The canonical question is "Honey, does this dress make my ass look fat?" The honest answer may be "yes." But that answer could be hurtful and result in a seriously pissed off girlfriend/wife for a while.

The easy answer is "no." Dishonest, but no hurt feelings. A better response is often to deflect the question entirely and say, "I think you look much better in that purple dress you used to like."

That's what Sam did here: he deflected the question before it even arose.