Patti Stanger, the outspoken third-generation dating guru and star of Bravo's "Millionaire Matchmaker," helps the wealthy, yet romantically challenged, find love. With the fifth season of her show beginning Monday night, Stanger talked with The Look about what us regular girls should and shouldn't do when it comes to date-night style.
You’ve gotten a lot of backlash for your anti-curly hair stance. Why do you tell women to straighten their hair before a date?
Silky Asian hair has been in for the last 100 years, probably for the history of style. It signifies opulent wealth and sophistication. Men who are wealthy like straight hair, they like to run their hands through it, not get tangled in there like it does with curls. And honestly, very few women have perfect curls. Unless you’re Andie McDowell, the curls just look messy.
And what about your stance against redheads?
My cousin is a redhead and she almost kicked my ass for this. The only men who like redheads are Irish. I can’t get my millionaires to date a redhead … it has nothing to do with me. I can’t make my millionaires pick what I want; It’s not me; it’s the men. I’m just the distributor.
What are your top date-night style tips?
- ‘You’ve got to break out your assets’
Clothes should be fitted. No woman should be walking around in boho. It might look great on Rachel Zoe, but we all don’t have her body. How are you going to wear a tent dress and expect to get laid? The girl with the great legs should wear a mini skirt, the girl with the swan neck should not be hiding in a turtleneck. J.Lo and Kim Kardashian are great examples of women who know how to show off their curves and we should all take a page from them. It’s important to dress for your body type.
- When it comes to accessories, less is more
I love Coco Chanel and she would always say ‘take the last thing off that you put on.’ People overaccessorize and it’s just overwhelming. Men will look at you and think you’re just too high maintenance. And also, a man doesn’t know if your jewelry is real or fake. You might be wearing something cheap, but he won’t know. I always say, “Don’t wear your diamonds to a date, or he has nothing to buy you.”
- When dressing, stay away from patterns
Black is always your best dress when you’re bloated, but red wins a man’s heart. Stick to jewel tones like blues and greens. And pumpkin, orange or yellow tones? Stay away. It takes a special kind of girl to wear yellow well, but for the most part no man’s going to go there. Also, stay away from prints. You can accessorize with a little animal print or with earrings, but stick to solids for the outfit.
- Shop with a straight guy
Don’t go shopping with your female friends or gay male friends. What do they know about what will appeal to a straight guy? Take a straight, hot guy shopping to dress you for a date – someone who has your interest at heart, someone who’s not going to derail you. 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. The first step toward a relationship is making him want you.
Do you agree with Patti's date-night style tips? Do you have your own tips to share? Let us know in the comments. If you want more tips from Patti, ask her your style questions on Twitter @pattistanger.