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For almost a year, I’ve been duping New York City men into asking me out on a second date.
My secret weapon isn’t a push-up bra, or even my killer mint brownies: It’s a little black dress — a basic item of clothing any normal New York woman has hanging in her closet.
Mine is a simple frock from H&M, given to me a year and a half ago by a friend. After wearing it by chance on a couple of first dates last fall, I saw a pattern emerge: I slipped into the dress and got a second date. Every time.
Mystified by its magic — could this really be a dress with a 100 percent second-date success rate? — I pored over the possibilities. Is it the neckline? The body-hugging cut? The color? I presented these theories to my roommates during one of our many late-night gab sessions in our apartment.
“Maybe it’s the person in the dress,” my roommate Marnie demurred.
But maybe there is a method to my madness: Men respond better to “feminine” clothing items, such as dresses and skirts, than they do to pants, according to professional matchmaker Rachel Greenwald, author of “Have Him at Hello.”
“Femininity and second dates are synonymous, and it begins with wearing a dress or a skirt,” she says.
“Men told me in interviews that they were drawn to women who gave off that feminine vibe.”
Indeed. In October, an investor 10 years my senior was entranced by the dress’ charms at a West Village wine bar, as we shared a plate of charcuterie and sipped white wine. A few days later, he e-mailed and said that if I wanted to get together again, I should . . . “holla.”
Quoi?
“I don’t date any self-respecting man over the age of 30 who employs the word ‘holla’ in an e-mail,” I told a friend. “Dismissed.”
I wore the dress again on a Friday night in early November, this time to a Peruvian restaurant in Hell’s Kitchen. The frock had already worked on a couple of first dates, so I adopted it as my official outfit. Sure enough, my date, a 30-something TV producer, e-mailed 20 minutes after dropping me off at my apartment. Then, on Sunday morning, I received a text from him asking if I wanted to go to the movies later that day.
In total, my “first-date dress” has worked its magic on no fewer than half a dozen men, ranging from financiers and law students to fellow journalists — and the confidence boost associated with such a winning statistic is the reason I’ve refused to wear anything else on a first date.
Two weeks ago, I wore the dress on a date with a publicist at an East Village tapas joint. We had nothing in common, and though I tried to forge a connection, my efforts were in vain: His one-line answers were just plain boring.
When we parted ways on the corner of Avenue A and Seventh Street, I was feeling unsure if I’d hear from him — and this upset me.
Not because I wanted to see him again, but because I couldn’t bear the thought of my dress finally striking out.
I breathed a sigh of relief when I got a text from my date a few days later: “Hope you’re having a nice weekend. Want to get dinner with me tomorrow?” My dress scored again!
But my panic attack got me thinking — maybe at 24, I’m too young to have settled on a first-date dress. It’s a crutch and not terribly adventurous.
And, let’s be honest, if the dress is so great, why hasn’t it gotten me past a third date and off the market?
So Monday night, I broke with convention and wore a different dress — though still a black one — on a first date with a guy who couldn’t be more different from me: a Midwestern-born-and-bred musician and vegetarian, a stark contrast to my steak-loving, Type A, East Coast temperament. Will we go out again? That remains to be seen. But, while I wait to hear, my first-date dress isn’t getting retired just yet.
camoroso@nypost.com
DRESS THIS WAY FOR A SECOND-DATE CALL-BACK
Want to guarantee a second date? Dating expert Rachel Greenwald interviewed 1,000 men about what made them call women back. Here’s what they had to say about your clothes.
* Flow, baby, flow: When it comes to dresses or skirts, about nine out of 10 men like something “flowing.” That style, says Greenwald, shows “a relaxed, easygoing personality.”
* Jewelry: Stick with smaller, more delicate jewels — it’s more feminine. “Large, chunky jewelry is considered masculine,” Greenwald says. “When you go on that first date, pay more attention to being feminine than trendy.’’
* Shoes: Don’t let your shoes make you taller than your date. “You want him to feel good about himself when he’s with you,” Greenwald says. “If he feels short or emasculated, then he’s not going to feel as comfortable around you . . . If you’re not tall, by all means, wear heels! They’re sexier than flats.’’
* Don’t dress too primly — or too slutty, either: Men say to aim for the middle. “In other words, not too prim, shy or uptight (high-buttoned, school marm-ish or too baggy or boxy); and not too slutty, tacky or easy (too tight, too clingy, too much cleavage, nor skirts too short),” Greenwald says. “Show your curves and a little bit of cleavage — a hint of what’s underneath, but don’t give away all the surprises he might discover when he gets to know you better.”