Rating: 
Summary: Excellent Guide to Style--Poor section on color coordination
Review: Flusser does a great job outlining the classical 1930's style of dressing that is the standard for well-dressed men in the US and Britain. His work is the definitive one, and his prose is interesting. The pictures are outstanding.A couple shortcomings that caused me to rate it a 4--first, his section on color coordination is far too brief, although he does give the principles or coordinating color with hair, skin, eyes, etc. This is something that is usually overlooked in the mass of details on this subject in other fashion books. Second, some key points are hidden in his eloquent sentences while they would be more accessible if they were bullet-pointed. For example, I didn't realize that a dinner jacket should have one button, although I had read his section on the topic fairly carefully.
Rating: 
Summary: Timeless Style
Review: For me the most interesting parts of this book were the historical photographs. It made me realize what an impoverished age we live in. It showed not that men were slaves to a fashion but rather that elegance can still allow for a lot of personal choice. The comparison to some of what passes for style today is striking. It is also rather timely, in that business casual is rapidly dying and many companies have raised the expectations for dress back to the pre casual days. I found the book an excellent guide both on a practical level as well as providing detailed historical analysis. I loaned the book to a tailor whose has been in the business for 50 years and he was very impressed with the detail and advice. Overall this book was an excellent investment.
Rating: 
Summary: There is a Better Source for Sartorial Splendor
Review: Gentlemen, trust me. Fluisser's book is nicely photographed, but it is not the final word on correct dress. There is a better book, all around. It is by Bernhard Roetzel, and it is called, "Gentleman: A Timeless Fashion." I am an American who has traveled a great deal in Europe and Asia. Trust me, this is the textbook. You will find it on display in the epicenters of finality regarding man's dress, Bond Street, Savile Row, London. The photos are great, and the advice given by Roetzel is, unlike Flusser, not ethnocentric to America. It works like crazy in America, but also works in other countries. Flusser is a Hollywood maven. Roetzel understands gentlemanly dress.
Rating:
Summary: There is a Better Source for Sartorial Splendor
Review: Gentlemen, trust me. Fluisser's book is nicely photographed, but it is not the final word on correct dress. There is a better book, all around. It is by Bernhard Roetzel, and it is called, "Gentleman: A Timeless Fashion." I am an American who has traveled a great deal in Europe and Asia. Trust me, this is the textbook. You will find it on display in the epicenters of finality regarding man's dress, Bond Street, Savile Row, London. The photos are great, and the advice given by Roetzel is, unlike Flusser, not ethnocentric to America. It works like crazy in America, but also works in other countries. Flusser is a Hollywood maven. Roetzel understands gentlemanly dress.
Rating:
Summary: Mr. Flusser's sartorial greatness
Review: I have Clothes and the Man and Style and the Man. Both books which I regularly consult. Mr. Flusser taught me how to dress myself appropiately for all occasions and never be embarrassed about dressing comfortably and dressing well.
Rating:
Summary: ALMOST perfect
Review: I say ALMOST perfect for it has 2 major flaws. But first let me get to the good stuff: a lavish volume full of wonderful vintage photos, illustrations and well-written advice covering color, proportions, patterns, suits, odd jackets, trousers, waistcoats, dress shirts, neckwear, hosiery, shoes, accessorites, formalwear, and business casual. This volume won't age as you do as you refer to it again and again over the years. However, this book has two puzzling flaws: the chapter entitled THE POWER OF COLOR, while necessary, simply is lacking in content and the color photos DO NOT fit in with the rest of the artwork contained in the volume. In fact the photos cheapen this otherwise superb book. This goes for the BUSINESS CASUAL chapter as well: it seems lifted out of another book of lesser quality and inserted into this one. This book probably isn't for the man just out of college, the man for whom a pair of khakis is dressing up, nor the man who considers J Crew to be height of fashion but highly recommended for the man ready to upgrade his appearance.
Rating:
Summary: Another Great Book By Alan Flusser
Review: If you are aspiring to go anywhere in the corporate world, or if you want to be the most sylish man that you can be, this is the book for you!
Within the book you will find tips on matching your clothes to your particular skin tone, body structure, and you will learn how to make your clothes work for you.
Any fashion article with any class mentions Alan Flusser's name; he is the human encyclopedia of correct and debonair men's dressing. (Men's Health and Esquire have both run full length articles on Flusser, taking his advice on dressing.)
This book is the most current, definitive source of good style and taste out there.
Rating:
Summary: Great book on men's style; needs its own coffeetable
Review: In the consulting field, one can get away with corporate casual in most venues. Corporate casual for me is basically slacks, shirt, sport coat, no tie. However, there are times one must go completely dressed and in these instances, books like DRESSING THE MAN are outstanding to teach those of us who are style challenged the art of matching threads. (I recently read and reviewed CASUAL POWER by Sherry Maysonave. For those in the corporate casual line as I described, this is an outstanding book.) My biggest downfall is the total lack of sense in putting outfits together. OK, if I have a suit, no problem. But, how about patterned slacks...what shirt? What jacket? Socks? You get the idea. DRESSING THE MAN solves most of the mysteries and, quite frankly, opened my eyes as well. It seems as though symmetry is not necessarily a mandate as long as the style has precendent. Patterned slacks and patterned socks for instance. Many of our '40s and '50s movie stars were into this scene. Were they ridiculed? Nope, just copied. Many of the corporate stalwarts of old have moved to a more casual theme in recent years, creating the move toward comfort over dominion. Could the stodgiest be modifying, changing with the times? By contrast, how many suits do you think were even owned by the Silicon Valley tech generation of the '80s and '90s? Now, that has changed and the tech crowd, many out of work, are looking for new work...and buying suits for their interviews to ensure they are being taken seriously. Most of these style barbarians had no clue as to the style, coordination or even expectations of dress. Alan Flusser to the rescue. In '85, Flusser wrote the critically acclaimed, CLOTHES AND THE MAN, which could be called the predecessor to DRESSING THE MAN. With this offering, no man should have an excuse for being a style freak. DRESSING THE MAN is chock-full of illustrations, pictures, and suggestions. You'll see vintage photos of Gary Cooper, Errol Flynn, Cary Grant, Fred Astaire and many more. Most of these pics look like they jumped right off the pages of GQ. Flusser offers a variety of suggestions relating to choosing suits, shirts and ties and takes it as far as coordinating your outfits with skin tone, hair color, and body type. Shoes, socks, wristwatches, and even hats are covered. If you're interested in reading a book on men's dress and learning the styles, DRESSING THE MAN fits the bill quite nicely. If you are interested in reading a book on men's styles AND you want to read it in bed or perhaps on a plane ride, this is not your book. At a full 8.5 x 11 inches, 320 pages and at least 5 pounds, this is not a book to lug around. Highly recommended.
Rating:
Summary: Flusser's Back!
Review: It is past time for a new Flusser. Earlier this year I tried visiting half a dozen of the New York specialty stores profiled in "Style and the Man" only to find that most of them had relocated. Even Flusser's own shop had moved out of Saks Fifth Avenue and was nowhere to be found in Manhattan. Fortunately he's been busy. "Dressing the Man" is a major update of his previous material with new information and fine visuals of dandies past. Think of it as Roetzel's book from an American perspective, with more emphasis on dressing well and less on where to buy shoes. The emphasis is on dress up - there's little or nothing on outerwear, sportswear or nightwear for example - but that's covered as impeccably as one of Flusser's seven fold ties. In addition to the chapters on design and fit that readers of his previous books have come to expect, there's new material on pattern coordination, a section on choosing colors that work for your complexion, and more than most people would have thought possible on how to match socks. Now if only there's a new store for my next trip to New York.
Rating:
Summary: Flusser's Back!
Review: It is past time for a new Flusser. Earlier this year I tried visiting half a dozen of the New York specialty stores profiled in "Style and the Man" only to find that most of them had relocated. Even Flusser's own shop had moved out of Saks Fifth Avenue and was nowhere to be found in Manhattan. Fortunately he's been busy. "Dressing the Man" is a major update of his previous material with new information and fine visuals of dandies past. Think of it as Roetzel's book from an American perspective, with more emphasis on dressing well and less on where to buy shoes. The emphasis is on dress up - there's little or nothing on outerwear, sportswear or nightwear for example - but that's covered as impeccably as one of Flusser's seven fold ties. In addition to the chapters on design and fit that readers of his previous books have come to expect, there's new material on pattern coordination, a section on choosing colors that work for your complexion, and more than most people would have thought possible on how to match socks. Now if only there's a new store for my next trip to New York.
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