If I were going to start saying “adorbs,” I would totally say “totes adorbs.” But I would be doing it ironically. 
For me, “cute” just means I like it.
Depending on where she’s from, the guy could look like a chimp, a corgi, a dolphin, or a koala.
Cute is nice looking but not high fashion or formal wear.
Being surrounded by ladies of all types my whole life, in that context, it simply means they noticed it’s a new addition/they like it/it’s flattering/adorable.
Guy equivalent of “that looks cool.”
Is this another “women are aliens, please interpret their moon language for me” questions? 
Let’s set the scene: Woman A is wearing a colorful skirt. Woman B approaches her with a smile, bright eyes, warm expression and says in a cheerful tone of voice, “Wow, your skirt is so [****]!”
Whatever that blank is filled in with – it could be “cute,” it could be “восхитительная,” it could be some reptilian dialect you’ve never heard before – is meant to be a compliment.
Come on, you knew this.
I have been making observations and trying to quantify a Cuteness Scale. While this is incomplete, and based on a limited sample, I feel it is a good initial effort at understanding this impenetrable dialect. (Unfortunately, my Grunt-to-English dictionary, which I hope women will find useful in interpreting male communication, is occupying too much of my time to pursue this project with the zeal it deserves.)
Object is small, relative to the size of a human infant: +20 millibuttons*
Object is also small relative to the average of objects of its type: +100 millibuttons
Object is round, or rounded: +20 millibuttons
Object has large eyes, or eye-like attributes, relative to its size: +50 millibuttons
Object has nonfunctional attachments or accessories, such as fringes or bows: +25 millibuttons
Object is boldly colored: +10 millibuttons
Object additionally has at least two richly contrasting colors: +15 millibuttons
Object is of a pastel color: +15 milibuttons
Object has sufficient resemblance to the face of an animal to trigger facial recognition: +40 millibuttons
Object is an insect, or realistically resembles an insect: -1000 millibuttons
Thus, a white purse just large enough for a lipstick and a credit card, with two large dark black spots near the top and a bow beneath them would have a cuteness value of 280 millibuttons, which seems sufficient to trigger a comment on the order of “Oh, that’s cute!”, but falls short of “OMGSOCUTE” by a substantial margin. Obviously, there are factors I have not yet accounted for.
*The button is, of course, the standard unit of cuteness. Most nonliving objects have cuteness values of less than 1 button, however, so they are typically presented in millibuttons. Items with values represented in buttons would more typically be things like puppies, kittens, and images of magical talking ponies. Exposure to dosages larger than approximately 5 buttons have been claimed to cause cardiac arrest in vulnerable individuals, but these claims are anecdotal.
- YouTube so cuu…
Nice analysis, Balance. 
What journal are you submitting that analysis to? Very nice!
Whatever it means, it’s not something you want to hear in the bedroom. See also Item #2 from Balance’s list.
Interesting on the person front. I’ve noticed that we men tend to use it to mean a little bit child-like, or, at least, the “take home to momma”-type. So it’s still a visual thing, but it’s still distinguishable from “hot.”
The only pattern I’ve noticed from women is mentioned upthread–that it means that you aren’t attractive enough to date. But that might have more to do with who they are saying it towards.