Customer Reviews

Esquire's Things a Man Should Know About Style

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

Nowhere on Amazon's page for this book is it made clear that this is first of all a tiny book physically--tiny novelty trim size, not many pages. The price for this tiny book is not correspondingly tiny. More to the point, the book is a quickie impulse-buy type book, made up entirely of very brief (one- to several-sentence) quips, comments, witticisms, and pieces of advice about men's style, three or four of these to a page. Some of these tips are helpful, though the entire text is heavily pervaded with Esquire's, or the authors', elitist attitudes, the assumption seeming to be that every man has it within his means to buy a $1,000, or even a $500, suit. What I had wanted (and expected to find here) was a book comprised of traditional text and chapters that would go into detail on the subject of men's clothing and style. THIS depth of information from Esquire would have been very interesting to me. In the end, I gleaned some helpful knowledge from this book (which I read in about fifteen minutes), but I am back again at Amazon's pages, looking for the kind of book I wanted in the first place.

This book should never take the place of a truly useful guide to timeless style like, say, Alan Flusser's Clothes and the Man: The Principles of Fine Men's Dress. But for summarizing the things a man shouldn't do, getting him to actually start thinking about style, or saying things that really need to be said ("No level of fitness justifies wearing a tank top in public" [p. 80].), this little guide is a pretty good way to get started.

Perhaps in keeping with the entertaining bulldog photos that break up the text, some of the declarations are somewhat too dogmatic: No cowboy boots, no Hawaiian shirts, no pleated khakis. In fact, there's some room for discussion on most of these issues (what if you live in Hawaii?). But frankly, so many men need so much help dressing properly that if they need absolute rules to live by, so be it.

On the whole, this is a very entertaining little book. If men turn to magazines like Esquire (2-year) for their style guidance, then I wish a handy primer like this one all success in imparting a few guiding principles. But the most useful principle of all may be the one they print about a dozen pages from the end: "Never trust a fashion magazine."

This is probably a good example of how dangerous online shopping may sometimes be. I would never would have bought this book, had I had the chance to glimpse at it in a real store. So far this is my worst online purchase. Here are the reasons. It's not really a book - it's a collection of dim-witted aphorisms related to men's fashion. There is an average of 4 such phrases per page ("The Hawaiian shirt: no" or "Expensive shampoo smells really good") x 150 pages = 600 common sense proverbs in all. Basically this book is good for men who have absolutely no clue about fashion (Ricki Lake makeover candidates), as the first stepping stone. If you already know that socks are a must and that sneakers don't go with suits, you will be as disappointed as I am now.

I should clarify this right up front. Got this book in the mail today, and it *wasn't* what I was expecting at all! In that respect, I'm disappointed.

I did, however, read the book in one sitting, and thoroughly enjoyed it--hence the high rating.

So, if you are buying this book, realize you are getting a humorous and candid discussion on the do's and don'ts of men's style. You are not getting an overview of principles that would go into an appropriate men's wardrobe.

That said, this book would be perfect for women who want to send their boyfriend/husband a subtle hint (and have them laughing along the way). Great pointers on everything from how to buy a high quality suit to avoiding fashion faux pas. The writing is engaging and hilarious. (With books, I'm a juggler. I never finish a book in one sitting, as I did with this one.)

Well worth the [money] I spent!

This is an extremely quick read. I read it in about two hours, and I think I read it pretty slowly.

You'll like it if you've ever read any of the style sections in Esquire--it's written by an Esquire editor, and it's written in the same type of formal, aloof, and arrogant tone that Esquire is written in. So, if you've got a question as far as whether or not you'll like it, just thumb through an Esquire at the bookstore. If you like it, you'll like this...if not, then you won't.

Here's an exerpt I liked: "For those still contemplating the wearing of funny underwear, think: When you are removing your pants for the viewing pleasure of another, do you really want the person to laugh?"

It's a really good way to familiarize yourself with the "rules" of style very, very quickly. It's not an exhaustive guide that will really teach you anything.

And, it's a tad dated. Boxer briefs are the in thing now, baby!

Also, the pictures of the dog are funny. The dog shows you what not to do.

It'll take you about 20 minutes to read the book from cover to cover. If all the tid-bits, tips and info were typed end to end you could fit the whole book on to a page and half of 9x11. The authors assume that men either can't or don't like to read - so they take a sort of short hand approach to their content. Even more irritating than the lack of substance is that there is no order to the book - it's just a random scattering of one-liners. A simple index or table of contents would have tripled this book's usefulness. As it is you'd have to take notes or create your own table of contents if you wanted to use it as any sort of guide. It's good for a browse through once a in a while just to remind yourself of some style basics... but for someone who really wants a comprehensive guide for men - keep looking.

Esquire Magazine has long been a fantastic resource for men looking for tips on style; this great little book is full of accurate, useful and classy tips that can help any man improve his image. A great addition to your library! - Clint Greenleaf, author of "Attention to Detail"

It's a great coffee table or bathroom book to have laying around. It certainly doesn't go in-depth, but it gives you the average person some good, basic principles of style. It gives the person who can't afford to shop anywhere other than TJ Maxx or Marshall's a decent education on what to buy and how to put it together. I think this book is worth every penny.

What makes this little book so good--and so original--is its voice and style and humor, which are perfectly in keeping with Esquire magazine's 70-something year history of offering sound advice to real American men. It's as much a collection of humorous axioms as it is a guide to dressing, which makes the topic easily and enjoyably digestible--and you have to love Pedro the bulldog that models the clothes. Yes, as some reviewers have noted, it's a quick read (wait: that's bad?), but the shelves are already sagging with self-important books that purport to be encylopedic guides to fashion, and how many men have time to sit down and read an encyclopedia? Amazon's page clearly indicates this book's compact size and modest price--I mean, how big a book do you want for ten bucks?. I found it an absolute hoot, and I gave it to both of my brothers for Christmas--who, in turn, bought it for their college-age friends. Two thumbs up from San Fran. More Pedro!

Dead-on! I laughed the whole way through this breezy read on men's fashion--what to do, what not to do, and how badly so many of us do it. The sensibility is thoroughly modern, yet classic. It's a collection of advice, tips, legends, all delivered in a soundbite style that's perfect for the times (and, if I may say, the bathroom). Furthermore, it's got the decades-worth of Esquire magazine's knowledge behind it-and it's compact and inexpensive. Women, your men need this book! They need it badly, and they need it now!