A Gentleman Gets Dressed Up: What to Wear, When to Wear It, How to Wear It

The triumphant and unostentatious stroll of Rutledge Press' 'Gentlemanners' series continues with this 2003 guide to a gentleman's kit. There is nothing over the top or self-indulgent in these pages, just light-hearted advice for those of us who need a little help avoiding a fashion emergency. Understanding my vulnerability means keeping this little book at arm's reach on my reference shelf. The authors understand that a gentleman is loathe to call attention to himself. Good style is a way of allowing one's more important virtues to shine through without the distraction of bad taste. The world could use a little more of that.

I bought this for my husband (the dapper clothes horse) just because I saw it in my Gold Box. He is a strict adherent to Flusser, so I took a risk and ordered this because it was low priced. Turned out to be a great bargain, and a nice surprise that he enjoyed. While he says there was no revolutionary information, it was a good read and great additional resource. Definitely recommended!

This book is both helpful and entertaining. Its style, which amounts to a compilation of aphorisms--some of them clever--makes it an easy read. As a veteran of the East Coast button-down collar and navy-blue suit brigade, I was surprised to learn as much as I did about men's attire, although I didn't necessarily agree with everything the book has to offer. But the same was true with "How to Be a Gentleman," where, for example, the author says it's perfectly acceptable for a well-dressed gentlemen to go to church without socks. In "A Gentleman Gets Dressed Up," he devotes an amusing amount of ink to the subject of letting out waistlines to accommodate increases of girth and being prepared to mop up excesses of perspiration. Such curiosities can probably be attributed to the books' regional slant--am I right in assuming that the author is a Southerner? If it sounds like what you need, this book is amusing and worthwhile, but be prepared for a few odd remarks that clearly come from a corpulent Southerner who sweats a lot.

I regularly wear suits and semi-casual dress in my profession, but there were many things I learned from this little book. The dust jacket of this volume says, "What to wear, when to wear it, how to wear it." Those three comments pretty much summarize the contents. This title is well-worth the price paid.

It provides a guide on appropiate and tasteful mens attire while not being overbearing or stuffy. It also provides a reminder for those of us who wish to look our best on occasional lapses in judgement and even things we did know before.