Elsa Hosk Perfected the Sexy-Yet-Simple Date Night Outfit

Assembling the perfect date night outfit is a kind of art—in the way that mixing and matching candles in your home or creating the right menu for a dinner party is an art. It requires you to thoughtfully balance an array of different elements.

With candles, you have to manage the scent profile so it never veers too fruity, floral or sugary-sweet. With menus, you need to make sure there’s a little of everything—some spicy, some sweet and some delightfully savory. And with date night outfits, you need something that says style, personality and sex appeal all at once. Plus, your ensemble needs to be comfortable. (The last thing you need in an already high-stress situation is your clothes scratching, poking or otherwise undermining you.)

MORE: Bella Hadid Wore a Fendi Skirt that’s Equal Parts Hawt and Confusing

Mastering this art form is a thing my friends and I have spent years trying to accomplish. Not only do you need an outfit that checks all four aforementioned boxes (style, personality, sex appeal, comfort), you also want an ensemble that looks effortless. Trying too hard is a turnoff—or so the women’s magazines we grew up with have ingrained in our brains. So your carefully curated get-up has to look casually assembled. (The more time you spend thinking about this, the more mutually exclusive these criteria will seem.)

But of course, select transcendent beings manage to make it work. And Elsa Hosk is one of them. The Victoria’s Secret Angel took to Instagram Thursday night to display a date night ensemble that’s nothing short of phenomenal.

Source: Instagram

MORE: Hailey Baldwin Wore a $1,255 Flannel Shirt, Because, Honestly, Why Not?

Hosk’s decision to pair leather shorts with thigh-boots was a bold one—and it’s doing most of the work in this outfit. That choice single-handedly checks the style (on-trend!), personality (daring!) and sex appeal (hot AF!) boxes—plus, her sweater/shorts combo looks incredibly comfortable (practical!).

It’s hard to strike a chord among these four elements without veering into try-hard territory, but Hosk’s achromatic color scheme keeps things looking just casual enough. The outfit looks thrown-together and put-together at the same damn time, which is basically the date-night-outfit stylist’s Mona Lisa equivalent.

And before you come at me about those heels, remember: You’re usually seated on dates. Not necessarily a comfortable choice for standing around, sure. But the dinner, movie or cocktail bar that awaits you will save you from yourself on this one.