THE recently-concluded Singapore Fashion Festival was a feast for the eyes, with its display of fashion both wicked and wild.
But while the women may have been salivating at the gorgeous, glamorous couture on show, some men weren't the least excited by the parade of gowns, frocks and fancy fare.
Snorted one guy: 'All these dresses for what? Just put a pretty girl in a simple tank top, belly button showing, and wow...'
Oh, really?
We decided to test his theory.
We took pictures of model Stephanie Ang, winner of The New Paper New Face contest last year, in a tank top and short skirt, and then in a strapless $899 dress by local designer Sunny Ang.
Two looks, both sexy, but quite different in their level of sophistication. Where one shouts, 'Look at me!', the allure of the other is more like a breathy whisper.
We then got the views of guys on the two looks and also asked them how they liked their women to dress. Is a 'simple tank top' really enough? At least one man we spoke to didn't think so.
'A' FOR EFFORT
Yes, there were lots of leg and skin on show. But Mr Loo Leong Thye, the chief executive of Challenger Superstore, found the simple look a yawn.
'Many girls dress that way. That outfit doesn't turn me on.'
He preferred Stephanie in the vivid green dress.
'If I'm sitting alone at an al fresco cafe and a lady in that dress walks by, my head will turn. She's definitely going for a kill by wearing that on a normal day,' said Mr Loo, 50, a father of two.
And effort counted for quite a bit too.
Said boutique chain owner Tan Yew Kiat: 'A woman who dresses up will turn a man on. The majority of our local women don't make an effort to dress up, or their dressing is not elaborate.'
'Someone in that dress will make my head turn,' said Mr Tan, 28, the founder of fashion boutique business BYSI Asia Clothings Company, which has stores both here and overseas.
He said that he likes women who dress up, including his wife, who dresses up for work every day.
While he acknowledged that most men of his age would also be turned on by Stephanie's other look - spaghetti-strap top and mini-skirt - he also said that such an outfit might give the wrong impression.
Said Mr Tan, who is married with three children: 'If a woman wearing that walks past me and my group of male friends at a coffee joint, their first reaction would definitely be that she works in the nightlife sector.'
He added: 'Men can be quite conservative in the sense that they like to see other women in revealing clothes, but they will not want to be caught dead with their dates in those outfit.'
But Mr Terry Goh felt differently.
SIMPLE EQUALS SEXY
Mr Goh, the operations manager of Attica at Clarke Quay, a popular hangout for models and celebrities like Hong Kong actor Stephen Chow, chose Stephanie in the simple tank top and skirt.
He found the designer dress too elaborate and shocking.
'Dressing simply is sexy to me,' declared the 33-year-old bachelor, who also works as a wakeboarding instructor by day.
'No offence to the designer of that dress,' he added.
He did say, though, that his friends, most of them yuppies, would appreciate Stephanie in the dress.
Local designer Sunny Ang did indeed have men in mind when he designed the piece for his spring collection.
It is an outfit that suits all occasions and he was sure that it would turn men on, said Sunny, 30, who started his own label two years ago.
But Stephanie herself did not appear too comfortable in the dress during the photo shoot earlier this week. She kept adjusting it to prevent it from revealing too much.
'I don't mind this outfit, but I'm still a teenager. I usually wear something more comfortable and casual, like jeans,' said the 17-year-old United World College student.
'I like to wear a spaghetti-strap top over something else, with jeans. I don't think one has to be so showy all the time.'
WHAT WOMEN THINK
And that brings us to possibly the most important question of all: Why ask men what they think in the first place? Do women care what men think of their dressing?
Going by some women we spoke to, not very much.
Of the eight we interviewed, seven said that they dressed for themselves or for comfort.
Said Ms Cecilia Chow, 26, an arts administrator: 'To make myself feel good. It's the same logic as having a good bath. I feel neat and clean, refreshed, and more confident.'
Agreed Ms Bibiana Teh, who is in her mid-30s and is self-employed: 'When you dress well, you have more self-confidence.'
Ms Joline Toh, 37, a financial adviser, said: 'For me, it's showing some level of respect - women dress up because we respect ourselves and respect the people who invite us. It's not so much about attracting the opposite sex or to make other people jealous.'
But some women unashamedly admit that a guy's opinion does count.
HELLO, BOYS!
Said marketing executive Caroline Chong, 22: 'Of course, it's to get the opposite gender's attention and to make the man next to you look good! If you dress sloppily, you will also make him look bad.'
The New Paper on Sunday columnist Janice Wong also dresses to please men.
She writes in her column in this issue: 'My heart skips a beat when men say I look good, I guess because it means I am reaching out to my target audience.'
No doubt that's a relief to the guys, that for every woman who throws on a faded shirt over jeans, there's another who will go that extra mile to look like a million bucks.
At the end of the day, maybe it takes a bit of all the factors mentioned to make a woman look good in what she wears.
A dash of sexy allure, but nothing too outlandish. A level of comfort.
And a woman will always need - as several of the women pointed out - and - as many women stoutly maintain - a good dose of self-confidence.
Agreed Mr Goh: 'A woman can wear the most sexy and expensive dress, but the question is, can she carry it off? I'm more attracted to a woman's personality than her fashion sense.'
