Ideas for how to spend the ‘day of love’ whether you’re with your partner, pals, or your greatest love, yourself.
We all know Valentines Day can be arbitrary, contrived, even, but we wanted to share the love and mark the occasion with ideas of how to spend it, outfit inspiration, and some music to accompany your date. Whether you’re celebrating it with your partner, using it as an excuse to hang out with your pals, or indulging in some important self-love and care, keep reading for our thoughts on how to embrace the love.
Disclaimer – of course, you don’t have to be single, in a relationship or with pals to do any of these suggestions – tailor your time and do what you love, this Valentine’s Day and beyond…
Having a Date Night
The Look:
Embracing the occasion and opting for a date night? Whether you’re staying in or venturing out, it’s important your date night look makes you feel good, which will ultimately make you look good. Comfort is key, so we’ve kept it simple and easy to recreate with our date night outfit inspo…Sometimes “jeans and a nice top” is just what the doctor ordered, and we love this new Cosma Top with gorgeous chest detail and statement sleeves, teamed with these stretchy, soft, and flattering Ingaa High-Waist Skinny jeans, both of which you can style again and again throughout the season. Finish off with a statement earring and a bold lip for a look that’s sophisticated, fuss-free, and allows you to feel confident inside and out!
Things To Do:
If you’re staying in, why not cook together and enjoy some wine, music, and games. Fancy leaving the house? While it isn’t the most original, dinner and a movie (romantic movie optional) is a classic date night combo we all know and love. We recommend catching Licorice Pizza or Belfast and are eager to check out Souvenir Part II as well. For dinner or drinks, whether you want to keep it casual or enjoy some fancy food, if you’re local to Exeter, we can’t recommend The Flat, Topsham Brewery, The Hourglass or Stage enough. Not local? Be sure to use date night as a chance to scout out your local independents and support small businesses while discovering characterful gems!
The Gifts:
Gifting beyond a card or a bunch of flowers may be too much, but be sure to check out our ranges of slippers, vegan chocolate, and jewellery should you wish to share a little token of your affection with your partners! We’ve put together a Share the Love Edit you can explore online now…
The Soundtrack:
We’ve put together a playlist of all our favourite love songs: check out ‘Love in All Its Forms’ on our Spotify here and enjoy! Our Top 5 songs to bring the romance on date night are:
- Harvest Moon – Neil Young
- Blueberry Hill – Louis Armstrong
- Let’s Stay Together – Al Green
- You Make Loving Fun – Fleetwood Mac
- The Wonder of You - Villagers
Celebrating PAL-entines
The Look:
Our friends can be like our chosen family, so why not celebrate this Pal-entines with a friend date! You might want to get cosy in your sweats, but we’ve chosen a look that is comfortable enough to dance around the kitchen in, or perfect for going out to brunch in, too. Enter the Alison seed print midi skirt, which is floaty and comfortable and looks great teamed with a big jumper, or some lighter layers like this long sleeve organic cotton top and knitted vest for a stylish and sweet look that makes you feel special. Finish it with trainers or ankle boots and enjoy a day (or night), out with your friends.
Things To Do:
We think treating your friends is a perfect way to celebrate this time of year. Why not plan a brunch date at your local spot (one of our local favourites being No.1 Polsloe), head to a spa for a special pamper, do some exercise you enjoy together, like a hike or swim, or invite your friends over for a special dinner to show them how much you love them. If you’re doing the latter, we recommend checking out the Comfort Mob or One Pot Planet cookbooks for easy to recreate and delicious recipes, and you can’t beat a good cocktail or G&T to accompany a good natter.
The Gifts:
Giving your friends time, lending an ear, inviting them over, or planning a friend date means just as much if not more than any gift, but should you not have time immediately and want to show them a token until you can organise some quality time, check out our new stationery and cards, perfect for sending them some love!
The Soundtrack:
You can’t beat a good old sing-along or dance with your friends to boost your mood, and there’s plenty of perfect tracks for that on our playlist! Our Top 5 songs to soundtrack your Pal-entines are:
- Dancing on My Own – Robyn
- Got To Give It Up – Marvin Gaye
- Single Ladies – Beyonce
- Kiss – Prince
- You Sexy Thing – Hot Chocolate
Taking Care of Your Main Squeeze – You
The Look:
Obviously, you could do or wear anything listed above alone and have just as much fun, but if you’re looking to practice some self-care with a soothing relax session, we recommend an outfit that’s cosy and comforting, but still makes you feel good in yourself. That’s why we chose our customer favourite Sasha Trousers – the smartest looking sweatpants we have ever seen, with a tailored fit and lovely weight (perfect for wearing out the house on down days as well as when staying in). We love them teamed with our best-selling Cody jumper, with a mock neck, slouchy fit and soft finish, and our recycled plastic bottle slippers with some fun sustainable socks to keep those toes extra toasty during this cold month!
Things To Do:
A solo cinema date, a nice meal out, a spa day, or dancing in the kitchen are all fantastic things to do by yourself, too! We also recommend a workout (whether that’s a nature walk, run, a dance class, or something entirely new to you), followed by a pamper session or long bath at home and some great food. We always find this feeds our souls and is a perfect way to practice a little self-love – with a mix of activities that help you take care of the inside, not just the out.
The Gifts:
We think treating yourself to some bits and bobs, like our gorgeous bath salts and beauty products, some ethical chocolate, some new cruelty-free nail polish, some sustainable undies or any other essential you’ve been considering for a while is a great way to show yourself a little love.
The Soundtrack:
There are a huge range of songs on our playlist that celebrate all forms of love, our Top 5 for enjoying while practising some self-care, whatever that looks like for you, are:
- I Feel It All – Feist
- Good As Hell – Lizzo
- Pressure to Party – Julia Jacklin
- Brown Skin Girl – Beyonce
- New Soul – Yael Naim
So that’s our guide to how to celebrate V-day, whichever way you choose how. What’s important though, is not just one day, but embracing and celebrating love, things, spaces, and the people that bring you joy as much as possible. Take some time to invest in the people around you, and yourself, enjoy some wholesome activities, listen to good music, and make sustainable choices as often as possible. This will mean the pressures of days like Valentines will be far less, no matter what your stance on them. We hope you find some simple ways to celebrate love this month.
Big love,
Sancho’s
Written by Roberta Juxon-Keen
