The Elegant Man: How to Construct the Ideal Wardrobe [Hardcover]

Riccardo Villarosa (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 15, 1992

In the tradition of Alan Flusser's CLOTHES AND THE MAN, a comprehensive, lavishly illustrated guide that presents everything a man needs to know to dress with timeless style and distiction.

Editorial Reviews

Language Notes

Text: English (translation)
Original Language: Italian

From the Inside Flap

In the tradition of Alan Flusser's CLOTHES AND THE MAN, a comprehensive, lavishly illustrated guide that presents everything a man needs to know to dress with timeless style and distiction.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 192 pages
• Publisher: Random House (December 15, 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0679421017
• ISBN-13: 978-0679421016
• Product Dimensions: 11.3 x 10.1 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.7 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #845,973 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A very good book, intended for an "intermediate" audience., July 11, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: The Elegant Man: How to Construct the Ideal Wardrobe (Hardcover)

For students of all things sartorial, who have progressed beyond the basic primers offered by Flusser, Boyer, and others, "The Elegant Man" is a must have. While the book is by no means perfect (none of the current available crop of men's clothing treatises are), it is the only widely available work that examines areas such as fabric type with anything besides a cursory glance. If you are an MBA grad still trying to figure out what suit to wear to an interview, or a "Dress for Success" type, then this probably isn't the book for you; however, if you have read Flusser and Boyer's books, and want to learn a little more, then I think you might enjoy the level of detail and more narrowly focused viewpoint provided by "The Elegant Man".

29 of 32 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars lots of pictures but not worth it, April 22, 2002

By 

Justus Pendleton (Colorado Springs, CO United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Elegant Man: How to Construct the Ideal Wardrobe (Hardcover)

The best thing about this book is the plethora of photos. Far too many books on men's fashion seem to think the reader already knows the difference between houndstooth and herringbone, faille and gabardine, madras and fustian. While I think they go into a little TOO much detail about how the various materials are made (and not enough detail telling you how to recognize the difference between quality and junk), it is does offer a dimension that is lacking in other books of this sort.

However, other than the abundance of pictures there isn't a lot to recommend this book. They don't actually show you how to construct the ideal wardrobe. They don't walk you through purchasing things step by step. If I don't have $20,000 to buy a brand new wardrobe what ONE thing should I start with?

Finally, their sense of style is dubious. They refer to knickerbockers as "indispensable". Knickerbockers? When was the last time you saw anyone wearing those? Where would I even buy them if I wanted them?

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Perfect Book for the More Advanced Reader, April 24, 2006

By 

Sator (Sydney, Australia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Elegant Man: How to Construct the Ideal Wardrobe (Hardcover)

This is a highly recommendable book that would be of greatest benefit for the more advanced reader with an interest in looking elegant in a suit. It is exceptionally well illustrated and is the sort of book that can help make or break you as far as your presentability goes. Needless to say, the style tips here are entirely of the classical sort that remain perfectly current despite the fact that this was published as long ago as 1990.

The main question for most readers would be whether to go for this or for 'Dressing the Man' by Allan Flusser. Fortunately, what you find here is perfectly complementary to Flusser, who admittedly has the advantage of starting from simpler basics and explaining these well to the beginner. A total novice may find the comprehensive review of different suit/blazer fabric types in this book to be a bit overwhelming, but for the reader who has grasped the basics this is the perfect book to help further his knowledge and taste. Whoever might have been left suspicious that Flusser may be keeping the finer points about suit styles a well guarded professional secret would probably find this book the logical next step to go on and further his knowledge and taste.

It should be kept in mind that this book concentrates exclusively on suits and blazers. Allan Flusser's `Dressing the Man' is far better when it comes to showing the reader how to coordinate the suit with tie, shirt and to some degree shoes - though even then Flusser emphasis is still on the suit. Arguably, the most encyclopaedic and balanced overview of all of the basics can be found in Bernhard Roetzel's book 'Gentleman'. However, more advanced readers who are familiar with these other authors will definitely want to add this book to their collection.