Alex Raij serves Basque country favorites at her no-frills clapboard-walled tapas spot. Do order a glass of Txakoli wine to watch the bartender pour it, as tradition requires, from a great height so it splashes about dramatically. Don't mispronounce the name of the restaurant: Chi-KEE-toe. The key to dinner outfits: breathability. But, while this ensemble gives you nibbling room — the way it moves with you as you walk to your table is quite sexy. It's chic in a pants-version-of-a-caftan kind of way.

Stand out against the dark interiors of the space with some in-your-face red accessories — and, don't forget some fashion-forward trousers.

Debenhams Red Storm Envelope Style Purse, $32, available at Debenhams; Wren Shibori Dot Side Zip Pant, $220, available at Bona Drag; Zara Necklace of Chains and Rope with Coloured Stones, $29.90, available at Zara; 3.1 Phillip Lim Embellished Silk Chiffon and Crepe de Chine Blouse, $450, available at Net-a-Porter; Madison Harding Fran Booties, $268, available at Shopbop.

Txikito, 240 Ninth Avenue (between 24th and 25th Streets); 212-242-4730.

Photo: Courtesy of Txikito