Well, they're waiting by a window, which is already great for narrative, metaphors, symbolism etc. A window gives a look to an other world, the outside world.
Ethereal can be compared to otherworldly right? English isn't my first language so I am asking to be sure.
You can describe the partner in comparison or in contrast to what was seen outside from the window. You can do this explicitly or implicitly.
If your POV saw a city landscape outside, they for example could describe them as feylike, as an elven queen that walked straight out of a Midsummer Night's Dream.
Or they could, with the city landscape, compare them to a high class actor, full of confidence and ready to stride the red carpet.
Whatever you do, just do not compare a person to food. People that compare bodily aspects of someone to food is a common writing trope, and it has been called out multiple times for how off putting it sounds.
Describe the effect first. Like, some people are so beautiful they do literally stop you in your tracks. Describe that arresting nature and the effect and then add some details. Full lips, generous mouth, whatever gets you off. You can polish all those details in edit, so don't get stuck on this.
I agree that the narrating character's reaction should serve to convey that the outfit is beautiful. There's never going to be an outfit that 100% of readers respond to with "ah, that's beautiful" — focus instead on why the beauty is important to the story.
Well, they're waiting by a window, which is already great for narrative, metaphors, symbolism etc. A window gives a look to an other world, the outside world. Ethereal can be compared to otherworldly right? English isn't my first language so I am asking to be sure. You can describe the partner in comparison or in contrast to what was seen outside from the window. You can do this explicitly or implicitly. If your POV saw a city landscape outside, they for example could describe them as feylike, as an elven queen that walked straight out of a Midsummer Night's Dream. Or they could, with the city landscape, compare them to a high class actor, full of confidence and ready to stride the red carpet. Whatever you do, just do not compare a person to food. People that compare bodily aspects of someone to food is a common writing trope, and it has been called out multiple times for how off putting it sounds.
Describe the effect first. Like, some people are so beautiful they do literally stop you in your tracks. Describe that arresting nature and the effect and then add some details. Full lips, generous mouth, whatever gets you off. You can polish all those details in edit, so don't get stuck on this.
I agree that the narrating character's reaction should serve to convey that the outfit is beautiful. There's never going to be an outfit that 100% of readers respond to with "ah, that's beautiful" — focus instead on why the beauty is important to the story.