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Dating from Home? Here’s How to Make Things Interesting

You may be stuck at home, but that doesn’t mean you can’t dress up and have some fun.

By Madeleine Kim

A couple of weeks into quarantine, my boyfriend and I instituted a new shelter-in-place policy: Every other day, we’d switch off taking each other on “dates” within the confines of our apartment. Silly? Yes. But having something to look forward to every day helped lower my sky-high levels of anxiety in the midst of a global pandemic. Plus, getting dressed in beautiful, non-pajama clothes made me feel confident, refreshed, and just plain good.

Here are the six at-home dates we enjoyed most and the perfect outfit pairings to go with them.

The Dine-in Movie Theater Date

Watching a movie is fun, but getting dressed up and pretending your living room is a dine-in theater? Brilliant. To find out what’s playing, pick a random number between 1 and 50, and scroll to the corresponding movie from this list. Then, set the scene by breaking out the construction paper and making “tickets” and a “menu” with your movie snacks of choice. Bonus points if your menu includes film-related puns (I recently munched on some Brad-Pitted olives during a throwback screening of Ocean’s Eleven). As far as your outfit goes, reach for something extremely comfortable—otherwise, you’ll be tempted to hit pause and change into pajamas, which kind of breaks the movie-theater fantasy. Your best bet is a head-to-toe slinky-knit ensemble—specifically, the Avery top and the York skirt—which is like the sexy, elegant equivalent of yoga gear.

The Dance-Party Date

If you miss hitting the club, it’s time to bring the club to you. Turn the lights down low, blast your favorite playlist, and dance until you’re sweating. If you live in an apartment (or any other place where blasting music is frowned upon), use headphones to turn your dance party into a silent disco. Outfit-wise, prioritize stretchy, comfortable, washable pieces you can really move in. The York skirt in tuscan yellow checks all those boxes—and it features a subtle flare at the bottom that makes it perfect for twirling. The soft-as-butter Spardel top will keep you nice and cool, while the lightweight Briar earrings will swish and bop along with you.

The Mystery-Cocktail Date

This one is pretty much exactly what it sounds like: One person makes a cocktail, and the other person tries to guess what’s in it. If you don’t happen to be a drink-making savant, start with a classic cocktail recipe and switch up an ingredient or two—perhaps a negroni with rum instead of gin, or a mojito with cilantro left over from taco night? Whatever beverage you concoct, I guarantee you’ll have more fun drinking it in the subtly sexy Dylan dress, shiny Luna earrings, and cool-girl Para sweatshirt. Depending on your mood (and your A/C situation), you can wear the sweatshirt over the Dylan dress to create the illusion of separates, or simply tie it around your waist.

The Casino-Night Date

Playing cards is way more exciting when you pretend your coffee table is a casino table and your opponent is an intriguing stranger. So naturally, preparing for this date is all about getting into character. Choose an outfit that makes you feel like a mystery woman with a dark secret (hello, Scotte jacket) that’s also comfortable enough to wear for several hours, should the competition be stiff (the York skirt and Peggy top are your gals). (Optional: Adopt a fake name and accent à la Janet Snakehole.) Next, play your card game of choice (I’m partial to Gin Rummy) while staying in character. Loser makes the winner waffles. Or something.

The Night-at-the-Museum Date

Since quarantine began, museums around the world have made their artwork available to view for free online. Perhaps you and your date would like to peruse the Post-Impressionist works at Paris’s Musée d’Orsay. From there, maybe you’ll hop in your virtual private jet and head for the surrealist haven that is the Dalí Theatre-Museum. The night is still young, so why not make one last stop to learn about the masterful works that live in Mexico City’s Frida Kahlo Museum? I know what you’re thinking: That’s a lot of travel for one evening. And you’re not wrong—which is why I recommend wearing the cozy, travel-friendly Avery top and York skirt, topped by the super-chic Anna jacket, which will help you fit in with the cool artistic crowd.

The Broadway-Show Date

If you’re one of the people who subscribed to Disney+ just to watch Hamilton this weekend, you probably don’t need to hear this. For everyone else: Streaming Broadway shows is a great way to break up the monotony of TV and make any evening feel special. Broadway HD offers a 7-day free trial in case you don’t feel like committing right away, and if you haven’t seen it, I recommend starting with Kinky Boots. Of course, you’ll want to wear something elegant, like the Avery top paired with the Anderson pant—which is also comfortable enough that you can break out into song and dance, should you be so inspired.

Written By

Madeleine Kim

Madeleine Kim is the Senior Brand Manager at M.M.LaFleur, where she started out as a stylist. She loves developing styling-focused content and creating newsletters that bring the M.M. community together.

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