Date Night Outfits in Vancouver by Venue and Occasion

Hawksworth lists Smart Casual on its official restaurant page. For a Hawksworth dinner date, our suggestion is a polished version of what you already enjoy wearing. Think deliberate, comfortable and clean. Check the restaurant directly if you need a ruling on a particular item; your group chat is not the maître d'.

Formula one: dark trousers, a good knit and clean leather shoes or boots. Formula two: a midi skirt, a fitted top or fine sweater, and flat boots you can actually walk in. Formula three: a simple dress with a blazer or cardigan you can shed when the room warms up. Any of these says you made an effort without sounding like you've hired a stylist.

Test for every option: can you reach for the bread, cross your legs and survive a long dinner without adjusting anything? If a waistband is already negotiating by the second course, it's the wrong waistband.

For a film or theatre date, check any dress requirements with the venue, then choose something comfortable enough to sit in. An indie screening at the VIFF Centre is a useful starting point for an evening plan. Our suggestion: a small upgrade from everyday clothes, with a layer you can take off.

Try dark jeans or soft trousers, a textured knit, and a jacket that folds into a seat without a fight. Or a skirt with tights and sturdy shoes, plus a layer for the cold-cinema lottery. Pick shoes you can walk home in, because the post-film argument about the ending needs a route.

Skip anything crunchy, jangly or scented like a department store aisle. Your date would like to hear the film.

For an anniversary, dress up because it's fun, not because a new personality is on sale. Wear the thing you love that rarely gets an outing: the blazer, the green dress, the shirt that makes you stand slightly straighter. Re-wearing it is allowed. Nobody checks the receipts.

As a couple, coordinate the level of formality, not the outfits. A quick text such as "nice-ish, shoes you can walk in?" prevents one of you arriving in a blazer and the other in a hoodie with a pending apology.

For a spontaneous date, keep a go-to formula: dark trousers or a simple skirt, a clean top, one layer, comfortable shoes. Ten minutes, out the door. Check this weekend in Vancouver for something to do, and browse Vancouver date style if you want more ideas.

For an outdoor date, our starting point is a water-resistant jacket, shoes with grip and a removable layer. Add trousers or leggings, a knit and a hat if you like. You can dress this up with colour and a coat you enjoy wearing. The alternative is letting wet jeans become the evening's most memorable character.

If you're heading to a seasonal outing, our pumpkin patch guide is a good place to check ideas, and the family date ideas guide helps if kids are coming along. Bring shoes you don't mind muddying. The mud will have opinions about suede.