Taking Style Advice From Women
We all have a woman in our life that has a good sense of style. A friend, a co-worker, a wife or girlfriend.
One of the most stylish women around me was a previous co-worker, and now a friend I've known for nearly a decade. She's an attractive young lady, always looking put together.
As you would guess, this chick fields a lot of male attention, and that leads to a lot of boyfriends. Some stay for a while, and some are only around a month or two.
I've had the opportunity to meet many of the more serious ones. She doesn't really have a "type," so it's interesting seeing which boyfriends make the cut, stick around, and get introduced to the friend group.
But something strange begins to happen to him around the 6-month mark of their relationship. Something that's really amusing for the rest of our circle…
The boyfriend begins looking like the rest of the boyfriends that came before him. Invariably, he's wearing the same items you'd find on previous lovers, all the way down to the brand.
At first, you might peg this as a coincidence. But after the third, fourth, FIFTH time, you start to pick up the pattern. It gets easy to see what's happening...
As a fashionable woman, she's been orchestrating her man's style, giving her takes (solicited or not) on what he should be wearing. But the result is the same: Sartorial synonymy with his predecessor.
She's picking items for these guys user her taste in what she thinks looks good.
The problem is that she's choosing items that are attractive to her, not items that look best on him.
And I can't blame her.
Personally, I have a very particular way I prefer to see women dressed. I'm attracted to "chic" and "sophisticated" looking women with a minimalist approach to their style.
I can't stand "bohemian" or "vintage" looks on a woman. And that's fine - It's my personal preference. But this is one of the primary reasons I choose not to work with women. It's too difficult to take my personal attraction out of the equation. This is much the same way researchers have to acknowledge their subconscious bias when conducting studies.
Women are no different; they have a particular style they're attracted to. Sometimes, it's hard for them to see beyond that attraction and take other things into account. Things like your age, lifestyle, personal taste, and suitable colors can take a back seat to her personal preferences. The science of it all becomes fogged by sexual attraction.
This is not always the case, of course. On many occasions, having a second opinion on your clothing (given by a girl or guy) can be very helpful if you're not sure where to start.
But the next time you're tempted to ask advice from a woman about what to wear, keep this in mind: you might end up looking like the last guy who asked that question.
Most of your life is spent inside of your clothing, so don't relinquish control of your closet. Man the ship and steer it in the direction of your choosing.
As for my friend, she just started dating someone new. We haven't been introduced yet, but if I hold off another 6 months, I'll already have met him half a dozen times.
