For generations of men whose wives and girlfriends have complained about their sheer disinterest when it comes to matters of female fashion, here’s the kicker: Ultimate Man Brad Pitt recently admitted that he loves taking an active role in what his partner Angelina Jolie wears. In fact, the actor surprised Angie’s stylists by picking out a designer gown for her to wear at an awards show when they were stumped for choice.
But Brad is merely one among a new breed of men who (horrors!) enjoy going shopping with their women, actually have opinions about their clothes and hairstyles and don’t mind stepping in to ensure their partner looks her best when the occasion demands. Says TV actor Aamir Ali, “My girlfriend Sanjeeda loves dressing up. She loves getting me involved in her wardrobe decisions and asks for my opinions on all her outfits. I’m only too happy to oblige.”
Gunjan Singh, a software engineer, puts a spin on the trend. “One motivator for women to dress up well is because they want to look good for their men,” he says. “If men have now started taking an interest in such things it’s because of all the effort that women put in. As for me, I know what makes my girl stand out from the crowd. It sounds crazy, but more often, when I’m visiting stores, it’s to buy something for my girl rather than myself.”
Even if shopping for clothes isn’t their thing, men do step into the jewellery department. Says Sumant Sethi, a media professional, “I may not pick out her clothes, but I do help my fiancée decide what jewellery to wear. I’ve picked out bracelets and pendants for her.”
However, investment analyst Ankush Makhija says sometimes men pretend to take an interest just to earn brownie points: “No matter how doting we are, many men simply don’t care about shopping. We only tag along and pretend to care. To men, clothes are like Irish relatives, we appreciate them a lot more when they’re missing.”