Model and I recreate the scene from “How do I look?”. I am wearing a Balenciaga embellished evening gown with Alexander Mcqueen clutch and he is wearing a Gucci suit. All from www.matchesfashion.com
“How do I look?” she trills as she turns to see what her profile looks like in the dressing room mirror. Your girl has just spent an hour trying on three different outfits to be sure that she looks absolutely perfect tonight, and is confident that this Balenciaga dress is the one. What she might not realise, of course, is that there is no question in the English language that strikes more fear into the heart of a man than that simple question. It’s your classic no win situation: first of all you need an opinion, and second, you have to make sure that your opinion is the right one, and the problem is that for once you can’t just smile and make supportive noises, like when she tells you about her unfriendly co-workers.
I find that there are basically two types of men out there with regards to women’s fashion. The first is the man who really can’t care less what a woman is wearing, as long as it’s easy to take off, and the second actually has an opinion and takes the time. Unfortunately, many of the second type are gay, and so if a woman is lucky enough to have found one of the latter, my advice is to keep him close. I’m going to guess that most men are of the former, so if any of them are reading, here are some tips.
First of all, take the time. I know it’s hard to know the difference between Valentino and Versace, between Alexander McQueen and Steve McQueen (here is a hint: both are dead) and even between Burberry and Mulberry, and even harder to care. And there are few women who care about whether Zlatan is playing for ManU and if he has still got it at 34. But isn’t it amazing when they do? So why be any different? I find that once you can talk to a girl about which her favourite Gucci line was over the last few years, pretty soon the talk can turn to whether she likes Victoria’s Secret or Agent Provocateur.
The second tip is to make an effort yourself. I know most of the blokes you work with can only tell if you are wearing an expensive watch, and not whether your suit is Armani, Brioni or bespoke, but I can assure you that the ladies in the office can. And what is wrong with taking care of your appearance? You don’t let mediocrity sink you in your career, why would you do so in your wardrobe?
Thirdly and most importantly, fashion is fun! Yes girls have more choice and their outfits are creative, but what beats going out together and spending some time looking great? Drink some champagne, have some lunch and come back with bags for both of you. You will have a happy wife or girlfriend, and then maybe she will actually join you next time you need someone to come with you to a mid-week football game.
