Designer Donna Karan says men should take fashion advice from their girlfriends.

Men require help to appear good.Designer Donna Karan says men should trust their girlfriend’s opinion when trying on clothes.
The 60-year-old founder of DKNY insists men need help to look good because male fashion is hard to get right.

She said: “One guy can throw on a pair of jeans and T-shirt and just wear that and be perfect, while another guy can wear a T-shirt and jeans and look horrible.

“A guy needs to keep his eyes open, try several things on, and trust other people’s opinions.”

Even though Donna has devoted her life to making clothes, she admits most men look awful in high-fashion outfits.

She said: “I can’t stand men wearing a trend because it’s a trend. There are quirky men who can carry off quirk but most men can’t.

“I don’t like oversized, really sloppy pants hanging off a man’s waist, but then again I don’t like really uptight looks either. The extreme of either of those styles doesn’t make me comfortable.

“When you’re trying too hard it doesn’t work.”

Throughout her 20-year career, Donna has found men narrow-minded and unwilling to experiment when it comes to fashion.

She told Details magazine: “Sometimes men can be a little limited when it comes to trying something new. When I first used stretch fabric, I couldn’t even use the word ‘stretch’ until men realised how comfortable it was.

“Now they say ‘Where’s the black stretch crepe suit?’ ”

But Donna says looking good is not complicated – if you have a few key wardrobe items.

She said: “Every man should have the seven easy pieces: great pair of black pants, great jacket, white shirt, tie, great cashmere sweater, great pair of jeans, and a piece in leather – things that are amorphous.