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Alan Flusser's book "Style and the Man" is an excellent introduction to the world of menswear. In about 140 pages, he covers the foundations of menswear and for any man looking for an introductory guide this book will be hard to beat. Although it does have a few shortcomings, I can't give less than five stars to a book that costs less than two coffee's at Starbucks yet provides a lifetime of sartorial insight. The book itself is of high quality build and has simple yet clear illustrations.
Introduction - My qualifications to review this book
My name is Antonio and I founded an online custom clothier. I talk with men on a daily basis about how to dress properly and have written articles on men's style. I have owned this edition of Style and the Man for 3 months, and have owned the first edition for 10 years.
What I Love about this Book
1. Quality Content - In one sitting, a quick reader can learn the basics of menswear. Alan Flusser does an excellent job hitting on the points that need to be addressed when introducing the foundations of dressing well. His writing style is clear, understandable, and comprehensive to a degree. He doesn't use too many 50 cent words, and attempts to organize his writing in a manner that allows you to build off concepts he taught you in earlier chapters. When explaining somewhat complicated concepts, he makes sure to bring in a drawing to illustrate his point. Most importantly, I feel Alan's writings create a hunger within the curious to learn more.
2. Hardcover Build - The book is physically beautiful - the binding is crisp and clean and the text small but readable. Also the hardcover gives it a higher perceived value in terms of gift giving!
3. Simple Black and White Images - Some people will complain about this, but I like the simplicity of the drawings as they clearly illustrate the point. There is no confusion as to what Flusser is trying to show you.
4. Value - I would have paid $40 for this book - the information is both solid and timeless. As of Fall 2010 it can be had for 1/4 this cost, an amazing bargain for those that understand the value of information.
What I do not Like
1. Very few updates from the 1st Edition - I loved the first edition that Alan published in 1996. It was much larger, with 2/3 the book being about where to shop and the details pertaining to dozens of men's stores around the world. Unfortunately this dated the book, and drew many complaints. The 2010 edition is this same book, with 2/3 the 1998 version cut out, and with the remaining 1/3 "updated". However, this update seems to have resulted in less than 5% of the content changing. Even the introduction is almost exactly the same! Granted the information is timeless.....but I was hoping for more.
2. Organization could be improved - At 140 pages, this book needs a bit more sectioning in the table of contents and deserves an index. With both of these being defunct, this book is not the easiest to navigate.
3. If you own first edition, not worth the upgrade - There is no new material, 95% of the content is the same from the 1st edition and the few changes are cosmetic.
Final Recommendation
5 out of 5 Stars. Although it has a major fault in not being a big improvement from the first edition, its value price and breadth make it an unbeatable value for any man who does not own the first volume. I recommend buying this book.
