shopmcauleys.com blog: Dressing for Valentine's Day

Well ladies, love it or hate it, Valentine's Day is upon us. It just so happens that I love it. Always have. Even when I wasn't in a relationship because . . . well . . . I like candy, and any excuse to give and receive candy (especially when it's accompanied by an adorable pink and red color scheme) is just fine by me. But, even if you're not like me--and the mere thought of a Necco heart or a red Russell Stover box plunges you into an emotional funk from which you can't extract yourself until Easter--the simple fact is that we all have to get out of bed this Saturday and decide what to wear. So here are a few wardrobe guidelines for whatever situation you find yourself in this Valentine's Day. Here we go . . .

The Lonely Heart: You're not in a relationship right now, but you wish you were. You do enjoy Valentine's Day and all the festivities that go along with it, but you're hesitant to participate because you don't have a special someone to share it with.

Advice: Enjoy the day! Have flowers delivered to yourself at the office on Friday (no one needs to know who they're from). Bake some Valentine's goodies for your coworkers. Make plans to go out with your friends. Above all keep yourself busy and happy. And when it comes to your outfit, the goal is to make every guy you encounter wish that you were his Valentine. Wear Valentine's colors to show you're enjoying the spirit of the day, but nothing goofy or too thematic.

This red sweater and a pair of Nanette Lepore cigarette pants should definitely do the trick. Oh, and don't forget the high heels. They're vital.

The Girl in Limbo: You're in the classic undefined relationship. He spends lots of time with you, does nice things for you, and you're almost positive there's an attraction between you, but he just hasn't made the first move.

Advice: Give him some encouragement, but DON'T overdo it. He may be trying to work up the courage to take things to the next level, but then again, he may not. If he hasn't asked you out, get a group of friends together, and ask him if he wants to come along. And of course, it never hurts to look absolutely great.

If you're going out for a casual dinner, try a soft, flattering knit like this pink mock button-up turtleneck and a great pair of jeans like the Honey by Joe's Jean.

If your plans require something a little dressier, try the Wellesley dress by Trina Turk paired with with some red accessories.

The Love Bird: You've been in this relationship for years. You can finish each others sentences and you can't really remember what life was like before he was there. Now the challenge is finding ways to keep things exciting.

Advice: Since you've made the relationship work for this long, you're probably already aware that if you sit around waiting for him to do something amazingly romantic, you may get disappointed. So take the initiative this year and plan something special for him. Of course you'll want to check with him first to make sure your plans won't get in the way of anything he has planned for you. With regards to wardrobe, you need to mix things up a little. This is a great time to buy something new to wear--and probably something a little out of the ordinary for you.

If you usually wear pants, try a dress like Trina Turk's Kikki dress pictured here or (if you're a little more daring) the one-shoulder Cerise dress by Envi.

Eva Franco's Montana top paired with a black pencil skirt makes a beautiful and festive ensemble for Valentine's Day. (Hint: Try the Spanx Bod-a-Bing! skirt. It's amazing.)

The Scrooge: You know this girl, the one who wears black and proudly proclaims that she hates Valentine's Day. Perhaps she doesn't think women should be defined by the men in their lives, which is quite understandable; perhaps she's just bitter.

Advice: Don't wear black. It makes you look bitter. If you want to stage a healthy protest against Valentine's Day, be my guest. But you don't have to look like you're in mourning in order to do so. Wear a rich green or purple or a sunny yellow. Hey, why not make it look like you're glad you don't have to worry about all of this Valentine's Day nonsense! Cause you never know when you may run into that special someone who hates Valentine's Day as much as you do. (Sorry if that was offensive. I couldn't resist.)