Fans of Bravo TV’s The Millionaire Matchmaker know that the show’s host, Patti Stanger, is not one to dance around her point – she’s brutal if not helpful when it comes to things like dating etiquette, dating expectations, and what a woman should look like on a date. She’s made such controversial statements as “only Irishmen like redheads,” and “all curly-haired women should flat-iron their hair for a date,” so I wonder – would YOU take her advice?

Stanger has released a new “dating dress code” for women, and as much as I hate most of her appearance-based advice, most of THIS stuff, I agree with.

Her first point is “choose fitted clothes.” This makes sense, because clothes that fit well are the clothes that will flatter your body best. Too-tight or too-baggy, and your clothes can make you look frumpy, or like you’re trying too hard. Unfortunately, her explanation is “How are you going to wear a tent dress and expect to get laid?” – this part confuses me because on the show, she says that partners shouldn’t have sex until they’re in a monogamous relationship (thank you, guilty pleasure television! Why do I know her rules??)

Next up: "don’t overdo accessories." This also makes sense. My grandma used to say something like “Before you leave the house, take one piece of jewelry off.” She probably got her ideas from Coco Chanel, who famously said, “Take the last thing off that you put on.” Too much bling and you look cluttered, not classic. I feel the same can be said about perfume. Keep it light. One or two spritzes and that’s IT.

Her third rule is “wear the right colors.” She suggests staying away from oranges and yellow hues, presumably because they often make people look washed out. Better color choices, she says, are jewel tones like blues and greens. She says that “red wins a man’s heart,” and that “black is always best when you’re bloated.” I say, pick a color you’ve worn before and you KNOW you look good in.

Her final rule is to “shop with a straight guy.” She claims your female friends and gay male friends don’t know what will appeal to a straight guy. “He’ll know what will get you laid. At the end of the day, sex signals the man, and sex equals romance to the man.” Well, that’s…. yeah, okay.

So would you take these tips to heart? I think most of them make sense, but I also think that when you’re going on a date, there are no hard and fast rules about what you need to look like. You don’t need to wear red lipstick if you’re not comfortable in it, and if your favorite earrings are big ol’ hoops, wear ‘em! It’s more important to feel your best when you go out than it is to follow style “rules.”

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photo courtesy of Bravo TV