True Style: The History and Principles of Classic Menswear

302 Pages·2015·4.34 MB·English

by  G. Bruce Boyer

More Advance Praise for True Style “The Ivy Style
exhibition at The Museum of the Fashion Institute of
Technology in New York City, for which Mr. G. Bruce
Boyer was a consulting curator, is still being talked about
among fashion leaders in Japan. We respect Mr. Boyer,
whose appraisal of Ivy Style always influences new
fashion trends worldwide.”
—Minoru Onozato, editor-in-chief, Free & Easy magazine “True Style combines historical
insight, an elegant turn of phrase and sartorial authority, all enhanced with timeless
illustrations. It is the perfect complement to the connoisseur’s wardrobe and bookshelf.”
—Christopher Breward, University of Edinburgh “True Style is magic. G. Bruce Boyer’s
delightful writing gives us a chance to contemplate the beauty and function of men’s
wardrobe essentials, transporting us to a world where old-world glamour and modern
elegance rule. With rich erudition, Boyer brings together dress history, fashion pedagogy,
smart anecdotes, and examples of timeless style icons to show how the art and pleasure of
male dressing can be mastered.”
—Masafumi Monden, author of Japanese Fashion Cultures: Dress and Gender in
Contemporary Japan
TRUE STYLE

Copyright © 2015 by G. Bruce Boyer Published by Basic Books, A Member of the Perseus Books Group Jane Kenyon,
“The Shirt” from Collected Poems. Copyright © 2005 by the Estate of Jane Kenyon. Reprinted with the permission of
The Permissions Company, Inc. on behalf of Graywolf Press, www.graywolfpress.org Illustrations by Spiros
Halaris/Illustration Division All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America. No part of this book may be
reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief quotations embodied in
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or e-mail [email protected].
Designed by Cynthia Young Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Boyer, G. Bruce.
True style : the history and principles of classic menswear / G. Bruce Boyer.
pages cm
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-0-46506159-4 (e-book) 1. Men’s clothing. 2. Grooming for men. I. Title.
TT618.B69 2015
646.4’02—dc23
2015019125
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
For Pam
Contents
Introduction
1. ASCOTS
2. BOOTS
3. BOW TIES
4. BUSINESS ATTIRE
5. CRAFTSMANSHIP
6. DENIM
7. DRESSING GOWNS
8. THE ENGLISH COUNTRY HOUSE LOOK
9. EVENING DRESS
10. EYEWEAR
11. FRAGRANCES
12. GROOMING
13. ITALIAN STYLE
14. IVY STYLE
15. MAINTENANCE
16. MAXIMS
17. MIXING PATTERNS
18. POCKET SQUARES
19. SHIRTS
20. THE SHOE-HOSIERY-TROUSER NEXUS
21. SHORTS
22. SPREZZATURA
23. SUITS
24. SUMMER FABRICS
25. TURTLENECKS
26. WEATHER GEAR
Acknowledgments
Appendix: The Best Fashion Books for Men
Notes
Index
About the Author
Introduction
“You appear to read a good deal upon her which was quite invisible to me,” I remarked.
“Not invisible, but unnoticed, Watson. You did not know where to look, and so you
missed all that was important. I can never bring you to realize the importance of sleeves, the
suggestiveness of thumb-nails, or the great issues that may hang from a boot-lace.”
—SIR ARTHUR CONAN DOYLE, “A CASE OF IDENTITY”
Exactly—the great issues that may hang from a boot lace! How many times have
our parents and teachers said much the same thing, admonishing us that
prospective employers surreptitiously note the condition of our nails and shoes,
and can read therein our whole character? Human resources directors, we’ve
been led to imagine, must be trained by the FBI.
But of course it’s not just potential employers who notice such things.
Parents and teachers obviously do. So too do actual employers and colleagues;
lovers, friends, and acquaintances; and—perhaps most importantly—prospective
lovers, friends, and acquaintances. Who among us has not scoffed at the ill-
fitting suit of a stranger or stolen a disdainful glance at their coworker’s frayed
slacks? Who has not judged a date by the clothes he or she was wearing? Do we
assume others don’t do the same?
Conan Doyle knew what he was talking about: it’s the little things, the
subtleties and miniscule details in the clothes you wear, that say the most. Is your
hosiery over your calves, for instance, or do your socks sag down around your
ankles, making your shins look like plucked chickens’ necks? Is your tie discreet
or garish? And what about the pocket handkerchief—the one for show, not for