Rating: 
Summary: The true Gentleman of this book genre
Review: For those who've seen my other reviews, this may seem a rather odd item to rate so highly. However, I think that, having seen sevral other books on men's fashion and having worked at Canada's most luxurious retailer (P/T), I feel very confident in recommending this as the ultimate men's grooming and fashion guide. It's a very tastefully presented and photographed volume with well organized sections on suits, jackets, pants, shirts and so on. While it does recommend expensive brands, it also shows how to match/mix designs while stimulating indiviadual dressing creativity. this book is in facy very useful for those who want to experiment with various combinations and who are tired of the usual basic suit standards. It promotes British, Italian and American high-end tailoring like teh Savile Row tailors, Kiton, Brioni, Brooks Brothers. in addition to all the information, the book offers timeless advice and that's it's best quality. A gentleman possesses timeless elegance. i recommend this book far more than anything by Flusser and more than the Clotehrs and the Man, or dress for Success (very boring). So be creative.
Rating:
Summary: Lots of pictures.
Review: I am no style expert. In fact, I have remarkably bad taste. From the pictures and description of expensive clothing and accessories in this book, I've been able to normalize my appearance and look respectable when need be. I've been able to identify differences between good cheap shirts, cheap imitations of good shirts, expensive good shirts, and expensive imitations of good shirts. That goes for pants, socks, underwear, suits, shoes, personal care products, and more.As someone else has already mentioned, it is very anglocentric (or whatever the word is). I think it's also just good, respectable style.
Rating:
Summary: for "expert advice only"
Review: i breeze thru this book almost every morning with my coffee. great pictures, good reviews of a few legendary tailors, and liked the italy map of the best clothing firms. i'd say this book is a must for those with the clothes-horse curse, but a little advanced for those looking for advice on how to dress themselves. i put this in the "expert" category.... those wanting basic advice should start with one of alan flusser's early books.
Rating:
Summary: The best clothes book ever
Review: I love clothes and nothing beats this book. It has some mistakes, but they are both funny and endearing, in that they talk of things as they should be, rather than as they are. For example, it says that European prejudices not withstanding, American men follow strict dress codes. In truth, of course, most American men know and care little about clothes and dress like slobs. They mostly wear the "American uniform" of baseball caps, kakhi shorts, t-shirts and sandals or gym shoes. It also tells us that it is highly improper to wear shorts in public; that they are properly restricted to the beach, the back yard and when participating in sports. If this was only so!
He really knows his stuff, especially in that he knows that British and American welted shoes are the best and that Italian "glue jobs" are inferior. He even knows that Germans appreciate Alden shoes, and know it is about the best you can buy, when that is not very well known here, outside of New York. His chapters on English-Savile Row custom tailoring and English shoes cannot be beaten.
Unlike current American clothing magazines, the author realizes that proper gentlemen should be guided by tradition, not high fashion, in choosing clothes. He is well aware of the influence of Fred Astaire and the Edward VII, when he was the Prince of Wales.
Unfortunately, the author does not discuss the closing of Norman Hilton, America's best traditional clothing maker, the loss of the Brooks Brothers clothing factory or adequately decry "fusing" in clothing manufactoring. He accurately mentions that Brooks Brothers is starting to slip; the book is not up to date enough to discuss how far it really has fallen.
If there is anything I stongly fault, it is his failure to mention that the only two very good, but fairly priced suits available here, are made by Martin Greenfield and Samuelsohn. While he discusses Brioni and Kiton, he does not explain that in addition to often having bizarre cuts, styling and fabric selection, most Italian suits do not really properly fit our fat American bodies. There is no mention of the other main overpriced, but well tailored brand, Oxxford.
Rating:
Summary: One of the best men's fashion books ever published
Review: I own a library of most of the published volumes concerning men's fashion and fashion history. This full color, 357 page "encyclopedia" covers every aspect of men's clothing in depth and with compelling photos and illustrations. It's an indispensable tool for anyone interested in men's fashion.
Rating: 
Summary: a disappointment
Review: If you haven't purchased Alan Flusser's lavish new volume THE ART OF PERMANENT FASHION then do so before getting this book. If you still want to know more then this book MAY be of some help but ONLY if you can pick up an INEXPENSIVE used copy.
Rating:
Summary: For the quality conscious
Review: If you you are looking for the second best in men's clothing you may be disappointed. This book will tell you where to find the best in suits, shirts and shoes and will save you years of experimentation which will eventually lead you to the same conclusions as the author. Even if you are not interested in paying $3500 for your next suit or $3000 for a pair of hand made shoes from John Lobb's of London this book is worth every cent you pay for it. It is well prepared and holds a wealth of interesting information.
Rating: 
Summary: Good buy, good guide
Review: The three months that I VERY thoroughly studied Roetzel, taught me an immense lot. Both on how to do things; also on how not to plan my future. Such as appearing perfect. But all the knowledge about do's and dont's, how things developed, history of fashion, and his touching anglophilia, held me long occupied. The typography is very neat. The colour images are quite well printed. And Roetzel helped me make decisions: If I choose a taylor in London, it will be Tobias Tailors. Huntsman is more fame and name than attractive product (+ triple price). My shirts Hilditch and Key and Thomas Pink. And I am desperate for Weejun loafers from Bass! Also 5-10 pairs of shoes from Church's! But I agree with one critique, that unfortunately I'm an unlikely prospect for custom sewn shoes. - Five drawbacks to mention: a) Early in the book the author seems a bit arrogant, how impossible it really is ever to BECOME a gentleman, despite all efforts (!?); b) the male models, alas, are a bit sissy-ish for us northerners; c) advocating a 'cutthroat' for everyday shave, most barbers tell me is mildly obsolete; d) too little space spent on wool textile; e) the breakfastman in the last chapter must be a cross between Humphrey Bogart and Bill Clinton. AMUSING SIDE: How he devaluates the boring Burberry's coat lining pattern as touristy. (I agree.) Also, a hilarious comment on ostrich leather shoes! - CONCLUSION: Men of the world: Get hold of this book, mostly to learn how to go about things, and also a little bit to know which rules to break, if you so wish.
Rating:
Summary: Detailed, opinionated, entertaining, and well worth it.
Review: There is a huge amount of information to be found here, and it is surprisingly well organized and conveniently laid out. The photography is beautiful and the author's enthusiasm for his subject is contagious. The focus on the details of finely made men's clothing are of immense help for both the experienced dresser and the young man just putting together his first adult wardrobe, and the knowledge and advice is sound for both those on limited budgets who want to carefully ensure quality and those with unlimited funds to blow on hand-made shoes. Still, it is an odd book. It is a peculiarly Teutonic combination of stern instruction, fussy priggishness and lyric romance, which can be either charming or distracting, depending on one's taste. The line between the author's opinion or preference and generally accepted standards is sometimes confused, which is a nearly universal problem in this field - but when those preferences are so colorfully stated, it is hard to object. Roetzel advises on a sophisticated enough level to be useful to men (or those who dress them) already having a firm grounding in how to dress properly, stylishly and well; it also may serve as a strong basis for the less experienced to get themselves started, after which they can learn with experience what advice here they wish to accept or reject. For the new graduate wanting to learn how to dress for his first interviews, I might suggest a more basic guide. For everyone else, this guide is rich and entertaining and, whatever you may disagree with, you will find five other items of value.
Rating:
Summary: A truly peerless volume.
Review: This book almost made me cry. It is quite simply the book I had been intending to write all my life and I cannot imagine how I might improve it in any way. It is beautifully produced, the illustrations are tasteful and appropriate and over all provides even the sloppiest man with a flawless guide to sartorial elegance. It does have a photo of two fellows in smoking jackets which looks a bit tatty but I forgive them that. To say, as one reviewer does, that the book is written from an English perspective is I believe inaccurate. Certainly it does emphasise the contribution of Saville Row and the pastiche of the English gentleman as the doyen of taste but it is clearly written from a wider European perspective. There are more than adequate references to Continental European sources and indeed to the contribution of the United Stated to what we accept as stylish attire. A must for Gentlemen everywhere - buy it now or repent at leisure.
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