Paisley Goes with Nothing: A Man's Guide to Style [Paperback]

Hal Rubenstein (Author), Jim Mullen (Contributor)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 19, 1997

The best shoes to dance in are sneakers with no tread left.

Old ski lift tickets are not a fashion accessory.

Nothing is "fun for the whole family" unless the parents are under ten.

There's no such thing as classy luggage as long as you have to carry it.

With an irresistible combination of sharp wit, shrewd insight, and great common sense, Paisley Goes with Nothing offers men an invaluable arsenal of survival tactics for thriving in a modern world, including "Two Easy Pieces (Buying a Suit)", "Father Knew Zip (How to Shave)", "A Medium Is the Message--But So Is an Extra Large (What Your Wardrobe Says About You)", "Geeks Bearing Gifts (Buying Presents)", "House by You (Entertaining on Your Turf)", and dozens more that are as useful and enlightening as they are ingeniously, universally funny.  An indispensable resource for every man (and a godsend for those in search of a perfect gift), it's society's last hope for keeping the word gentleman from becoming obsolete.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Bright, breezy, irreverent and opinionated, this how-to compendium by the editor-at-large of InStyle magazine assisted by the comedy writer who contributes "Hot Sheet" to Entertainment Weekly, begins with advice on how a sophisticated urban male should dress, then goes on to virtually every other aspect of his life. Rather than a collection of helpful hints, here is a series of ukases about skin and hair care, eyeglasses and scents, traveling, entertaining and being entertained, becoming a restaurant VIP, observing proper business etiquette and living alone or living with another. Some sample dicta: sneakers never look good; designer jeans are not really jeans; always shop alone; stand up straight; don't eat raw seafood anywhere; above all, remember that style is not fashion. But though $500 suits and $150 shoes are not within every male's reach, the book is consistently entertaining, even for those who can't practice what it preaches.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From the Publisher

With Paisley Goes With Nothing, men will learn how to behave in a world where work and play always mix, your socks should never be funnier that you are, and real men don't have to eat quiche because they know this great little pasta place around the corner.

Excerpted from Paisley Goes With Nothing by Hal Rubinstein with Jim Mullen. Copyright 1995 by Hal Rubinstein and Jim Mullen.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: Main Street Books (May 19, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0385483937
• ISBN-13: 978-0385483933
• Product Dimensions: 5.5 x 0.5 x 8.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.5 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 2.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,892,497 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I loved it, March 25, 2002

By 

P. Timm (San Diego, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Paisley Goes with Nothing: A Man's Guide to Style (Paperback)

Yes - this book is written with wit and humor. If you're incapable of understanding a joke, then it might not be for you. Some people think it's *about* New York. Far from it - instead, it uses NY as a reference for many tired cliches and how to break them. Quite literate and very engaging.

Aside from the author's writing style, the information presented in the book is outstanding. Much of it is common sense stuff that people just don't think about. The rest is highly informative - allowing the reader to pick and choose what tips they want to incorporate into their own personal sense of style.

I seriously feel that every man sould read through it at least once.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars definitely a mixed bag, April 12, 2002

By 

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

This review is from: Paisley Goes with Nothing: A Man's Guide to Style (Paperback)

The book consists of a few chapters of prose (about picking out a suit, shoes, etc) sandwiched in between numerous lists. Some of the information is good, some is decent, some is bad, some is wrong, and some is just plain out of place. For instance, there is a brief section on being single and a longer section on travelling; several of the topics seemed out of place in a book about "style". There is good information in this book but unfortunately you have to wade through a lot of chaff to get to the wheat: "10 Musts to Have in the Car -- a detailed map covering a 50-mile radius from your house." The book is also targetted at a slightly older demographic. Of the fifty things that every man must know one of them is, "That Philip Roth, and not Norman Mailer, is the conscience of his generation." Does anyone under 35 care about either of those people?

There is certainly enough useful information in this book (and it is mercifully brief) that you should spend a day or two reading it should the opportunity avail itself. Just don't spend any actual money on this book. Check it out from the library.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great book...a book of style...and more..much more..., December 29, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Paisley Goes with Nothing (Hardcover)

I loved this book! One of the best things about this book is Rubensteins great wit....from subtle to hilarious! When something makes you laugh, you tend to remember it! Rubenstein provides useful, pertinent information for buying and wearing suits, pants, shoes, underwear, hats, gloves, belts, etc. He goes beyond this with much information on equally important items such as skin care, hair care, shaving, choosing eyeglasses, choosing scents, your posture and more. Other related information about your look and, more importantly, your style, comes into play with chapters on buying gifts, entertaining at your place, being entertained elsewhere, travelling, resaurants, things a man must know and things a man must have.
The information is presented not only in familiar paragraph fashion but also in refreshingly candid, informative one-liners and short bullet-paragraphs ...no wading through droning, rambling paragraphs to eek out a few nuggets of useful information....no fluff. A tremendous amount of useful information in a small book...This is actually a handbook on how to be a guy...with style!