Customer Reviews

Chic Simple Dress Smart Men: Wardrobes That Win in the New Workplace

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

After living and working overseas for 12 years I have decided to return to the USA and must update my wardrobe. I bought 2 books: this one and Dressing the Man by Alan Flusser. This book is broken into 3 parts: Get Job, Succeed in Job and Get Better Job. Each section reviews the issues of dressing pertaining to that particular category. Basic stuff but necessary for the younger inexperienced man. This book's strong point is its explanation of the 4 dress codes: Corporate, Casual, Business Appropriate and Business Casual Appropriate along with business travel, entertainment and sales meetings. Its weak point is its lack of elegance and sophisticated masculinity. For that please see Alan Flusser's splendid book Dressing the Man.

If you know nothing about dressing yourself, this book is targeted at you. There's some good advice here, but some questionable advice as well, and some of the advice is already dated -- the monochrome tie/shirt combo went out with Regis' millionaire show. A much better book is Flusser's "Dressing the Man." And if you want a really good book on elegant living, try Bernhard Roetzel's "Gentleman's Guide to Grooming and Style."

The book is probably the best book on the market for how to dress in 2006. I purchased this book to compete with the younger business crowd in interviews. I find it exceptional on style representation of how men dress. It does not emphasis the uniform of an office. It lacks empahsis on the male tendancey to expect everyone to show involvement by dressing alike. I call this the socially conditioning of men to follow a uniform dress code. I suspect this comes from all the socializing in sports acitivites. It is both a signals of member of your team and the oposing team. How you dress in work especially corporate America has major implications on how you are viewed in your work place. I suggest adjusting your style to each circumstance: work, play, social life to give the best impression

I still pull this book off the shelf every year to refresh. In fact, I'm on my second copy after wearing out the first. I highly recommend this book for high school and college graduates starting out. Most of us don't start with a lot of money to invest in clothing. I started out similarly to the book's suggestions. I've advanced considerably since then and this has been a great guide in growing my wardrobe without waste. That isn't to say I haven't purchased some items that I fell in love with along the way. This book covers that too.

As a traveling professional I have always found the travel advice for packing only what is necessary a wonderful section. The photographs are wonderfully informative. There are a few outdated memes such as in the regional dress section - a knowledge worker wearing boots with anything other than jeans in Denver is tacky.

Suits are important. I'm one of many that can attribute a successful interview partially to the suit. A team of very tired interviewers would only show up to my interview after they were sure I wasn't dressed in "typical Colorado attire." I wore a suit, my shoes were shined, and I looked professional. Good looking clothes matter.

At first glance this seems simple and basic, and because of that you may pass it by. Yet that is exactly why this book (and the others in it's series) are worth the buy.

You'll learn how to blend in, how to fit in, how to step in -- and step up (the corporate ladder). If you're a young man who wears clunky black shoes with a suit and thinks that's OK because they are "in style" - read this book. If you're a man that thinks suit's aren't necessary because you're job allows "techie casual" -- read this book!!

It will help you acheive the next level in your career...

This is one of the best investments for your bookshelf. Loaded with examples of conservative dress etiquette for the interview, workplace, and promotion within the ranks. Addresses casual and formal dress as well as accessorizing. Detailed with picture examples and based from uses in New Dress for Success. I have several Chic Simple books and find them extremely helpful for daily practical application.

i bought this book when i first got here in the US. i have read it like 3 times cover to cover already. very informative and a necessity to anyone who doesnt know the american way of dressing.. thanks amazon!

I bought this book for a library at a technical college upon the recommendation of an older student. After receiving the book, I agree with his recommendation: this book makes it easy for a man to dress himself successfully for the workplace. Most students today seem completely clueless about work attire. I have had students rush into the library on their way to a job interview, clutching a tie bought minutes before and begging anyone to help them put the thing on: they have never worn a tie. They head out to interviews dressed entirely in gray and black but wearing tan shoes. And those are the ones who have a clue. The rest seem to think wearing wrinkled cargo pants with a t-shirt is doing fine, because these are their clean clothes. Nothing fits them; it's either too big or too small. The nice thing about Chic Simple Dress is that it is stuffed with photos of clothing - not models - clothing: coordinated and grouped by function (business, casual, etc.) making it easy to understand the book's advice. I strongly recommend this book to men wanting to win by making the correct impression. Buy it, borrow it, get your hands on it any way you can, and read it before your next job interview. You ARE judged by the way you present yourself. Mary Mac

I liked this book because it gave a good strategy for identifying what elements you already own, prior to buying new clothes.

This book has it all. Thank God some one can tell us how to dress again. I am tired of picnic casual in the work place!!

Great book to share with a buddy!!