Esquire The Handbook of Style: A Man's Guide to Looking Good,   ISBN:9781588167460

Customer Rating: 

For the guy wanting to live and appear like a real man, this is the book to have.

Customer Rating: 

Esquire has made a terrific and complete all around guide to men's style. But unfortunately, they spend too little time on how to get buy on a budget.

It's really tough to do, but... with resources [...] (cheap shameless plug) it can be done. Esquire will forever be a great resource for stylish guys. Take their suggestions, then figure out how you can do it without spending thousands. They set a great example, the key is getting it done on the cheap.

Customer Rating: 

This book can help you achieve a timeless style. One that looks great today and will look great in the future.

It goes into great detail about suits, shirts, sweaters, pants, shoes, coats, accessories and even personal care. There's a lot of detail about fit and buying the right clothing for your body type. The book also covers what to wear for different occasions like work, casual and formal.

One handy section has illustrations showing several different ways to tie a tie. Don't know the difference between a double windsor knot and a four-in-hand knot? This book will show you.

Also helpful are the photos (although only in black and white) of men who exemplify timeless style: Steve McQueen, Jack Lemmon, Spencer Tracy, The Beatles.

Caring for your clothes is also covered. Did you know a clothes steamer is often better for your garments than expensive dry cleaning? I'd never even heard of a steamer, but I'll be buying one in the near future.

I really like this book. It's a great reference and will help me update my wardrobe. I recommend it along with Details Men's Style Manual: The Ultimate Guide for Making Your Clothes Work for You.

Customer Rating: 

This small book is jam-packed with valuable information regarding men's stylings and fashion. The size lends well to a portable reference book, while the density of info makes it well for the personal library. The variety of topics covered is exhaustive, with included details on form and functions. Compared to other style books, I would say this has the most longevity. The only problem I had with it was the pictures are all black and white, and tiny. Details referred from the text are lost in the small photos. But still, highly recommended.

Customer Rating: 

Solid, if quite general, information on basic mens style. The writing is good, occasionally snarky, and the advice offered will still be relevant several years from now. The layout is well put together and the celebrity images run from vintage to recent. And I disagree with other reviews dismissing this range as dated. There is a certain classicism represented in the choices, and I appreciate a restraint which avoids too many trendy faces that will be forgotten in a year or two.

Unfortunately what weakens this edition from four to three stars is the omission of any color photos. One cannot properly compare dark brown and black shoes in a B&W photo. A page that purports to guide the reader in pairing shirts, trousers, and jackets is ineffectual as a grayscale reproduction. Fashion in our daily lives always exists in full color, and any book claiming to be a style guide should mirror this reality.

The publisher should correct this in future editions.