“To love or have loved, that is enough. Ask nothing further. There is no other pearl to be found in the dark folds of life.” That is one of my favorite quotes of all time from none other than Les Misérables. Although I don’t believe you need a day to remind someone you love them or to be reminded that you are loved, it’s not a holiday that I despise by any means. Love is the foundation of life whether you see it at times or not. It is something that should be celebrated no matter how beautiful or shitty life has been to you recently.
For the short duration of my life, I’ve witnessed good love and bad love, young love and old love, healthy love and toxic love, infidelity and undying loyalty, and so forth. Each relationship I have observed or been a part of was unlike any other and beautiful in both light and dark ways. Now no surprise here: I don’t have a valentine this year or any major plans other than my 9am lecture, the gym, and re-watching episodes of Gossip Girl. After all, it’s on a Tuesday. While I secretly hope it’s my last single Valentine’s Day in a while, I know some of you might be one of the lucky ones with a night of festivities with your single friends or a special night with a special someone planned. With that in mind, I’ve put together a little lookbook for inspiration. As for everyone else: no matter what you’ve been going through in your love life lately, take the time on February 14th to celebrate all the things you love in life as well as all the people who love you even if you don’t think about it constantly and consciously.
FOR THE DATE NIGHT
If you’re seeing someone new, don’t be afraid to play Valentine’s Day low key. For me, low key usually means an all black ensemble since it’s safe to say my personality already has quite a number of colors. In this look, I stuck with a very classic and comfortable satin cami tank top, comfortable black jeans, my go-to leather jacket, minimalistic jewelry (a gold necklace and a gold bangle), statement stilettos, and a matching clutch. The all-black ensemble makes me feel confident, badass, and mildly intimidating (just in case he turns out to be a f*ckboy, you know?).
But all jokes aside, what I love about this date night outfit is the versatility of shoe combinations that would pair with it. When your outfit is built off basics and in black, any shoe you match it with automatically becomes a statement shoe. So grab your favorite pair of shoes, showcase your personality, and strut it proudly!
Top: Tobi.com
Jeans: Lucky Brand Jeans
Leather Jacket: Zara
Shoes: DSW
Jewelry: custom made necklace, Kate Spade bangle
Clutch: Kate Spade
FOR THE SEMI-FORMAL EVENT
Who said you can’t be a classy Lady in Red? If you’re one of the very lucky ones (or unlucky, depending on your preferences and perspective), you might have an elegant event to attend this Valentine’s Day weekend! To fit the mood of love, hearts, and bold gestures, I chose a feminine and figure-flattering red dress and paired it with black satin heels. While I chose simple jewelry to make the dress the focus of the look, this outfit would look just as beautiful with statement earrings (stud or chandelier) or any thin extravagant bracelet or necklace. With this type of aesthetic, I prefer to highlight the classic elegance of simplicity and daintiness. However, every person has a different preference, so feel free to accessorize as you wish.
Dress: Lulus.com (Dress Rehearsal Skater Dress)
Shoes: Christian Louboutin Decollete 100m (satin)
Jewelry: Links of London, Kate Spade bangle
Clutch: Kate Spade
FOR THE SINGLE LADIES
We ladies fall into two categories:
1) The Hopeless Romantic Awaiting Her Fairytale Lover and Reading Love Poems
“When will my future husband come find me?”
“I’ll just sit here and wait for him patiently.”
2) The One Who Doesn’t Give A Flying Fuck
zZzZzZzZzZz…
Valentine’s Day, often referred to by us as “Single Awareness Day,” is the holiday of either binge drinking wine with girl friends, endlessly yearning for a lover, watching Fifty Shades of Gray (or Fifty Shades Darker in the case of this year), or dead asleep in a onesie with the always loving stuffed animals, macarons, and Netflix.
Whatever you choose this year, be sure to take a small moment out of your day and appreciate all the love you’ve had, lost, and have yet to come. I’ll be doing the same while lying on my couch enjoying that box of macarons. (Just kidding, it’ll be finished by the time this post is up. No shame.)
Je t’aime beaucoup, mes chéries. Happy Valentine’s Day!
-E.
Based in New York City, Erica Huang is the creator and voice behind Bouge & Rouge. This blog is a playground of her thoughts where she invites you to join her on her journey through her 20s. Erica shares her lifestyle, fashion and beauty tips, adventures, and personal thoughts with the goal of inspiring others to always persevere and be unapologetically yourself.
Those Christian Louboutins <3