This fascinating infographic collects the results of several studies on gender and colour that were conducted over the last few decades. It is very well done and definitely worth a look, but here’s my summary of some of the generalizations that were drawn:

• Blue is the favourite colour across both genders.
• Purple didn’t even feature as a favourite colour for men!
• Men and women dislike many of the same colours.
• Brown is the least favourite colour among men.
• Orange is the least favourite colour among women.
• Men have a higher tolerance for achromatic colours (black, white & shades of grey)
• Women gravitate towards softer colours, while men prefer brights.
• Women prefer tints (a colour mixed with white), men prefer shades (a colour mixed with black).
• When it comes to colour naming, women like to be precise and say “honeydew”, “fern” or “clover”, while men keep it simple and say “green”.

Of course these are just generalizations based on the interpretation of experimental results, but interesting all the same. For example, how do I fit these results? Well, purple wouldn’t feature on my list of favourite colours. I like orange and dislike most browns. I prefer brights to softer colours. I have a very high tolerance for black and white. Oh dear. Am I a man?

Perhaps I’m an outlier. If there are stereotypical colour preferences for men and women — if there are “masculine” and “feminine” colours — how and why does this happen? It’s the age old psychological question of nature versus nurture. To what extent are we shaped from the outside to act and feel in a particular way, and to what extent is it part of our genetic makeup? Can we fight against gender based colour stereotyping, or is it innate?

Since it’s often hard to see the gender of a clothed newborn baby, society pops girls into pink and boys into blue from a very early age. And so the gender based colour stereotyping begins. It’s kind of hard to fight it when everything for little girls comes in pink and purple, and nothing for boys is sold in these colours. We have dear friends who are desperately fighting the tyranny of pink, dressing their beautiful infant girl in green, grey, blue and brown as much as possible. She looks adorable no matter what colour she wears, but she is often mistaken for a boy.

Personally, I don’t subscribe to gender-based colour rules. In my book it’s perfectly acceptable and stylish for a girl or a woman to wear black, grey, white and blue. And boys or men look great in shades of pink, red, lilac, yellow and pastel.

This article came through my twitter feed via famous fashion and style journalist, Hilary Alexander. The visuals are hilarious so be sure to take a look when you have a moment.

Here’s the list with my feelings on each item. I wholeheartedly agree with five of them while the others are debatable.

1. Flip flops: Absolutely when we’re talking about the cheap as chips rubbery kind of flip flop. Nice leather thong sandals are decent though.
2. Low cut T-shirts: Yup. Not a fan.
3. Snazzy Jeans: I disagree with this one. I adore blokes in snazzy and eccentrically styled jeans. When worn right, and in the right size, snazzy jeans are a compete hit in my book.
4. Vests: This refers to sleeveless tank tops. I don’t love the look but I don’t hate it either.
5. Double Earrings/Dangly earrings: I like certain men with double and single studded earrings (like Marc Jacobs), but I do draw the line at dangly.
6. Boots over jeans: No way. This can be a fabulous look when pulled together with edge and forethought. Guys in Hong Kong, Milan and Paris look sensational with jeans tucked into boots.
7. Short shorts: I do tend to prefer blokes in long shorts.
8. Ugg Boots: Agreed.
9. Short Sleeved Shirts: Big, long and baggy is awful. But a well cut short sleeved button down shirt can look amazing. Short sleeved shirts by Ben Sherman, Mark Ecco, Hugo Boss and H&M are usually fab. I do prefer men in rolled up long sleeved shirts, but short sleeved shirts can also rock.
10. Leather trousers: Nah. Duran Duran wears leather trousers. Enough said.

I’m going to add to the list:

• Sloppy T-shirts: Worn out, stretched out and stained. This is my number one pet hate in a man’s wardrobe.
• Too-tight bottoms: Trousers, jeans and shorts should NOT be overly snug around the crotch area, especially on a bloke. I don’t want to see those curves.

Over to you. Do you agree with the original list and what would you add? Of course, we are not interested in what men hate about our wardrobes.

Every season there’s a severe shortage of casual pants that can be interchanged with jeans. Well, things are improving because there are definitely more choices now than in previous years. Here are your options by style.

• Skinny Cargos: Also known as utility pants and available in many variations. Some are super skinny, while others are a little baggier and elasticated at the ankle. Overall, the silhouette is slim and not relaxed like cargos were in the 90’s (see picture 1).
• Coloured and white jeans: These are technically still jeans, but they feel different because they aren’t blue or black. Some are made of denim and others of cotton twill. They come in pastels, brights and white. I’ve only seen the colours in skinny silhouettes, but white jeans are available in all silhouettes (see picture 2).
• Cropped Cargos: The style is sweet when rolled up to just below the knee (see pictures 3 and 4).
• Bermudas: The classic shorts silhouette that finishes on or above the knee. You’ll find really comfy pairs with 2% stretch (see pictures 5 and 6).
• Clamdiggers:  Clams are longer than bermuda shorts, and a lot more tapered from thigh to knee. They are like a pair of short skinnies. You’ll also see this style referred to as tapered bermudas. Purchasing a pair of capris and hemming or rolling them to clamdigger length is effective, something I’ve encouraged clients to do for several seasons (see picture 7).
• Knitted Harem pants: An acquired taste! The knitted varieties are casual and adorable with the right top and shoes (see picture 8).
• Short shorts: With killer legs and youth on your side, these are “the” casual bottoms of the season in all sorts of style variations. Surprisingly, even places like Ann Taylor are selling short shorts. They are that big. Solid, printed, pleated, tight, baggy, bright, neutral, you name it (see picture 9).

I haven’t included casual pants like leg shortening capris and cropped pants, which happen to be everywhere this season, but give me heart failure. This silhouette can be worn in flattering ways, but it’s so hard to do, especially with flat shoes. I have also left off classic “Dockers” style khakis because they still look blah to my eye. In the spirit of this year’s 70’s fashion revival, extra wide-leg khakis are all over the show. They require height, long legs and platform wedges, making them an option for a minority of women.

From the above list, I’ll wear casual bermudas, white jeans and clamdiggers. I have those styles covered and don’t need any more. I’ll also continue to wear my very 80’s black and cream micro check skinnies from Spain, which I have had for years and still love to bits. I’d like to get a pair of baggy red jeans, but no luck so far. Along with blue jeans and leggings I have plenty of casual and smart casual pant options.

Skinny cargos almost made it into my wardrobe. I did not bite because I prefer wearing dressier, fashion forward trousers and instead bought a couple of pairs of those. I also like to wear skirts and dresses, which means I generally, need fewer pants.

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Formal suits are probably one of the least popular items on YLF. People generally believe they look overly formal, business-y, strict and conservative. Not to mention the discomfort associated with wearing a suit. More often than not, women wear suits for professional and corporate reasons only, or to the odd interview and funeral. Wearing suits for any other reason seems a batty idea.

Well, I’m one of the batty ones. I LOVE an impeccably tailored suit and wear one just for the heck of it! A well cut suit exudes a simple and strong modern style message with just a hint of 70’s glam. Think Calvin Klein, DKNY and Ralph Lauren. I find that very appealing, so much so that I feel magical each time I wear a suit. I’ve had them in my wardrobe for the last 15 years and don’t see that changing at all. In the 90’s I wore lots of skirt and trouser suits, and amidst a sea of black, I even had suits in lime green, red, cobalt blue and light blue. More recently my preference is for a charcoal grey pinstripe.

I wore this outfit last Friday when we had dinner at Le Pichet with dear friends.  It’s a variation on an ensemble I described a few months ago when I matched a different suit with a turtleneck, studded belt and Frye ankle boots. This time I wore my Theory suit, swapped out the turtleneck for a black Brooks Brothers, non-iron button down shirt, added my gold medallion and carried the new Lulu Guinness instead of a clutch. It was raining that night so I popped over my cream trench and snuggled up with Greg under a polka dot umbrella.

It was an evening filled with food, exuberant laughter and a bit of city walking. I was extremely comfortable in my suit, which I loosened up by scrunching up the sleeves and adding a casual belt and footwear. Because I’m really into livening up grey with yellow gold at the moment, my new watch, gold wedding ring and my late Mum’s medallion were obvious accessory choices.

I do understand that this outfit is an acquired taste. A dressier belt with matching pumps would have been much more predictable. But it’s part of my style to add small unexpected touches to my outfits, and I’m always kind to my feet. Plus, I really get a kick out of testing the marriage between formal and casual outfit elements, taking them as far as I can.

These photos were taken close to home in a cool part of town called Capitol Hill. Out of the blue, passer by Rodelio, impulsively posed next to me while Greg was taking pictures. His colourful, casual and creative ensemble contrasts brilliantly with my monochromatic and conservative outfit. Love it!

Maybe my love for suits also stems from the fact that I don’t need to wear one every day. That way I can play dress up with non-corporate ensembles. Suits are not often described as fun clothing items, but I derive great enjoyment from wearing mine.

See more photos and outtakes (including Rodelio) on our Facebook page.