Customer Reviews

A Gentleman's Guide to Appearance

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

I have been a professional for a long time, and of all the books I have ever read on gentlemen's fashion and appearance, this book by Clinton Greenleaf III is by far the most comprehensive, informative and practical guide that I have come across. He writes in detail on the important aspects of dressing, handshaking, and general behavior and doesn't waste your time. The book is short and sweet, and to the point-- I first read it while on a business flight. This is by all means a MUST HAVE for any professional-- my copy is in my briefcase and it goes where I go.

I bought this book for my little brother in College. He finally learned how to tie a tie and what to wear to an interview. He really liked it and bought some copies for his friends. Anyway, I thought it was a good gift idea.

The first book he did was nice, but this one is really classy. It has more information on clothing and keeping the right look about yourself - the part on shaving is rather interesting. Well worth the investment

This book was a major disappointment to me. It is filled with self-evident information (see, for example, how to tuck in your shirt, pp. 12 - 13).

The text is superficial and obvious ("A great shine on your shoes can really enhance your professonal image." page 3;
"When wrinkles become noticeable, pressing your pants becomes an important part of keeping a professional appearance. Pressed pants will make your suit look sharper and illustrate your attention to detail...You can press them in about a minute and bring your pants back to life. Before you do, however, make sure to check the care label in your suit to be sure the material can be ironed." p. 22).

Short chapters, in a small format book, fill out the volume.
Chapters on shaking hands, email privacy, and business communication are useless to anyone who is conscious and able to read a newspaper or talk to another person.

I am returning this book for credit. I hope this warning saves you the trouble.

Any book by Alan Flusser, or more specific books such as Handmade Shoes for Men by L. Vass, would be much more informative and helpful.

If you'd like to be a butler to shine your master's shoes or sew his buttons buy this book. It will show you how. This books is great for people who have 30-10 minutes to shine a shoe (this is how long it takes according to the book to properly shine your shoes). Do yourself a favor, buy an electric shoe polisher from sharper image and you can have your shoes shined in a minute.

I wish the book talked more about PRACTICAL and INFORMATIVE topics than go over mundane details.

This book is full of elementary, futile material. For example, a whole chapter (Chapter 6) is dedicated to teaching that the shirt's front packet, the pants' zipper, and the belt's buckle should all be aligned. I think it is logical to assume that anybody who knows how to tie his own shoes--let alone a "gentleman" seeking to improve his appearance--knows this information.

In addition, the last six charters of the book should be excluded. They are not related to a gentleman's appearance; they relate to his etiquette and are imported--as page fillers--from Mr. Greenleaf's other frivolous book: "A Gentleman's Guide to Etiquette."

The only good thing about my experience reading this book is that it didn't waste more than one hour of my time.

Found good information here but it was mixed in with a lot of other things that went off on a tangent. Did not want or need info on sewing a button on, or which fork is which at the dinner table. Would have much rather had more information on what a tattersall shirt looks like and does it work well with a herringbone or pinstripe? A good basic primer but not a lot of in depth information.

Listen up, Ladies! This is THE book to buy for your man. My guy is the sweetest, funniest, cutest thing around but he has no clue about what looks good--his wardrobe is hopeless and he hates to go clothes shopping! When he got an awesome new job, I knew I had to do something, and that's when I picked up this book. Not only does it show a guy HOW to dress and act like a million bucks, it tells him WHY he has to. Thank you, Clinton Greenleaf--after hearing it from you, my guy finally got the message. Now he looks totally sharp (and all my girlfriends are so jealous . . .)

While potentially helpful for those with no knowledge of clothing or appearance, this book is an astonishingly elementary guide, and those who already have any knowledge of professional dress will be disappointed.

In addition to being a how-to guide for those with little common sense, the book repeatedly blurs the line between objectivity and the author's own preferences or biases presented as fact. One small part that exemplifies some of my frustration with this book appears on pages 45-46 in the form of a parenthetical statement: "Incidentally, note that one 'plays golf' and does not 'go golfing.' Golf is a noun like tennis, not a verb like swim." The book makes many of these sort of off-the-cuff assertions, which are not necessarily grounded in fact. A casual read of any current English dictionary (whether it be Merriam-Webster or the Oxford English Dictionary) will reveal that the word "golf" is not only a noun but is, indeed, an intransitive verb. Regardless, such semantic discussions are completely irrelevant to a guide to appearance and should be beyond the scope of such a book.

In truth, the above is a very minor point, but illustrates the book's most major flaw, which is that it seems more a collection of the author's pet peeves than a helpful guide for any gentleman who cares to cultivate a more distinguished look or a better sense of style than the average (or slightly above average) one he may already possess.

Ultimately, this makes a decent "College Guy's Guide to Appearance," or a "Guide to Appearance for the Clothing Illiterate," or perhaps most accurately, "How to Blend In with Everyone Else at Work." But it is far from being a gentleman's guide to bettering his own appearance.

Most importantly, this book will not teach one how to stand out with a distinguished look or how to impress others with a refined appearance, but rather how to fit in like every other cog in the machine. Perhaps this is exactly what many readers are looking for; however, the title creates expectations that the book does not meet.

A disappointment.

One of the best books on appearance out there.