut the forest on your chest, Teen Wolf . If today’s young hunks are really the hairless Vampires of Twilight, that should give you a hint.

Most women don’t like guys with a ton of hair sticking out of their shirt. Two words: Brazilian wax.

Pants:

Khakis, Cargo pants, even a nice pair of jeans all work. Again, it all depends on where you are taking the girl out on a date (and what her level of fashion-consciousness is). The only thing you need to watch out here is to make sure your pants match your shoes and shirt. Nowadays “baggy” pants have completely gone out of style (unless you are a gang-member and want to impress her by how many AK-47’s you can hide inside your waistband). Got chicken-legs? Then a little bag is acceptable, seeing as most of the clothes sold nowadays are a pretty tight fit.

Shoes/belts/accessories:

K.I.S.S.

Keep It Simple Stupid. Don’t overdo the accessories, keep the cologne to a minimum. Your belt buckle should not be 5″ across emblazoned with a Confederate Flag (unless you plan on taking her to see Carzilla at the local oval race track out in the sticks). Shoes should be anything that matches your shirt and pants. Tennis shoes are a huge no-no. If you must wear tennis shoes, try to buy yourself a pair of Sketchers. They look semi-dress and are as comfortable as a tennis shoe. If you wear jewelry, leave the Mr. T gold necklace at home, Flava Flav clock under your bed and put on a semi-decent watch. If you have money (and want to show off a bit) your watch is a sure-fire bet to get noticed by your date. If you don’t have money (and told her that you do), leave the imitation Gucci at home because women have a third eye for these types of things. Probably from all that yoga they do.

Most women won’t tell you what they thought about your appearance on your first date. But rest assured, the S & Bs of the world will gossip amongst their girlfriends. Take your time to carefully plan what you are wearing and match it to the occasion and the only thing you will have to worry about is how to pass gas during Quantum of Solace and successfully blame it on the fat guy two rows ahead…..