Date night. It’s not just a movie starring Tina Fey and Steve Carell that you wanted to love, but couldn’t. It’s also a cultural phenomenon, a ritual that couples engage in, often on the weekend, across the world. The French call it date nuit Germans say datum nacht and it’s noche de la fecha in Spanish, but it all translates to one thing: “Let’s go out, look nice and remember why we like each other.”  Or, if you’re feeling cynical, pretend to like each other and eat some good food that neither of us had to prepare.

On Saturday night the Mr. and I headed downtown to check out Baco Mercat. I had been wanting to try it forever mostly because the signature dish is a baco or bread. It’s a nice establishment but the other diners weren’t particularly dressed up, so if you go, don’t feel like you need to be.

Sometimes it’s fun to remind your husband why he married you (like maybe not wear the uniform of a twelve year old boy) so I dressed up in the Charles dress from Reformation. It really shows off my big brain. Kidding – sort of. My big brain does love Reformations ethos “an environmentally sustainable fashion brand that repurposes vintage and surplus materials to create a chic, limited edition collection.” But the dress also shows off other things (wink, wink) like my entire bare back and maybe even a bit of side boob. It’s long and the fabric is thin but not unsubstantial, a perfect match to the black floral print. I bought it because it’s perfect for date night, or an event, or a very California wedding in Ojai next month. I also can’t stop thinking about how perfect it will look with a tan and flat sandals on my next beach vaca.

Basically I’m a fan of how The Reformation’s designs push the envelope of sexy while still keeping things classy and I love making an investment in a company that uses their brain (and moral compass) to make myself and other women feel good.

Read more of my writing for Los Angeles Magazine here.
Photos by Mark Champion.