True Style: The History and Principles of Classic Menswear

Description

From choosing the right pair of eyeglasses to properly coordinating a shirt, tie, and pocket square, getting dressed is an art to be mastered. Yet, how many of us just throw on, well, whatever each morning? How many understand the subtleties of selecting the right pair of socks or the most compatible patterns of our various garments,much less the history, imperatives, and importance of our choices?In True Style , acclaimed fashion expert G. Bruce Boyer provides a crisp, indispensable primer for this daily ritual, catalogueuing the essential elements of the male wardrobe and showing how best to employ them. In witty, stylish prose, Boyer breezes through classic items and traditions in menswear, detailing the evolution and best uses of fabrics like denim and linen, accoutrements like neckties and eyeglasses, and principles for combining patterns, colours, and textures. He enlightens readers about acceptable circumstances for donning a turtleneck, declaims the evils of wearing dress shoes without socks, and trumpets the virtues of sprezzatura, the artistry of concealing effort beneath a cloak of nonchalance.With a gentle yet firm approach to the rules of dressing and an incredible working knowledge of the different items, styles, and principles of menswear, Boyer provides essential wardrobe guidance for the discriminating gentleman, explaining what true style looks like,and why.

G. Bruce Boyer is a renowned expert on menswear and men's fashion. The former menswear editor for Town & Country, he has authored, coauthored, and contributed to numerous books on fashion, and his feature articles have appeared in Esquire, Harper's Bazaar, Forbes, the New York Times, the New Yorker, Departures, and the Rake, among other national and international magazines. Boyer has also cocurated several fashion exhibitions at The Museum at the Fashion Institute of Technology. He lives in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.

Put This On "There are dozens of new titles every year on men's clothing. About half of them are just rehashed press releases; the others give the kind of tips-and-tricks you see everywhere online and in magazines. Bruce's work has always been worth reading because he's one of the few authors who deal with genuinely classic style, but in a way that doesn't feel like it's just about rules. True Style is a great read for guys who find joy in clothing, but aren't necessarily looking for an instruction manual on how to dress." "Bruce Boyer is the Robert Caro of the cufflink, the Boswell of the bow tie. Any man wondering why he wears what he does--or how to wear it better--should avail himself of this indispensable volume." --Jay Fielden, editor in chief, Town & Country "Bruce Boyer is the Raymond Chandler of menswear journalism, a weight to carry. Writer and man of style Boyer walks the 'mean streets' of fashion with little armor save his pen and inimitable wit. Pushers of bad taste beware; he's out to get you." --Michael Drake, designer and founder of Drake's London New York Times Book Review "'True Style' is...a collection of peppery meditations from a man who has spent decades refining a theory and practice of dressing." Jeffrey Felner, New York Journal of Books "G. Bruce Boyer has, in essence, created an encyclopedia of men's fashion and style... True Style is the most comprehensive and all-encompassing volume on the topic of men's fashion that has ever passed in front of these eyes... Besides the advice, the wonderful and knowledgeable narrative, Mr. Boyer offers the reader the history, an aspect of fashion and style that is so often overlooked within this genre of books." Wall Street Journal "Where fashion was once dictated from the top down, it now rises from the street up. But as G. Bruce Boyer shows in True Style, islands of elegance still survive... [A] cheerful attempt to define the underlying principles for dressing well, while at the same time providing some of the history behind what we wear." "True Style charts a unique path to understanding men's style using a combination of pithy commentary, practical instruction, and historical insight--a heady mixture only Bruce Boyer could provide. It will be a reference on menswear for decades to come." --Mark Cho, The Armoury "A great read for anyone who is interested in gentlemanly style, by the world's best writer on the subject." --Francesco Barberis Canonico, creative director, Vitale Barberis Canonico "True Style combines historical insight, an elegant turn of phrase and sartorial authority, all enhanced with timeless illustrations. It is the perfect complement to the connoisseur's wardrobe and book shelf." --Christopher Breward, University of Edinburgh "The Ivy Style exhibition at The Museum of the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York City, for which Mr. G. Bruce Boyer was a consulting curator, is still being talked about among fashion leaders in Japan. We respect Mr. Boyer, whose appraisal of Ivy Style always influences new fashion trends worldwide." --Minoru Onozato, editor in chief, Free & Easy magazine It's Raining Menswear "In his new book, True Style, the fashion writer G. Bruce Boyer, who has an encyclopedic knowledge of the history of men's clothing, puts today's menswear culture in historical perspective." No Man Walks Alone "True Style is like a fireside conversation with an immensely knowledgeable and charming old friend, who also brought the brandy... Boyer has perfected a sort of literary sprezzatura, a studied nonchalance of approach that actually reveals complete control and mastery of his subject... [A]n immensely pleasurable read." Roanoke Times "There is a casual nature to [Boyer's] prose -- casual without being sloppy. He knows the rules of writing, and he knows how to manipulate the medium to provide interesting reading without being ostentatious. Boyer's history of men's clothing and style is informative and entertaining." The Hogtown Rake "Mr. Boyer is the most important and influential menswear writer of the last forty years." Macleans, CAN "Into the clatter of bathroom-mirror selfies comes this soothing waltz through the history of men's dress. Boyer...calmly takes the bewildered (and poorly shod) contemporary male by the hand and leads him from the red-soled brocaded excess of European court fashions, through the birth of the modern suit, and into the era of 'heritage denim' and the 400 T-shirt." San Francisco Chronicle "[An] erudite and charming new book." Timeless Man "Perhaps the greatest value in each chapter is contained towards the end, where Bruce highlights how best to wear the item in question, common mistakes which are made and how to choose the right item for you. Where may other books miss the mark is to give a historical account, but offer no advice on how to wear something well. I'm glad Bruce chose to go down the path he did, as it will be of enormous help to many men who read it... True Style is a true treasure." Apparel "[A] collection of articles and essays that not only helps make men better dressers, but also loads them up with fascinating historical trivia to display at cocktail parties."