Asking your significant other whether he genuinely likes the outfit you've chosen usually elicits one of two responses: "Yeah," or "Yeah, that's hot." Has he ever told you that you look slutty or fat in that vaguely see-through blouse? Probably not, unless he's jealous/insecure/looking for a death threat. Of course, most women aren't lucky enough to have designers for husbands, who, like Duro Olowu, would ostensibly tell you the truth. "As a husband and a designer…I have come to realize that comments from the partner can, and should, be taken seriously," Olowu writes in the Financial Times, while simultaneously confessing that most men are ill-equipped to actually articulate their (dis)pleasure. Conceivably, no woman wants to hear that her sartorial preferences verge on the tacky side, so unless your man comes equipped with a degree from Central Saint Martins, isn't the whole thing an exercise in futility? Wanting to know when your partner both likes and dislikes an ensemble is basically a catch-22, as Olowu sort of admits. His nonsensical answer? Encouragement! Simply tell her (preferably in a posh British accent), "Buy it darling, buy it. You look beautiful in it." Or, in American, "Yeah, that's hot." This is why we shop alone. —Sarah Fones

‘Darling, do you like it?’ [Financial Times]