Dressing the Man: Mastering the Art of Permanent Fashion [Hardcover]

Alan Flusser (Author)

Book Description

Release date: October 1, 2002

Dressing the Man is the definitive guide to what men need to know in order to dress well and look stylish without becoming fashion victims.

Alan Flusser's name is synonymous with taste and style. With his new book, he combines his encyclopedic knowledge of men's clothes with his signature wit and elegance to address the fundamental paradox of modern men's fashion: Why, after men today have spent more money on clothes than in any other period of history, are there fewer well-dressed men than at any time ever before?

According to Flusser, dressing well is not all that difficult, the real challenge lies in being able to acquire the right personalized instruction. Dressing well pivots on two pillars -- proportion and color. Flusser believes that "Permanent Fashionability," both his promise and goal for the reader, starts by being accountable to a personal set of physical trademarks and not to any kind of random, seasonally served-up collection of fashion flashes.

Unlike fashion, which is obliged to change each season, the face's shape, the neck's height, the shoulder's width, the arm's length, the torso's structure, and the foot's size remain fairly constant over time. Once a man learns how to adapt the fundamentals of permanent fashion to his physique and complexion, he's halfway home.

Taking the reader through each major clothing classification step-by-step, this user-friendly guide helps you apply your own specifics to a series of dressing options, from business casual and formalwear to pattern-on-pattern coordination, or how to choose the most flattering clothing silhouette for your body type and shirt collar for your face.

A man's physical traits represent his individual road map, and the quickest route toward forging an enduring style of dress is through exposure to the legendary practitioners of this rare masculine art. Flusser has assembled the largest andmost diverse collection of stylishly mantled men ever found in one book. Many never-before-seen vintage photographs from the era of Cary Grant, Tyrone Power, and Fred Astaire are employed to help illustrate the range and diversity of authentic men's fashion. Dressing the Man's sheer magnitude of options will enable the reader to expand both the grammar and verbiage of his permanent-fashion vocabulary.

For those men hoping to find sartorial fulfillment somewhere down the road, tethering their journey to the mind-set of permanent fashion will deliver them earlier rather than later in life.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

During the past 25 years, men have spent more money on clothing for themselves than in any other period of modern history, says Alan Flusser (Style and the Man). The time has "never been more propitious for the emergence of a standing army of well-heeled swells," he believes, and in Dressing the Man: Mastering the Art of Permanent Fashion, he takes readers on a tour of men's clothing that he attests will never go out of style. Flusser carefully explains how to mix patterns, what to look for when trying on clothes in the fitting room, what kind of jacket to wear with a straight-point collar, the history of the monk-strap shoe, the correct position for a bow tie and what "business casual" really means. Heavily illustrated with photographs of dapper dans from Humphrey Bogart to the Duke of Windsor and drawings depicting neckwear, suit jackets, coat sleeves and trouser creases, this is a superb reference for any man.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

“A Hoyle’s, a Fowler’s, a Webster’s, a Baedeker’s, a Machiavelli’s, a von Clausewitz’s guide to men’s dress.” (Tom Wolfe )

“If it’s male elegance and sophistication you aspire to, DRESSING THE MAN will suit you perfectly.” (Art Cooper, Editor in Chief, GQ )

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 320 pages
• Publisher: HarperCollins; 1st edition (October 1, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060191449
• ISBN-13: 978-0060191443
• Product Dimensions: 8.7 x 1.3 x 11 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (74 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #14,305 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #3 in Books > Health, Fitness & Dieting > Beauty, Grooming, & Style > Men's Grooming & Style
  • #20 in Books > Health, Fitness & Dieting > Beauty, Grooming, & Style > Style & Clothing
  • #38 in Books > Arts & Photography > Graphic Design > Commercial > Fashion Design

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

303 of 307 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Probably the Best Book on the Subject November 11, 2002

By A Customer

Format:Hardcover

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.

63 of 68 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Helps organize men's fashion May 7, 2004

By Tobin Sparfeld

Format:Hardcover

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.

82 of 91 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars True to the Twin Pivots: Proportion and Color June 15, 2004

By Craig L. Howe VINE™ VOICE

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

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.