How much do I influence my wife’s sense of style? This is a question many men must ponder, particularly after a loved one asks of an outfit, “Darling, do you like it?” – and proceeds to make a decision based only tangentially on his response.

For a man, having an opinion (when we are asked for one, of course) can be tricky. In our working lives we are expected to express ourselves in a forceful and authoritative way, so it’s not surprising if we believe the same logic should apply to thoughts on our partners’ clothes.