I absolutely rely on my husband's take on what I wear. He knows (and cares) very little about fashion, but he has an unerring instinct as to what looks good on me and suits my style. He can't always articulate as to why he doesn't like something; his comment is usually just a mild "it's a little off" or "it doesn't really suit you". But, when he likes something, he volunteers that information without any prompting.

Judging from the above comments, I guess I'm quite lucky. My guy dresses quite conservatively but he likes it when I take fashion risks as long as he figures the overall effect suits my style.

I often find out upon purging or retiring an item just how my BF felt about it. He will say when he's not a fan, like my gladiator sandals he keeps calling my 'ugly shoes' lol, but overall if I'm happy in it, he's fine standing by my side. I do know certain wardrobe items he is not a fan of. Mostly they are biker/bimbo connotations from Daytona Bike Week (he worked for years on International Speedway) - leather pants, denim skirts or dresses, and they don't even have to be short. To him these items are just bimbo wear. Period. He actually does not go for the bodycon look, and neither do I (although I go for figure flattery).
He does have a good eye for fashion, for the most part, but I think being in his 50's he does have a tad bit of conservative in his tastes for me. I don't mean preppy or corporate conservative, but not tight, or short or too bright type of conservative And he's slower to warm to new trends overall.

JR, it wasn't until I had children of my own that I realized that most parents do the best they can with what they have. That doesn't excuse abuse, of course, but many of our parents weren't necessarily complimented by their own parents and so they criticized more than not because it was the only way they knew how. My mother had some strong opinions on how young ladies should dress, and while she was too conservative, I cannot say she was entirely wrong, either. I have long ago forgiven any perceived criticisms, as I am an adult now. How I feel about my clothing and style is my own choice and not to be blamed on childhood slights or parental opinions. Additionally, my mom is at the age where I will gladly take her contrary opinions about anything just to have her here. The years are too short to hold grudges.

Back on the subject of DHs, though, my DH has never been interested in traditionally sexy attire, and overly high heels and body-con dresses just don't do much for him. He doesn't mind if I wear them sometimes, though, as he's never been the jealous type. Add to that that he never noticed when women looked him over (he is 6' 8" and quite handsome, if I do say so myself), and I don't think he would even notice if other men were ogling me!

My DH is a little more fashion savvy than some, but still not as up to date as we are. He has 4 sisters so knows the importance of tact in his answers to the questions of "how does this look?". He is a good sounding board, but occasionally I get "the look" which I interpret as "you're wearing that?" and he swears is just a "I'm trying to be objective". I usually listen as it's never negative and lots of positive compliments.

SO/DH has definite opinions. He likes body-conscious things on me (typical) and also loves anything elegant. I do take his opinions into account but I don't have to do that religiously since we are generally in different states.

If there's anything I know he particularly likes, I try to keep that item at his house and to wear it when we're together. And if I know it's really not his favorite, I don't mind leaving it in the closet when he's here. I have enough clothing that this is not a hardship, and I certainly appreciate it when he wears the items that *I* like best, so why not take his likes and dislikes into account as well?

I feel free, however, to ignore statements such as, "You should buy ten of those." (Spoken during the modeling of my new legging jeans.)

My boyfriend would like me to dress less "old" -- he can't seem to say what it is that IS OLD but he knows he doesn't like what I do. It's a struggle for me because I tend to be more classic style (cardigans) and that's just "old"

He would like me in more girly/revealing clothes but I'm not very comfortable in them. I struggle a lot with body image (was 300 pounds for a long long time and then lost over 150 of it) so that makes it doubly hard for me.

He will tell me if he doesn't like something but that's pretty rare overall. I find his opinion interesting because it's the oddest things he doesn't like.

My uniform tends to be dark jeans, a plain top (in gray, black, blue or a teal variant) , usually long sleeve since I'm always cold and cardigans, sweaters, shawls and scarves are a part of my attire. I live in Seattle so it's usually icky. I rarely wear skirts or dresses. I work at home so I don't need to dress up in any way. I'm a dansko clog wearer though have become very attached to my ballet flats, I used to think they made my legs look shorter/fatter so wouldn't wear them but I've come to terms with them

Anyway, I dress old. That's his big complaint. I do bear that in mind when I shop and try to find current clothes and he notices and pays compliments when he likes it. The other day I got a "you look really nice" when I was wearing what I usually wear .... so that was odd

But yeah, it's a balance ... they see what we don't see and sometimes that viewpoint is important. But I can't obsess about it or else I'd go crazy.

DH does volunteer opinions on my clothes and I do listen to him. He is not very aware of fashion but he has a very good eye for other visual things. So I take what he says into account, but in the end do what I want.

It's interesting how many commonalities there are among the differences too.

Eperdu, that is quite the drop! Wow! Quite the challenge to recraft your own body image and sense of style after that, I imagine.

And somehow mothers worked their way in here... Which makes sense really, because the emotional weight of mothers is on a par with that of husbands.

I think I am getting better at respecting my husband's opinions over the years. About time, he would probably say... LOL! But I still ignore him when it comes to my Amish hat. ;o)

Mr. Laurinda only has a few strong feelings, He hates gray (bad memories of gym clothes?) which is not a great color for me anyways, and he really likes reds and magenta so I favor those for date night clothes. Oh, and he would not mind more 'bombshell' looks, but not for everyday wear. Other than that he just does not notice or care.

my husband always likes what im wearing but gives more critical opinions if i ask for specific feedback. if he doesn't like something i would be surprised but would certainly listen because it is so rare. i don't think hes ever not liked something i loved.

Sorry, that was me who started the thing about mothers. I know that most mothers do their best. Mine certainly did, although she was, on occasion, abusive -- but I know how hard she tried, which is what allowed me to get over it. It's just funny how my mother's opinions still have more emotional impact than my husband's, despite the fact that I have more respect for him and his taste in clothes than I do for my mom and her taste in clothes.

Mr. Marley knows better than to ever tell me that he doesn't like something that I'm wearing. That being said, he is open to pretty much anything when it comes to fashion - and so we get along just fine. I really can't imagine choosing my outfits based on what he does or does not like - we wouldn't last very long if that were the case!

Hubby is very vocal about his likes :)...
That said he just volunteered to buy me green/emerald skinnies last week... He is typical male :).. With no cleavage but loves me in shorts and skirts... But there are times when we are poles apart like with waist surrendering top... He calls them my pregnant top... (FYI we donot yet have any babies and he calls them that... eye roll)... But I do wear them

My SO and I differ significantly in style, and can both be pretty vocal about our likes and dislikes... for either of us! I like to think I'm the more diplomatic partner, but I'll confess I'm not diplomatic enough to just keep my mouth shut and let him enjoy whatever he's decided to wear every time :-/

So yeah, the occasional criticism will surprise either of us --- like I said, we have different styles (he's more casual, I'm more detail-oriented, I like more complex patterns and trims that he finds dizzying or too busy, patterns and colours he sometimes chooses seem too naive or 'muddy' to me, his idea of clean and muted is sometimes mine of boring, and his idea of 'sophistication' for me is typically silk that I find impractical for most occasions etc). It doesn't mean criticised clothing is necessarily abandoned, though --- sometimes we agree to disagree, and only if one of us is pretty vehement does the garment or composition get entirely discarded.

Oddly, we do buy for each other every so often, and he gets it right more often than not --- at least, he selects garments that prove useful and flattering by popular vote, even if I'm not sure of the look initially or would have never chosen it for myself.

My Hubby has good taste and I value his opinion, he is conservative, he loves my work dresses, heels, good fabrics, quality products, jewel colors fabrics (hates prints).
He doesn't like trendy items (mullet dress, spikes, ). Sometimes I skip his opinion because I want to have some excinting and trendy items to mix in my wardrobe, but I also know I get tired of those items, so I should ear him more often: Few items, more quality!

My DH is very sweet and totally uninterested in fashion. He is a jeans and tshirt guy, with button down shirts for Church. He often compliments me, saying that I look nice, he doesn't usually comment on a specific garment. The very few times he has expressed his dislike for a garment he is usually right:). Funny thing is now I have Master 9 critiquing my outfits. He will say "mum that top just doesn't look like you"...and you know what...he is usually right too.

Mine is completely uninterested in fashion and clothing. He rarely if ever says if he likes or doesn't like something. He is like some of the others: jeans, tshirts and button downs. I am blessed with children who have wonderful fashion sense and seem to be able to steer when something is too young or too old.

This has been so much fun! Somehow we all seem to find a way to get along. ;o)

Typical before we go out scene in the Birdhouse:
Me (in bra and panties, holding up an item of clothing): Babe, do you think I should wear this today?
Birdman: (without looking up) Nah.
Me (holding up something different): Okay, how about this?
Birdman: Nah
Me (frustrated): What DO you think I should wear today?
Birdman (with lavicious smirk): I like what you are wearing now....
Lesson: asking husband what I should wear results in being late for any given event, and messy hair!
Seriously, though, even though he is an artist, DH has absolutely no eye for clothing whatsoever! As you may have guessed, he likes anything body-con or bombshell. But he also likes things that are very very boho. He makes fun of anything I wear that is too South Shore of Long Island (where we live). Happily, he has an excellent eye for jewelry!
The real conflict we have, style wise, is his! Usually I can not believe he is leaving the house in any given outfit, and I am always chasing after him, begging him to let me iron his shirt, or fetch him a new pair of (not white athletic) socks, or a pair of pants that might match better. Anyone else have this problem? What do you do?