Customer Reviews

AskMen.com Presents The Style Bible: The 11 Rules for Building a Complete and Timeless Wardrobe

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

If you are a man who has very little experience buying or wearing clothes--maybe your Mom picked your every outfit and your girlfriend lays out your clothes for you before a big night out--this is a great place to start. It is very basic and general. Illustrations are line drawings, text is simple and straightforward. If you do not know what a houdstooth pattern looks like, this is your book.

Most professional men over the age of 35 will already have at least a rudimentary knowledge of shirt collars and know the differences between 2 and 3 button suits. This book will be of little help to them. For such a man (or the woman who is trying to nudge him toward greater fashionability) I would strongly recommend another titleDetails Men's Style Manual: The Ultimate Guide for Making Your Clothes Work for You. I bought these manuals at the same time and infinitely prefer the "Details" one. It is more colorful and easier to read, flowing more like a magazine than book (not surprisingly) but chock-full of information and helpful photos. We all need help in the "what not to wear/what to wear" department, but especially men.

Buy the Details manual. You (or your boyfriend/husband/brother) will actually turn to it for advice and everyone will be happy.

Bottom line, this is a great book for men...period. I'm a 26 year old army officer who's about to make the transition into the civilian workforce. The only suits i've ever owned are ones that my mom helped me pick out. I've often watched a movie such as Miami Vice and wondered how to put together a killer outfit that you'd see onscreen. After reading this book I feel confident that I could go out and put together some good looking ensembles. Although the suit info is where this volume really shines, it also provides excellent info on everyday clothing, formal wear and even hygiene. It has a great section on matching body types and skin tones to clothing, as well as how to pick a great pair of jeans. In all, this book was very thorough, covering all clothing situations from black tie to gym wear. My only regret is that this book wasn't available when I graduated from high school and college. One should know that the focus of this book not on being "trendy", but rather on putting together a timeless, classic wardrobe that will always be in style. I highly recommend this book to all men, but especially young men growing up, stepping out on their own in life and needing to put together a solid wardrobe.

Having read both this book and Gentleman's guide to grooming and style, I can say that without question the latter is a better book on the subject of classic men's fashion. With that said, AskMen.com's Style Bible is not without value. If your wardrobe and fashion knowledge consist of jeans, t-shirts, and the occasional pair of khaki's that only get worn when absolutely necessary, this book is a reasonable place to start. It is fairly easy to read and written in an informal style. Overall the writing suffers from lack of consistency as it has its origins in questions answered and articles written on the AskMen.com website. Many of the pronouncements about fashion in this book are presented without any supporting evidence or history behind the article of clothing being discussed. As a consequence it makes the book a very quick read since it is light on explanation. If you've already read Roetzel's aforementioned Gentleman's Guide, AskMen.com's Style Bible brings little to the table, although I do find the table of clothing care symbols in the back of the book useful. However, if you find any of the more authoritative books on the subject intimidating, this is a fine place to start. It is better to have read this than to have read nothing at all.

I have no taste in style, especially upscale events, this book was exactly what I needed. It covered EVERYTHING and is a must have for the many of us guys who have no idea what they are doing when they dress up.

this is a great book for those of us guys that are less than capable when it comes to fashion. this book really helped me step up my game and gain more confidence out in the dating world.

before buying this book i thought i have some idea about how to dress well, but i didn't have a clue, just to give you an idea i have to discard like 9 or 10 jeans because they weren't right for my body type, rescue some old clothes because they were timeless in style, learn about colognes that were right for my skin type(another area where i was clueless),i mean the list is endless, the only thing i didn't like was that there are very few pictures but overall it has some great great info buy it

Chat with a hiring manager, attend a job fair, or just devote a few hours to people watching at your local shopping mall and I think you will agree that many men these days, especially young men, do not know how to dress themselves to find and keep employment. Countless books and websites offer solutions, but with today's economic situation and confused post-dot-com climate, many of us have neither the means nor an appropriate environment for a closet full of three-piece suits. For that reason, I recommend The Style Bible to any man looking for conventional but updated fashion advice and instruction.

In eleven lessons, the AskMen team present the basics that our fathers and uncles should have taught us but with a somewhat more modern flair. Learn what to invest in (good shoes and a navy or charcoal interview suit) and what to buy on the cheap (socks and underwear). Learn different knots and folds for ties, scarves, and pocket squares and how to decipher the symbols printed on clothing care tags. Most importantly, learn to buy clothing in cuts, colors, and textures that flatter your style and shape instead of blindly following the dictates of designer labels or the clearance rack.

No one book on any subject could be complete or perfect, and this is no exception. At times minor preferences are elevated to great truths - why the hatred for tri-fold wallets? - and some advice (see watches and cufflinks) may not be financially feasible for the reader. Further, as the book had not one but thirteen authors, some differences of opinion appear as contradictions in the text: are brightly colored belts an "easy way to enhance all your existing outfits" or "fine if you're a teenager, a yachter, or a superhero... a fleeting trend"?

Bottom line: The Style Bible is not as timeless as Flusser, but it may be more relevant to young men today. Four stars.

So for the guy out there that is probably new to the business scene this is a must have. The book is conservative, goes into detail well enough, explaining color, coordination and occasion. It covers it all from penny loafers to 7 jeans, hounds-tooth suits to wrist watches. What is appropriate to wear to what event, time orf year etc. Also includes skin tone, body type, even power colors. I have found this to be a very interesting read. I am a fairly common guy. Not into fashion at all, this book gives the run down, on tasteful clothing to impress, and gain confidence while leaving it open for my choice. No "rubber stamp" outfits. Even explains how to polish shoes and tie ties with various knots. This is an absolute steal at $12. AskMen.Com got it right. No fluff right to the point. I hate to ramble but trying to give this book justice. You'll be impressed I don't care who you are.

Well organized book. Easy to find what you are looking for. Great chapter on wardrobe maintenance with an excellent overview of the meaning of all those symbols you find on the tags in your clothes. Probably more for Americans than Europeans (they don't wear button down shirts with suits). On the downside: it could have emphasized more on casual clothes.

This is an excellent book for any man (it's a compilation of articles written on the askmen website). Just be sure to keep a search engine open when you're reading it to look up any pictures and new vocabulary (the book lacks a lot of good pictures). The advice isn't perfect, and the book could have been better written, but I'm glad I bought this book anyway!

I'm planning to buy this for my brother! I do wish I could change my rating to 3 stars though. I credit this book for starting me out on the right path.