I would like to believe that men and women are from the same planet, despite their differences. And differences there most certainly are. Not the obvious, physical ones. Those we all know, understand and even appreciate and celebrate (sometimes, anyway). But I am talking of the ones we rarely give a thought to, the superficial, unimportant ones.
Ask your female friends this question. If you had a wedding to attend, or were planning on some partying, (a) would you just put your hand into your closet and pull out the outfit right at the top/ bottom of the pile (b) would you would you have an outfit in mind and make sure all the accessories are available before you start getting ready and have everything organized before you start putting yourself together (c) plan a few days in advance of the function/wedding and make sure you get the right accessories to go with what you are wearing.
Most women I know, would choose options b or c. I do not know too many woman who, except in dire emergency, would just drape herself blindly in the first thing that comes to hand. This includes women who have very busy schedules, ( in fact, they have everything efficiently planned and coordinated, right down to the pin) and women of leisure ( I have heard that such mythical creatures exist in the upper circles of society) From the flustered housewife, to the domestic help. to the jet setting CEO, I do not think any woman would pull out an outfit from her shelf, just because it is there or wear each one in turn.(Which is why we have some outfits that are worn till they are thread bare, while some never worn at all, bought only in the hope that they will fit us after we lose some weight at some point in the future.)
I know of women who like to wear clothes that suit their mood that day, never mind if they have to pull stuff from the middle of the pile and rumple things. Women mix and match clothes so that the outfit gets a new fillip, they wear clothes that belong to others because they love that outfit, or are bored with what they have. We exchange clothes within the family and outside, with our friends. We wear clothes that make us look good or just feel good. We wear clothes that are comforting when we are down. For us our clothes are not just something that cover the essentials or offer protection. (Though in very cold weather we do tend to resemble bears on occasion and then you should see what we wear underneath !) Whether we dress simply or in a every- last- bit- colour- coordinated way, there is some thought that goes into it. Some of us think more about it, some less and some others agonise over it ( Does this make me look fat? Raise your hand if you have said it or heard it before).
So how does the other sex do it? From what I have seen in twenty years of marriage and conversations with other women and a recent revelation, I gather that after a shower, they open the closet and pull out whatever is at the bottom of the pile / top of the pile that day, depending on what they are used to. Oh they do make some concessions, like to the weather for instance. But if they have partners/ wives, they leave all the agonizing to them. Here I am not talking of the very young-want-girls-to-look-at-me studs. I am talking of the much married, middle aged (there is that word) top of their game kinda men.(that they too may want girls to look at them and in fact are sure they are studs, is a subject of a different post) Men and women look at clothes differently (now there is a new thought!), just as we look at everything else differently, even on the very same planet.
So the next time you want to compliment some man on his attire,go ahead and do it, but remember he may have had nothing to do with it, except extend a hand into the closet and reach out and grab what was there. Women on the other hand, deserve all the compliments and more, if for nothing else, then for having taken the trouble to look pleasant to the world.