Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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30 of 33 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Bravo - a classy job in honor of a classy man, October 19, 2006
This is definitely not your typical cut and paste job - it is a classy, well-written, interesting photo/guide/memoir to probably the greatest film star of all time. Is there anyone even CLOSE to Cary Grant working as an actor in Hollywood today (and please don't say "George Clooney")? Grant's remarkable, disciplined, yet seemingly casual, attention to his appearance went deeper than just mere vanity. He was about class, about being a gentleman, about portraying to the world the kind of grace and style this more sordid world today clearly needs. The author has written a lively, interesting account of his life, the development of that style, and tips for the public, that cut deeper than most books of this type. Grant's upbringing was far different than the man he later became - and he literally "created" himself in lasting, memorable film roles, and, later, as the epitome of class, grace, and style. The photos are candid, the writing is sharp and probing, and the tips are timeless. It's a book worth owning, while the man himself, Cary Grant, is worth emulating. It's amazing - and somewhat sad - to think that American cinema once had the likes of Grant, Hepburn, and Astaire gracing our screens. How much we miss not only their style, but their talent and grace. This book reminds us of what he had - and how we might attempt to achieve it for ourselves. Bravo!
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24 of 26 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Good things come to those who wait., October 23, 2006
Cary Grant fans have been waiting a long time for such a worthwhile treatment of the man and his work. Not his film work, but a piece of him that isn't just gossip and hearsay. A Celebration of Style is born from bonafide research and reporting on what set Cary Grant apart from his peers. The book is interesting and easily read as well. Congratulations and thanks to you, Mr. Torregrossa.
While Mr. Grant's style was only one part of his personality and work, it was indeed the part that provided the basis for all the rest. My father always said that he'd take luck over skill any day. To quote his favorite coach, "Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity." That's what this book is about. The painstaking, thorough, and neverending preparation of one Archie Leach. Preparation as an actor and as a gentleman.
While I understand one reviewer's temptation to knock the rating down one notch for want of more pictures and a lower price tag, I have to admit, I haven't recently been more pleased with a book. The pictures selected are appropriate for what the author is discussing and are not only plentiful, but some are rare. The price to publish these must be rather high.
Another reviewer is also correct in pointing out that a picture that appears to be labelled as Douglas Fairbanks, Jr. is not either of the Fairbanks men. The gentleman in the picture is actor Dan Tobin portraying Grant's attorney in The Bachelor and the Bobby-Soxer. Regrettable error, but not remotely offensive.
Overall Cary Grant: A Ceelebration of Style is a delightfully professional work which tells us about one extraordinary man's art and gives us ordinary folk some practical tips and guidelines for improving our own wardrobes without being preachy or condescending.
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18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Cary Grant as a Definitive Style Icon in a Handsome Pictorial Book, October 27, 2006
It is simply fact that throughout his lengthy career, Cary Grant epitomized a suave elegance that remains unparalleled today. Unless playing the rare character role such as "Father Goose", the actor never looked less than impeccable in appearance and dress in his movies, and he always knew the right thing to say to his leading ladies even if they were too flabbergasted to know his true intentions. Fashion journalist Richard Torregrossa has decided to focus his attention on the timeless self-made image Grant created with this handsome, smartly presented book. Unlike Marc Eliot's more straightforward, introspective look at Grant in 2005, the result here is a comparatively lighter read as it shows the fastidiousness Grant showed in defining fashions and manners for himself that matched the type of man he aspired to be. To substantiate his fashion-forward perspective on Grant's sartorial influence, the author includes a foreword by Giorgio Armani and an afterword by Michael Kors.
Born in relative poverty, the actor saw wearing uniforms as a means toward gaining self-confidence in his appearance, and this translated into the crispness of his custom-made suits and shirts. Grant was a true believer in the less-is-more approach to not only his clothing but to his surroundings at home. Every accessory he owned reflected a specific vision of how he should look and even sound as he meticulously developed his much-imitated accent. The unique élan Grant displayed was matched by none of his male colleagues and probably only Audrey Hepburn on the distaff side. Through the collection of photographs, memorabilia and personal recollections Torregrossa has gathered, we see how he tailored his look and manner through the years. While this book will have obvious appeal with image-conscious metrosexuals, it actually has a broader appeal in showing how seriously Grant took his role as a leading style model. The author effectively shows how the actor's efforts paid off in spades.
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