True Style: The History and Principles of Classic Menswear

Most of us know what we love and hate about menswear, but we may not know why something feels right or wrong. Boyer takes us one piece of clothing at a time through a classic wardrobe and explains the principles that one can use to buy and wear clothes, and then combine them appropriately to feel one's way toward a personal style. He writes with knowledge and passion, making the hard work of building a wardrobe feel--if not effortless--at least manageable and very satisfying. Good sources and index for referring back to long after you've read it through.

Phenomenal book! Thank you so much

Great

If you read the subtitle of this book, you will gain an insight into what it is about; The History & Principles of Classic Menswear. It then helps to understand that Boyer is English (but does not limit his coverage to the English, venturing across the Atlantic frequently), and finally that he eschews fashion as the fashion houses provide it on the runway. He particularly likes the English Country House look, but also the Ivy style. He believes that anything that is too shiny, too ironed, and or too flashy represents an ostentatious display of wealth, apparently whether one is wealthy or not, or fashion consciousness. With this as a background, if you are interested in learning more about men’s clothing, accessories, and grooming, I think you will find this book to be an interesting and educational read. Also be aware that he does believe that each man should develop his own style. His prejudices against the well ironed and brightly colored seem to contradict, or at least limit, his belief that each man should develop his own style. The chapters are mostly based on articles he has published in the past, but are edited to provide cross references within the book and to knit it into a unit.

Delightful sartorial rumination! Not much by way of specific advice, so if you need to learn how to tie a Windsor knot, look elsewhere. Still, there’s some good history of men’s fashion and somewhat philosophical considerations on the subject. I was quite a fan of the chapter on maxims: “Real style is never a matter of right or wrong. It’s a matter of being yourself. On purpose.”

This book has great history overview on some of the most important pieces of clothing in Men’s style history. Concept of the book is really good and you can learn a lot. The problem is that author goes into so much rambling that sometimes you need to skip the whole chapter because it has nothing to do with the actual garmant he talks about.

It is hard to write a book on men's style without photos; however, it one pulls it off wonderfully. Must read for coinsures of men's classic style.

G. Bruce Boyer is an acknowledged expert in classic menswear. While he favors the Ivy style, this book looks at all styles in the classic clothing field. Boyer has collected pieces he wrote for magazines, and on-line blogs, into what is the third book in his excellent series about clothing (Elegance and Eminently Suitable are the first two books). It is NOT a "how-to" manual that teaches you how to tie a bow tie or helps you chose the best colors for you to wear. It is a mix of a history and celebration of great clothing and accessories. "True Style" educates the reader on why we wear what we wear. The book is a must-have for your sartorial library.

I've read many books on this topic and this is for sure the best I have ever read. I strongly believe Mr. Boyer is really competent about style and history of fashon. MUST HAVE! Alessandro.

Interesting entertaining read for anybody interested in Men's Fashion History. Chapters are sorted alphabetically by topic – which is fine with me. There are only a few hand drawings sprinkled throughout the book. The book would have greatly benefited with the addition of lots of historical pictures and more current coloured pictures. This could have been a unique book on the topic of Men's Fashion History. "A picture is worth a 1000 words". Unfortunately the Vendor stuck a barcode label on the front of the cover of a NEW book. The label could be removed, however, the sticky film is still ruining the front cover. In my opinion, Vendors should teach their staff to place labels on the back cover.

A great collection of essays, witty style and practical suggestions.

This book was a delightful read about menswear. The author has a particular style that is missed by most other writers on the subject which prevents the subject matter becoming dry. In fact I go back to the book from time to time and appreciate the text more the second or third time I read it.

Clearly not for beginners like me. Not a single image during the whole book. No recommandations, more about the history of style. However, the information seems sound and should probably be appreciated by sartorial nerds !