You see me on Millionaire Matchmaker telling women to always wear sexy dresses for first dates. And I’ll always stand by that advice. Men love sexy. It’s a fact. But even I know you can’t be sexy all of the time. Sometimes, you need to be comfortable. And sometimes comfort means sweatpants. So the big question is, when can you start wearing your sweatpants in front of your guy? Well, my answer, like many of my answers here on PattiKnows, is — it depends. How cute are your sweatpants? Kidding! It depends on how confident and sexy you feel in sweatpants. So let’s break it down. When do you normally wear sweatpants?
Gross, only when I’m sick
OK, so you feel icky in sweats. You’re probably more comfortable in a full face of makeup and five-inch heels than you are in your pj’s. Then it’s fine to almost never wear sweatpants in front of him. Don’t force yourself to just because it’s a sign of comfort in a relationship. You can be sure your relationship is on the sweatpants level in other ways, like having your own version of a lazy Sunday with him. If you don’t feel great in sweatpants, I say save them until you get your wisdom teeth taken out and he’s the one taking care of you. Until then, rock the clothes you feel best in.
When it’s rainy and I accidentally eat two Lean Cuisines for dinner
Sweatpants are a sometimes thing for you. You probably only slip them on when you’re feeling kind of crummy and the thought of a button fly is enough to make you nauseous. This is probably the group I fit into. I’m not afraid to admit that I’ll slap on some velour sweats when it’s a rainy Saturday and I’m spending all day catching up with my TiVo. If this is you, I say wait a while before your man sees you in scrubs. You probably won’t be doing your sweatpants-appropriate activities with him until you’re months into your relationship, so put off the matching attire for a while too. For me, I wait at least six months before getting to the waking up late and watching an entire season of Downton Abbey together phase of my relationships. So hold the sweatpants off until then too.
Yoga pants are my black tie
OK, maybe you’re a work-out junky or just into the comfort of spandex. Ain’t no shame in that game. I still say hold off on going full sweatpants with him for a few dates, even if sweatpants are your jam. The truth is that your first few dates won’t be sweatpants appropriate. Or at least, they shouldn’t be. Dinner, drinks, movies — these are all places where drawstrings aren’t welcome. So let him wine and dine you for the first few weeks of dating. Then maybe a month or so in, break out your Lululemon.
