Marriage curtails some freedom. Anyone may have some liking for a particular type of dress. The spouses should try to satsify fantasy of each other in matter of dress as well as other things. I am not married and do not smoke. Many years ago, my girl friend just wanted to see how I would look while smoking. I just smoked a cigarette for her fantasy.  

No it is not a good idea to impose a dress code on either spouse. Asking your wife or husband to wear only certain kind of dress and to forgo certain others should not be done. However, it is practiced esp by men, personally I feel a dress which makes the wearer feel comfortable and one who can carry it and also a dress which is suitable for various occasion should be okay. I mean certainly wearing a mini skirt for a wedding party is not suitable. Dressing should be done as per the choice of the wearer and not the onlookers.

It is not really a good idea to impose dress code on your wife except of course, if what she wears is not up to the mark or does not suit a particular occasion etc. But generally if she is not comfortable wearing something, imposing it will only make her feel more ill at ease and she may not be able to react and behave confidently, making her look frumpy. So it is best to leave her to make her own decision and respect her discretion. But of course, again if it is something like asking her to wear sleeveless outfits or jeans, which you are sure will make her look good, but she is not used to it, then slow and steady is the mantra. Encourage and motivate her gradually and she may end up liking it!

I am not sure but what I know for sure is pressurizing you spouse is a sure way to bad relations that I am sure no one can afford for petty things like sleeveless blouse. 

Our culture is well known and understand deeply by the women. Since they are wearing the dress code which suits as per their choice and remembering the ill effects of society we should leave the dress code as per their choice. Do not give pressure because it will brake the relationship.

There needs be some practical approach. Both husband and wife are intimately related. so some compromise on dress also needs e made. I feel that wife should follow husband's advice while accompanying him to his relatives and friends. similarly husband should accept wife's advice shen she takes him to her relatives or friends. When they move indpendently to ofice or elsewhere, each needs follow own discretion and no advice from the other is necessary. 

Yes, I respect all the views.  I generally do not interfere with my wife's wishes.  It happened long long ago.  I had raised the question in the context of many men, some of whom are friends of mine.  However, there are quite a few changes in the past five years.  A much deeper understanding seems to have emerged and some women voluntarily ask what their husbands would prefer and then dress accordingly.  And a whole lot of freedom is now noticed in many families, which is a very good thing.

Thanks  a lot for the views.

I simply can't imagine how my wife will react if I ever tried to impose a dress code on her. I love eating at home so I will avoid trying this one :)

I think women don't really ask for an approval from their husband, it is just a way to elicit a compliment from their husband and way to check if their husbands are really into them or not, hence they ask for an opinion from their husband, about what to wear.

Exactly, Mousumi Ghosh.  This is what is really happening.  A great number of women, want to elicit a compliment from their husbands.  In fact, there is an increasing amount of openness, which is a good them, and they indeed seek an opinion from their husbands.  In fact, I know of one family, where the mother of the man himself goes all out to make the girl understand and then wear every dress, including the sleeveless blouses.  This is the most happy I have ever met, since the mother of the man showers all the affection on the woman, and is all out to help her at any time, apart from taking full care of the cooking and education of the three year old son..

As society evolves, we will increasingly see a far better place of opinions and suggestions, and I think, this is far better than what was there before.