From an H&M shift admired at a distance to a shiny jacket that belongs in Vegas, our writers reflect on the sometimes stunning, often shocking outfits they wore when they met their valentines

With Valentine’s Day just around the corner we’ve been thinking about what we and our loved ones wore the first time we met.

It might sound frivolous, but try listening to Bella Freud’s high-brow, low-fi hit podcast, Fashion Neurosis, in which she almost always asks her guests: “If you fancy someone and you don’t like the clothes they’re wearing, does it kill your attraction?” It’s often far more revealing than you might think. Who would have thought Nick Cave’s feelings about ankle boots – “a bit of a disaster” – could have been make or break between him and his wife, Susie?