30 of 34 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A very, very good book!, November 30, 2004
This review is from: Off the Cuff: The Essential Style Guide for Men--And the Women Who Love Them (Hardcover)
I enjoy watching and learning from Carson Kressley and the other members of the Fab 5 on QEFTSG and the group's book was very well done. So, at first I wondered if I should buy this book because I was wondering if the same information from the Fab 5 book will be the same on "Off the Cuff".
I found "Off the Cuff" to be a very enjoyable read with a lot of humor and also learning more about fashion than I have received from other men's fashion books. Kressley does a great job of explaining why and why not with articles of clothing and things I really didn't know about until I read this book. I was really impressed! From the shoes and the explanations of certain shoes and clothing was very much appreciated!
I am stoked that he also spoke out against toe socks that to my chagrin CARGO magazine said was "in"....NOT!
Anyway, I'm a straight man who appreciates the advice that Carson gives. One thing he makes sure that this book is not to dress like him, but for you to take the tools mentioned in his book and integrate what you learn for your personal life.
"Off the Cuff" is an enjoyable read and currently ranks in my top 3 of books that deal with style for men. You won't be disappointed!
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23 of 26 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Laugh Out Loud and Toss the Pleats!, October 19, 2004
This review is from: Off the Cuff: The Essential Style Guide for Men--And the Women Who Love Them (Hardcover)
I don't know what more you can say about a fashion book that would actually enthrall my 13 year-old son -- the one who hates to comb his hair, would wear the same soccer T-shirts indefinitely if not for parental intervention, and summarily disdains anything vaguely resembling "dress clothes" -- than that it is straw spun to pure gold. Who knew fashion could be funny?
With lively wit, loving admonitions, and plain good sense, Carson entertains and educates at once. All instructors should be so successful. Off the Cuff has become a family routine. We've resorted to reading passages aloud to one another across the living room. Family values!
And make no mistake, my son is not only willing to dress better himself, he's even reminding his dad to ditch the pleats.
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38 of 46 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
I've read Alan Flusser..., September 13, 2005
This review is from: Off the Cuff: The Essential Style Guide for Men--And the Women Who Love Them (Hardcover)
I've reviewed Alan Flusser. Alan Flusser is a daily part of how I think about what I wear. And Carson Kressley, you're not quite Alan Flusser.
Which isn't to say this is a bad book as far as it goes. The author has a lot of very good insights into what works and what doesn't in men's wear. While I don't imagine many of the men who could most use this book are at all anxious to be seen reading it, I hope at least the women in their lives will take the subtitle to heart, read this book themselves, and exercise their subtle influence on their men. There are a lot of very good insights in here, and things nearly all men -- and most especially younger men -- can learn with profit.
That said, I'm not sure Carson Kressley put enough stress on the essential point, the key understanding, the very nub so to speak of men's style, which is that the phrase "men's fashion" is an oxymoron. I was reading the other day about Lapo Elkann, grandson of Gianni Agnelli and a marketing chief at Fiat. He inherited a couple dozen of his grandfather's suits, some made a half-century or more ago, wears them daily, and looks great and entirely in-style in them. For men, the subtleties of dressing well lie in fit, construction, and timeless style. The author rightly gives us his Number One rule, "Disregard trends." Things that fade in and out with fashion -- like the abomination of "truckers' caps," which Kressley rightly abhors (except on truck drivers and Ashton Kutcher) -- should be avoided like, well, like Ashton Kutcher. But I wish he'd put more emphasis on that. More Cary Grant, in other words, and less, um, Ashton Kutcher.
And finally, I know it's part of his shtick, but I could have done with a little less of the "hey, did you know I'm gay (giggle, giggle)?" asides. The book is light and entertaining reading, and what the author does on his own time is none of my business, but that particular element of his authorly voice got a bit tiring for me.
For men who are really serious about knowing the timeless principles of dressing well, I still recommend
Clothes and the Man: The Principles of Fine Men's Dress and
Dressing the Man: Mastering the Art of Permanent Fashion, both by the aforementioned Mr. Flusser. But for younger guys, neophytes, and/or "the women who love them," this book is still a pretty good place to start.
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