Love is a pair of really good jeans

For most women, the choice between sex and a new wardrobe is simple -- they go for the clothes.

Women on average say they would be willing to give up sex for 15 months for a closet full of new apparel, with 2 percent ready to abstain from sex for three years in exchange for new duds, according to a new survey of about 1,000 women in 10 U.S. cities.

Sixty-one percent of women polled said it would be worse to lose their favorite article of clothing than give up sex for a month.

"Some people say clothes make the man, but the right clothes can even replace him," fashion designer, stylist and TV personality Carson Kressley from the reality TV show "Queer Eye for the Straight Guy" said in a statement accompanying the poll.

The study also suggested that clothes often wear better than relationships.

The average woman between 18 and 54 years of age has hung on to her favorite article of clothing for 12 and a half years, a year longer than she's held on to her longest relationship.

Almost three-quarters of respondents, or 70 percent, also said they believed in love at first sight when it came to finding the perfect article of clothing, while only 54 percent of women were as confident in spotting the right man.

Nearly half of the women, or 48 percent, taking part in the survey by consumer products giant Unilever said their favorite article of clothing was more reliable than their man in giving them confidence and making them feel sexy.

Copyright © 2007 Reuters Limited.

Online Dating Is Not A Contest

Things Guys Love To Hear And Hate To Hear

Dating is about having fabulous, fun nights out with the hottest singles in your city... but with first date nerves you may end up sticking your foot in your mouth! Enjoy these tips and learn your lesson before it's too late!

Things guys love to hear...

1) "Then what happened?"
They are human after all – even if they are men. A man likes to be reassured that their lives are, in fact, interesting. And while interrupting him, changing the subject, or acting bored are well-known nails in the coffin, it's not always enough to just sit there, smile, and repeat a monotone, "Uh-huh," especially if that is the only thing you say throughout your date. He'll know you're genuinely interesting if you actively encourage him with comments like, "You're kidding! What happened next?" or "Go on..."

2) "That's pretty impressive."
Maybe he placed in a local triathlon. Or got a promotion at work. Or figured out how to fix his air conditioner. Whatever he's done, if he's mentioning it on a date, he's most likely proud of it—and if you feed his ego by applauding his efforts, you'll make him feel like a king.

3) "What do you do when you're not at work?"
Although a guy's work might be of primary importance, he also has other things in his life that he values. Does he juggle? (Well, maybe that's not one you're hoping to hear) Work on his car? Play an instrument? With a little probing, a woman can hit upon hidden passions—and convey that she's interested in getting a complete picture of him and not just what he does for his paycheck.

...And things men hate to hear...

1) "So how do you feel about abortion?"
This type of question is known among men as a litmus test—a touchy topic that women raise to gauge whether we're politically, morally, or spiritually on the same page as them (the death penalty, gay marriage, and the war in Iraq also fit the bill). Sure, they probably have strong opinions. But men are not interested in getting into these subjects with you, at least not yet. After all, this is a date, not debate club. Let's all have fun and save more heated back-and-forths for later.

2) "How do you feel about having a family?"
Pop this question during the first date, and most men will assume your biological clock is ticking fast and loudly—and that's not a good thing. It's not that all men don't want families, many of them actually do—it's just that men tend to like to get to know a woman first, before you start a discussion about your favourite baby names. And men like to know you like them as more than just as a potential baby-making machine. After all, where's the romance in that?

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The Dating Game

Attention eligible bachelors: Sabina Ptacin would like to meet you. She's the owner of two successful companies and is energetic and sociable.

She looks a bit like the actress Kate Winslet, with green eyes and sandy blonde hair. There's only one problem: She spends so much time working, she breaks more dates than she keeps. "I'm not going to marry either one of my jobs," admits Ptacin, who nevertheless often puts in 100-hour workweeks.

Loretta Talbot, a senior project manager at Wyeth ( WYE - news - people ), the pharmaceutical giant, wants a relationship too. She has a zest for life and enjoys photography and sailing. But it's not a sure thing that a man will call for a second date once he finds out how much real estate she owns.

Finding one's soul mate is never easy. But for women who are pursuing influential careers--women like Ptacin, Talbot, even Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor--the course of true love can be especially tricky. It's not just a matter of trying to find the time to date when you're working around the clock. Women face far more complex hurdles. Unlike their male counterparts, who generally become more desirable in the romance arena as they achieve higher career status, powerful women are often handicapped by their success.

And antiquated social mores still dictate that no matter how commanding a woman is at work, she should let her date choose the wine in a dimly lit restaurant.

"Successful men are viewed as highly desirable for women, but successful women are viewed as really scary by men," says Patricia Cook, who runs a boutique executive recruiting firm and has worked with hundreds of senior level executive men and women. "A man needs to be confident and secure in himself in order to be with a woman who earns more than he does."

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