Since clothing has come up, I wanted to ask: Can men immediately tell the quality or price of a woman’s clothes?

I’m a BB7 male member. I can usually tell when someone is wearing fast fashion. But if it suits their means and they seem to have a normal attitude toward money, I don’t get a bad impression at all. Once we become friendly, I may even want to buy them some clothes. On the other hand, if someone is wearing expensive-looking brands despite being a regular office worker or student, I do wonder whether they come from a wealthy family or have several generous (well-paying) papas... This isn’t really related to the question, but during the bubble era, there were tons of female college students and office workers dressed head to toe in designer brands, weren’t there? To me, they seemed dazzling and completely out of reach. That frustration became the driving force behind my career afterward, though.（笑）

Maezawa from the Corporate Planning Office here as well. I’ve never heard of a man evaluating a woman based on whether her clothes were expensive or cheap. If anything, I hear more comments like, “She showed up in jeans and sneakers, and I wondered what she was thinking,” or, “Her profile photo showed her in pants, but she wore pants on the date too, which was a bit of a letdown.” Of course, if a woman looks good in pants, I don’t think men will complain, so it’s not an absolute rule that pants are a no-go. That said, I think men may be concerned when they had planned to dine somewhere a little upscale, but the woman’s outfit doesn’t match the venue. And if the man happens to prefer skirts, he may simply feel a little disappointed. So, rather than whether the clothes are expensive or cheap, I think what matters is whether they look feminine, and whether they’re the kind of clothes that make a man think, “She’s cute” or “She looks great.” >I’ve seen stories online about men buying clothes for women, but none of the men I’ve met so far have done that. If you wear the same outfit several times, the man may notice and offer to buy you something. That said, since he won’t know your size, it would be difficult for him to give you clothes as a straightforward present. Instead, you could say, “I want to buy some clothes. Would you come and help me choose?” If he comes along, he may eventually say something like, “That looks good on you.” From there, I imagine some men might offer to buy it for you… If he doesn’t, just thank him, buy nothing, and go home. That’s perfectly fine. Incidentally, I heard this from a professional in the papa-katsu world: Apparently, she makes arrangements with the store staff in advance. She tells them that she wants him to buy something for her, then visits the shop pretending it’s her first time there. The staff compliment her repeatedly, and since they’re professionals, they create an atmosphere where he’ll want to buy something without being pressured. She also seems to use a little trick where she takes him to about three stores, starting with expensive ones. That way, even though the third store is still expensive, it looks cheaper by comparison, making him more likely to buy something. You shouldn’t stop thinking in any situation. Think about what you can do and how you can make things work. Even the people who write about this online have probably thought things through, tried different approaches, and refined their methods through failure. Thinking, “I don’t want to do anything that feels deceptive,” is the wrong mindset. If a man buys something for you, it means you’re attractive enough for him to want to do that. To achieve that, you may need to treat him well, and you may also need the conversational skills to tell him things that are useful to him. Only a small number of people can succeed by relying solely on their natural selves. You have to keep making an effort and think about how to get a man to like you. This was one of those stories that made me think that kind of approach may sometimes be necessary.

I’m in my 60s and feeling a little lost. If you’re asking whether I can recognize quality, the answer is yes. But what exactly does “cheap-looking clothes” mean? In the end, I think it’s less about whether something is expensive or inexpensive and more about having the sense to dress in a way that suits you. If the staff at the club interview feel there’s something a little off about what you’re wearing, they may occasionally note in your profile comments something like, “She came dressed like this...” If you’re worried about your sense of style, the best thing to do is consult the staff. Also, do you highlight this in your profile? Directly asking, “I want you to buy me clothes...” might backfire, but if you clearly indicate that you only have casual clothes and would like to have dinner somewhere that suits that kind of outfit, there may be men who are happy to accommodate you—and you may feel more at ease too.

I’m だて◎ゆめ, a male member. I pretty much feel the same way as Seattle. Regardless of the brand or price, I’m fine as long as it has an overall sense of class. Of course, “class” is entirely subjective in my case. Other people might look at it and say, “What’s so special about that?” (laughs)

I’m Saito, a column writer♪ Some of the models around me buy new clothes to boost their confidence before meeting someone. But when it comes to the top tier—women at the level of winners of Japan’s Big Three beauty pageants—they don’t own that many clothes to begin with. I doubt they buy even 20 outfits a year. And yet, they’re overwhelmingly impressive. When buying clothes for them, ordinary models and talents usually think, “Even if it’s inexpensive, I should get a few outfits…” (Floral prints in particular are hard to buy because it’s easy to notice when they’re being worn repeatedly.) Top-tier women, on the other hand, think that having just one really good piece is enough. They choose the very best one, saying, “You don’t have to buy me anything else—I just want this,” and wear it for a long time. People who take good care of their belongings and clothes are naturally appealing. Of course, whether something is expensive or cheap doesn’t really matter to us. But I think it’s best to help them avoid giving off a cheap-looking impression.

I’m a male member of UC and the new salon. I can’t exactly tell the quality or price of an outfit at a glance. That said, I do find it hard to be impressed when someone is dressed cheaply in the sense that they haven’t considered the time, place, or occasion at all. You don’t have to wear expensive designer clothes. If the outfit is stylish, even if it isn’t costly, and brings out the woman’s charm, it leaves a very good impression. Men do sometimes buy clothes for the women they’re seeing. I do that myself. We’ll go to a brand’s fashion show together, have a stylist put together some outfits, and buy them as a pair. I hope you have a wonderful encounter♪

I’m a male member, Seattle. Speaking only for myself, I’m not interested in clothes, so I don’t really pay attention to them. I’ll say, “That’s a nice outfit,” and she’ll often reply, “It was only 1,000 yen at Shimamura.” What matters is what’s on the inside.