Hi, guys. I'm Brian Sacawa, you're watching He Spoke Style, and today we're taking
a look at 15 must-have books on men's style.
Before we get started want to
let you know that links to all of the books that I mentioned in this video
will be down below in the description. Alright,
so kicking things off with an absolute classic--Dressing The Man: Mastering the
Art of Permanent Fashion by Alan Flusser. If you're going to own just one book on
men's style, this is the one that you need to have. It's the Bible.
It's the I Ching. It's arguably one of the most important books ever written on
men's style. It covers everything from color, patterns, clothing, shoes,
accessories, different dress codes. I mean, there is literally nothing that this
book does not have. It's the best. If you don't already have it, this is one you'll
want to pick up immediately. Next we have a book that is just as famous as
Dressing The Man and that is True Style: The History and Principles of Classic
Menswear. It is written by Bruce Boyer, who is the former fashion editor for GQ
and Esquire. It is a wide-ranging book on a variety
of men's style topics, all the way from dress codes, specific accessories, like
ascots, ties, socks, and glasses, fragrance, grooming, mixing patterns. It's an
extremely well-written and easy to read book that deals a lot with the art and
subtleties of men's style. So in that way, it's an excellent complement and
companion to Dressing The Man. Next is Gentleman: The Ultimate Companion
to the Elegant Man by Bernhard Roetzel. Not to keep comparing everything to
Dressing The Man, but this is a similar type of book in that it takes you
through all of the different elements of men's style. I would even say that this
book is more in-depth and exhaustive than Dressing The Man in that it really
goes into amazing detail. There are also some great profiles of different
tailoring houses and shops in different cities. An incredible wealth of
information and definitely one that I recommend checking out. Changing gears
now from the encyclopedic to the more whimsical. And that is this book right
here, Men In Style. This is a collection of writings and illustrations
that appeared in Esquire magazine back in the 1930s and 40s. Absolutely classic
men's style illustrations. I'm sure you've seen some of them before. It's
such a cool snapshot into a different era. Unfortunately, this is not in print
anymore but there are copies available from used booksellers. Sometimes they're
on the pricier side, but if you get lucky you can definitely find it at a more
affordable price. Next up we have As A Gentleman Would Say.
This is one in a series of books by John Bridges that deals with basic manners,
being polite, knowing how to respond the right way in situations from celebratory
all the way to extremely awkward. It's worth noting that although this is
styled as a quote-unquote "rulebook", there's an undertone of playfulness in
it. So that makes it not only solid practical advice but also really fun to
read. Here is a book now by a friend of mine, David Coggins, called Men And Style.
It's a collection of essays, interviews, stories, reflections, and advice from a
wide variety of very influential people throughout the menswear world. It's a
style guide of sorts, but it's also a really cool, fun, and thoughtful look into
the minds of many of the people who have made modern menswear what it is today,
including many of the mistakes that they've made along the way. So David's a
great writer himself and he's assembled an indispensable cast of characters
inside this book. If you haven't noticed, Japan looms very large in the whole
global men's style conversation. And that's everything from classic men's style all
the way to streetwear. The title of this book, Ametora, actually
translates as "American traditional" and it's an interesting look at how Japan
took, and eventually perfected, elements of American style to change not only
style and culture in Japan but also to send that influence throughout the world.
A very interesting read. Highly recommended. Here we have a book
called The Style Guide, which is a book by Simon Crompton of Permanent Style and
photographer Jamie Ferguson. So, it's basically a collection of photos--lots of
them street style photos-- of a lot of super stylish guys from all over the world.
Tons of inspiration there. However, I would say that what makes this different
and honestly better than a straight-up street style photo book is that next to
each photo is some practical advice about what makes each outfit work so
well. Next is a book that I picked up on the recommendation of my friend Paul
Fournier, who talked about this book in an episode of HSS Live. It's a small
Japanese book called A Dictionary of Color Combinations. And the title
honestly says it all. If you're ever curious about what colors go with other
colors when you're putting your outfits together or you're just looking for new
ways to pair colors in your wardrobe, this is the book that you want to have.
It's just page after page of possibilities and inspiration.
Now speaking of inspiration, up next is Icons Of Men's Style by Josh Sims. I
think the cover of this book is a little misleading because it has this iconic
photo of Paul Newman, so you assume it's about people. But it's actually a book
about those iconic pieces of menswear and why they are iconic. So you have
these really wonderfully written essays about each piece and then they're
accompanied by the iconic imagery that's associated with it. Next is a new book by
photographer Jamie Ferguson. It's called This Guy: Portraits of Modern Men's Style.
This book is full of inspiration. Again, like The Style Guide, it features some
amazing photos of some of the most stylish and rakish men throughout the
world. And then before each photo essay you have a little interview of the
subject so you can get an idea of who the man is that wears these clothes.
Because, as we know, clothes alone do not make you stylish. It's the personality
behind them that really matters. Here is the Mr. Porter Paperback: The Manual for
a Stylish Life, Volume One. There are three volumes in this series--I have all
three--and I have to say that Volume One is the best, in my opinion. It's my
favorite. There are profiles of stylish guys, both past and present.
There's advice. There are stories. But what I love most about this book is the
way it weaves in other aspects of life and lifestyle that contribute to like an
overall well-rounded, well-read, cosmopolitan man
the world. Things like architecture, design, photography. All things that
contribute to the entire person and their sense of style. Next is an awesome
little book by Alan Flusser called Style and the Man.
So, if Dressing The Man is the ultimate encyclopedia of men's style, Style and
the Man is the helpful little everyday guidebook. You know, I would say that
this book has the answers to probably the most common men's style questions.
It's very well-written. Very easy to read. And an indispensable guide. Next, another
book by Alan Flusser. This one's brand new, actually, and is not a guide or
reference on style, but is rather a portrait of one of the most iconic
figures in American fashion, culture, and of course, men's style.
It's called Ralph Lauren: In His Own Fashion. If you've seen the documentary
"Very Ralph", this book is a great companion to be able to go deeper into
the life and style and lifestyle of Ralph Lauren. Finally, a book by menswear's
favorite grouch, Glenn O'Brien. And it is called How To Be a Man. Now, Glenn
O'Brien, of course, famously wrote the Style Guy column for GQ for many, many
years. And if you know his writing at all, you know that he's very opinionated, you
know, often to the point of being so absurd that you wonder whether he's
being completely serious or that there's maybe like this little kind of joke
underneath all of it. This book is exactly what you'd expect from Mr.
O'Brien. Read it. Enjoy it. Get mad. But don't take it too seriously, which is
honestly good advice for a lot of things in this world. So those are my 15 must-
have books on men's style. Once again, links to all of them are down
below in the description. Also, in addition to these books that I've
recommended, I have included all of the men's style books that we have in the
collection in the studio if you want to check those out as well. If I left
anything out--one of your favorite books-- leave that in the comments. Thumbs up.
Don't forget to subscribe. And until next time, thanks for watching and stay tailored.