By Jonathan Jones

One of the great benefits of being a gay man is the freedom I have within the clothes I wear. When I was battling my sexuality, I lost all interest in what I wore but since I've come out and have grown in strength within that I've begun to shop a lot more and really take a keen interest in my outward appearance. I tend to opt for the smart casual look, ie a pair of jeans, jacket, a nice shirt etc etc.

Shoes. Don't talk to me about shoes. I love buying shoes but my favourite footwear at present is a pair of cream suede ankle boots I picked up in a Summer sale. I love the way people look at them. They look down, this curious look comes across their faces and then they look back up at me and they are so asking the question. For that reason, I call them my gay boots.

I'm now on the hunt for a leather messenger bag, preferably in a dark brown and with a worn in look. Quite plain, maybe a buckle or two here and there and a nice thick strap. The beauty of being gay is that you can pretty much wear what you like without worrying what others think. You can run the gamut from butch to quite poofy and I love that. I've spoken to straight guy friends and they argue this point, that they'd like to buy such and such but they're afraid they'll look gay in it. No such worries for me. Hey, I even make über-masculine gear look gay!

A pair of cream moccasins have taken my eye at the moment and I am so going to buy those. Tomorrow probably. I think they will look great with a pair of jeans I have, a pair of my fancy merino wool socks and a pale pink paisley shirt I've got my eye on. I get quite a few compliments now with regards what I wear and I don't think it will be very long before I've reached clothes-horse status. I'm quite looking forward to it actually.