You know what else?

I ask Alan to tell me if my outfit works every morning. And I think he's usually truthful.

This makes it easy when we go shopping (like on Saturday) and I ask him if he likes something I'm thinking about buying. It means he can say something like, "it looks like it was made for you." And then I buy it! And he is happy for me!

I do the same for him, when he asks (he does not ask as often as I do). And I'll often buy him something--usually a sweater, usually when I'm on an errand that takes me by Banana Republic--without consulting him first. So far, he's liked it all. Because it all looks like him!