Customer Reviews

Dressing The Man: Mastering the Art of Permanent Fashion

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Gentlemen, trust me. Fluisser's book is nicely photographed, but it is not the final word on correct dress. There is a better book, all around. It is by Bernhard Roetzel, and it is called, "Gentleman: A Timeless Fashion." I am an American who has traveled a great deal in Europe and Asia. Trust me, this is the textbook. You will find it on display in the epicenters of finality regarding man's dress, Bond Street, Savile Row, London. The photos are great, and the advice given by Roetzel is, unlike Flusser, not ethnocentric to America. It works like crazy in America, but also works in other countries. Flusser is a Hollywood maven. Roetzel understands gentlemanly dress.

This is Mr. Flusser's best effort to date. This book is more akin to his "Clothes and the Man" than to his more recent "Style and the Man." Beware, that this book deals almost exclusively with suits, ties, shirts, and formal wear - there is a section on sportcoats but, this book will not be informative or helpful if you always dress casually.

The book has some passages (maybe illustrations as well?) that are very similar to "Clothes and the Man" but still, there is plenty of new material. The book goes into detail regarding clothing coloring with respect to a person's complexion and also how to mix and match various fabric patterns (e.g., stripes with stripes, checks with checks, checks with stripes, etc.) The book is also very nicely illustrated with photographs and drawings. A very impressive book and quite comprehensive.

Though it would appear that Mr. Flusser has changed his opinion on some matters over the years (e.g., monograms), still the book and Mr. Flusser take a stand for traditionally styled clothing. This book is NOT for the trendy and NOT for those seeking to learn about modern fashion - it is about style, and conservative, traditional style at that. It's about the rules for why clothing should be the way it is - it explains the history of why mens' garments have developed in the way they have and accordingly sets forth the rule for their proper wear based on their history and origin (e.g., why dinner jackets should have peaked lapels, not notched; why formal wear trousers are NOT cuffed, why suit trousers are cuffed; the symmetry and proper fitting of suits, shirts, and trousers, etc.)

With respect to suits and formal wear, this is, in my humble opinion, the best book out there. Unlike, "Style and the Man" there is no detailed list of fine places to shop, the book is about setting forth the traditional rules for clothing and then allowing one to experiment from there, i.e., experiment once you have a firm foundation of knowledge. It's a fine book; voluminous, appealingly illustrated, and informative.

Alan Flusser is a national treasure, and "Dressing the Man," along with his earlier book "Clothes and the Man," is a valuable guide for the man who is interested in discovering the principles of classic male style and applying them in his life. Through a wealth of photos and informed commentary, Flusser explains those principles, lays out the "How" and -- more importantly -- the "Why," and even assembles about as comprehensive a glossary as any man not a top-of-the-line tailor is ever likely to need. Some of the ideas, such as how to pair multiple patterns, aren't for beginners. But any man who studies this book and takes the ideas in it to heart will do himself credit, and be a definite improvement to the overall menswear landscape.

That's not to say this book is perfect. First, there's the semantic problem in the subtitle, "Mastering the Art of Permanent Fashion." "Permanent fashion," is, of course, an oxymoron. And as I believe he noted in "Clothes and the Man," the principles and approaches he outlines here are rooted in timeless *style,* not changing fashion.

More important is the issue of the manipulated photos on pages 26-31. Even before I had told her about the reviews on this page mentioning the obvious doctoring of these images, my wife noted that there was something fishy going on. Her theory had to do with the processing techniques, not the lighting, but the point is the same: there's some publishing trickery going on in an attempt to emphasize the arguments Flusser is making about the effects of various styles of dress. I'm reluctant to hold Flusser himself responsible for this, but it is disappointing that someone resorted to such an obvious trick in order to make the author's point.

Still, however, those are only six pages out of more than 300, and don't mar the overall quality and usefulness of the work. If Amazon.com allowed partial stars in its ratings, I'd give this book four and a half, or even four and three-quarters. The copy I studied was a borrowed one, and now it's on my Wish List so I can have a copy of my own. I'm sure it will be a standard reference for years to come.

As a web developer, I have recently had a run of men's custom tailoring customers. I found myself looking for an encyclopedic source of styling details and fashion fundamentals.

In my mind the name Alan Flusser is synonymous with taste and style. This book gave me everything I needed to build websites designed to appeal to the male buyer of custom suits and shirts. Unlike the fashion buyer, Flusser believes permanent fashion starts with being accountable to a personal set of physical characteristics.

The custom buyer's face's shape, neck's height, shoulder's width, arm's length and torso's structure, and the foot's size remain relatively constant. Once he relates the permanent fashion's fundamentals to his physique and complexion, he is on his way to building a stylish, cost-effective wardrobe that will withstand fashion's seasonable vagaries.

This book contains a large collection of photographs of stylish men. These vintage photographs illustrate the range and diversity of authentic men's fashion. Along the way, magnitude of options will equip the reader with both the vocabulary and options required to build a custom wardrobe. There is even a glossary at the end of the book to help with the journey.

My needs were unique, I admit. This book equipped me with the knowledge, detail and options required to build a website that appeals to buyers and the purveyors of custom men's clothing.

When it comes to fashion, most men get nervous. Of course everybody wants to look nice, but isn't it complicated to know how to look good?

That's where I found this book to be especially helpful. Flusser's main point is that most of the elements of good style haven't really changed much at all in the last 75 years or so. Flusser asserts that the main goal of men's attire is to frame the body in order to display the man's face.

A great aspect about the book is that you only need to remember the "rules" for your specific skin tone/height/proportions. For instance, a man with gray/silver hair should wear silver/gray in his attire to properly frame his face, etc. Flusser also is very clear about how clothes should properly fit you, which is helpful when you are trying things on.

The illustrations and photographs (both new and classic) are remarkably well done and effectively portray Flusser's points (both good and bad examples). Other reviews here have pointed out some of the "doctoring" of the photos in some instances. I do see evidence of this, but I do not think it is really a substantive beef of the book.

Flusser's book certainly has some shortcomings. It mainly focuses on the men's suit and typical business dress. Although it does have a chapter on more casual dress (and the formal tuxedo), it is a small part of the book.

This is a great book for the man who wants to look nice. It covers a lot of details, from tying a tie properly to folding a handkerchief to wearing a tie clip. It's probably not for you if you wear jeans to work every day and only wear a suit two times a year.

Flusser does a great job outlining the classical 1930's style of dressing that is the standard for well-dressed men in the US and Britain. His work is the definitive one, and his prose is interesting. The pictures are outstanding.

A couple shortcomings that caused me to rate it a 4--first, his section on color coordination is far too brief, although he does give the principles or coordinating color with hair, skin, eyes, etc. This is something that is usually overlooked in the mass of details on this subject in other fashion books. Second, some key points are hidden in his eloquent sentences while they would be more accessible if they were bullet-pointed. For example, I didn't realize that a dinner jacket should have one button, although I had read his section on the topic fairly carefully.

There aren't many books that give classic and trustworthy clothing advice for men, but I wish there were more. The book has made me a better dresser and it has helped me to avoid making bad purchases, but I do have a few issues to raise:

* The author writes fluent prose, but sometimes it feels as though the author enjoys his quill a bit much
* As others point out, the color photos are rife with error and it is inexcusable
* While bespoke fashion is ideal (I own a little), most readers would be better served by some advice on how to properly fit a garment from the rack. The author gives only brief mention of this purchasing option and I got the feeling that he considers any suit not made on Saville Row to be rubbish.
* I found his mention of cuff links to be cursory. Flusser admonishes that a real cuff link is jeweled on both sides, but when is the last time you ever saw this? He could have at least given some tips on selecting quality single sided cuff links, because they vary greatly in quality.

I do indeed like the book, but in addition to learning about fashion I wanted to learn about how to make due without breaking the bank. In a future revision I hope the author includes some mention of practical, yet dignified, clothing choices.

For me the most interesting parts of this book were the historical photographs. It made me realize what an impoverished age we live in. It showed not that men were slaves to a fashion but rather that elegance can still allow for a lot of personal choice. The comparison to some of what passes for style today is striking. It is also rather timely, in that business casual is rapidly dying and many companies have raised the expectations for dress back to the pre casual days. I found the book an excellent guide both on a practical level as well as providing detailed historical analysis. I loaned the book to a tailor whose has been in the business for 50 years and he was very impressed with the detail and advice. Overall this book was an excellent investment.

Mr. Flusser (Author of Dressing the Man), Mr. Lauren (Ralph), Mr. Wolfe (Tom) and Mr. Cooper, Editor in Chief of Gentlemen's Quarterly all seem to have a remarkable, keen and talented eye for men's fashions. And yet that keen eye is nowhere to be found even in Harper Collins Publishing talents of this book.

The book makes a lot of interesting and true claims that can be argued to hold water, until when it comes to the blatant use of trick photography to make Mr. Flusser's point. If the viewer would, go ahead and cover all of the clothing for Tom on page 31. You will note a remarkable difference, a before and after effect. On the right side you see a far more refreshing and happy a face than on the left and you see the same on page 30 as well with Alex. In fact, the color on the right hand side has been significantly manipulated to convey the point Mr. Flusser likes to make. And again, all of the above reviewers seem to have no problem with this doctoring of photographs. If the viewer now would turn back a page to page 29 he or she will note an almost ridiculous level of color doctoring where the same man has green eyes in one photograph and bright blue in another. The point Mr. Flusser tries to make is that wearing more rich blue shirt and a light blue coat will remarkably change the man. "Edwin's blue eyes suddenly spring to life" Mr. Flusser stares. Yes. So much so that they are green on the left hand side with your hands completely covering all clothes. The reader is encouraged to take a look at this amazing doctoring of photographs.

The book is a good contribution to men's attire and yet one looks at all of these home-run names in the back and front of this book, pitching the virtues of the content therein, and wonders why a publisher, an author, a designer, an editor would not note repeated use of trick photography to make a point. What has been highlighted here continues throughout the book. Take Trevor for instance on page 26. Again, cover the entire outfit with your hand and note the remarkable difference of skin color here; it is absolutely amazing. There is not just one or two 'little' mistakes in this book; there are a plenty and again, one has to look at all these people and ask some questions here. The most clear evidence of doctoring pictures to convey a point, perhaps comes with Fumihiko on page 27. Note the picture on the left and the two birth marks on the left eye and the one on the right; they are gone one the right hand side and the color is a more healthy orange/red glow. One mistake in this book would be fine. Two? Sure. Three?? Well. I'm not sure if the people who say they read and approved of this book actually read and paid any attention to the book. I certainly did not put the pages in this book under a magnifying glass and have yet to page through the entire book. Neither am I a seasoned pro in men's attire nor even editing or publishing - but all of these men mentioned above - are. The issues herein are so remarkably obvious that some questions have been raised and hopefully will not be censored.

This book is aimed at building a classic wardrobe. There is a short chapter in the back which addresses "business casual" dress, but the primary focus is on more formal business clothing such as suits, dress shirts, ties, oxford shoes, etc. For anyone who has occasion to wear a suit and tie, this book is very useful. If you don't own a suit and only wear a tie once or twice a year, then this book is likely a waste of time.

Some of the most useful sections of this book are on selecting colors and clothing shapes which match your coloring and body type. This is a concept that has been around a long time, but Mr. Flusser addresses it simply and usefully without the cute and artificially complex winter-summer-spring-fall gimicks that other authors have utilized.

The book focuses on quality tailoring and achieving a balanced, timeless look through high quality clothing that fits and harmonizes. This book, and Bernhard Roetzel's book, Gentleman, are probably the two best books on the subject of classic style. It is a good investment for a man who wishes to raise his style up a notch or two.