Shopping for clothes, shoes and bags is embedded in a woman's DNA, right? But there are some men who bravely invade retail-therapy territory. They - gasp - shop for their wives and girlfriends.

Urban found two guys who were man enough to say they wear the pants when it comes to buying feminine frippery.

There are bound to be others who would like a go at splurging on silks and satins for their goddess, if she would only let them.

However, it is a fine line between love and hate, when it comes to female attire.

Just ask 45-year-old Herald Bangras. The father of two boys aged 10 and five used to splash out on treats for his sweet, but ended up with sour looks.

In the end, he wised up and has not bought his homemaker wife, Karen, 40, anything for the last eight years.

Bangras admits: 'Nine out of 10 times, I would get it wrong.'

Nowadays, the lecturer of media management at a polytechnic here lavishes her with cash or gives her department store vouchers instead on her birthday and their wedding anniversary.

He says: 'She is a modern woman who knows what looks good on her and what she really wants. She doesn't like me to impose my likings on her.'

Still, the likes of Bangras who are prepared to boldly go where few men have dared - the women's department - are a rare breed.

SO MUCH ROOM FOR ERROR

Most men would rather do national service again than attack racks of lace and lycra.

Antipodean, a boutique above Harry's Bar in Holland Village, sometimes gets men who go up the staircase by mistake.

Owner Tricia Lum, 29, says: 'I can tell they are embarrassed. Most of the time they realise that they are in a womenswear shop and quietly make their way out.'

However, she notes that jewellery is one area of female fashion that men are more assertive in.

Ninety per cent of her male customers who do make it with confidence up those stairs spend at least $100 on her shop's costume jewellery.

That is because the guys do not need to worry about incurring the wrath of their other half about getting the sizing wrong. As Lum puts it: 'Any woman, no matter what her size, can put on necklaces and bangles.'

Men also lose their fear of crossing the female divide when shopping for occasions such as Valentine's Day and Mother's Day, say retailers.

Over at bags and accessories boutique Quintessential in Pacific Plaza, one of its co-owners, Bina Maniar-Goh, says that purchases by men peak on those special days.

These male mavens are in their late 20s and early 30s.

In fact, the 44-year-old notes: 'I don't feel guys are clueless about shopping for their wives these days.

'They will actually take along magazines which feature our products and ask for help to pick out those pieces.'

The lack of confidence among some is understandable, for stepping into a women's boutique has 'so much room for error', says Dr Adrian Wang, 42, consultant psychiatrist at Gleneagles Medical Centre.

'If you wanted to buy a pair of shoes for a man, it would be either black or brown, casual or formal,' he says.

'But what constitutes a nice pair of shoes for women is highly subjective.'

Just so you do not get black looks the next time you try getting her that little black dress, Natasha Liok, 28, suggests novice male shoppers get hold of a jersey dress with the right detailing and length.

The owner of Avana:J, a multi-label boutique in Pacific Plaza, adds: 'Jersey with the right ruching at the right areas can accentuate the figure of any woman regardless of her body type and still look tastefully sexy.'

This article was first published in Urban, The Straits Times.