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Ten Garments Every Man Should Own: A Practical Guide to Building a Permanent Wardrobe
An accessible field guide to classic menswear and creating your own conscious closet.
Dressing well matters and it is easily within the grasp of any man, no matter his age or budget. The problem today is that many men don’t know where to turn for help in building a wardrobe.
Ten Garments Every Man Should Own is a practical and entertaining guide to dressing better by building a classic, sustainable, and ethically minded wardrobe, focused on quality garments. Each chapter covers an essential shirt, jacket, hat, leather shoes, and more. Cutting through the clutter of online “experts” and fashion magazines, this book reveals the truth about what really makes a garment worth investing in and owning ― how it is made, how it fits, and how it makes a man look.
Dressing well matters and it is easily within the grasp of any man, no matter his age or budget. The problem today is that many men don’t know where to turn for help in building a wardrobe.
Ten Garments Every Man Should Own is a practical and entertaining guide to dressing better by building a classic, sustainable, and ethically minded wardrobe, focused on quality garments. Each chapter covers an essential shirt, jacket, hat, leather shoes, and more. Cutting through the clutter of online “experts” and fashion magazines, this book reveals the truth about what really makes a garment worth investing in and owning ― how it is made, how it fits, and how it makes a man look.
248 pages, Hardcover
Published March 30, 2021
1 person is currently reading
18 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
November 3, 2021
A book that I'd be willing to consider great, not just because the author and I share the same taste in style (based in the classics of western menswear), but because it explains many things succinctly (the history of clothing, the different types of fibers and materials, what to look out for, etc.) It could also be that the author is a Canadian who lives in Toronto, so his tips are also likely to work for the Canadian Winter Weather (Wool Sweaters!) I also like the design for the tips section and all the illustrations.
My main issue, one that I feel makes this harder to recommend to anyone, is that there weren't more illustrations. I get the feeling that they didn't have the budget to include all the illustrations they'd have wanted, and ended up putting most of them at the beginning (there are a lot at the beginning, and fewer and fewer as the book goes on.) This is an issue due to all the technical terminology that is used, and the many different styles of garments that exist. When it comes to shirts and suits, we get illustrations for the different cuffs and lapels, when it comes to shoes, we have different illustrations for the four main types described, but when it comes to the hats explained at the end of the book, we don't get any illustrations at all.
Another issue, which is likely a common one when it comes to books about fashion, is the one of privilege (which is mentioned earlier in the book, but I feel like I need to remind/tell everyone.) At multiple times, this person recommends getting custom made things as the best option, whether it be shoes or hats or etc, which may be true, but is outside a lot of peoples price range. Just keep that in mind.
So this gets rated 3 starts, because it explains a lot and is a good, enlightening read, but is going to hard to recommend to others easily, because its going to require a lot of additional parsing and googling, to understand some of the vocabulary being thrown around, stuff that would have been eased with further illustrations.
My main issue, one that I feel makes this harder to recommend to anyone, is that there weren't more illustrations. I get the feeling that they didn't have the budget to include all the illustrations they'd have wanted, and ended up putting most of them at the beginning (there are a lot at the beginning, and fewer and fewer as the book goes on.) This is an issue due to all the technical terminology that is used, and the many different styles of garments that exist. When it comes to shirts and suits, we get illustrations for the different cuffs and lapels, when it comes to shoes, we have different illustrations for the four main types described, but when it comes to the hats explained at the end of the book, we don't get any illustrations at all.
Another issue, which is likely a common one when it comes to books about fashion, is the one of privilege (which is mentioned earlier in the book, but I feel like I need to remind/tell everyone.) At multiple times, this person recommends getting custom made things as the best option, whether it be shoes or hats or etc, which may be true, but is outside a lot of peoples price range. Just keep that in mind.
So this gets rated 3 starts, because it explains a lot and is a good, enlightening read, but is going to hard to recommend to others easily, because its going to require a lot of additional parsing and googling, to understand some of the vocabulary being thrown around, stuff that would have been eased with further illustrations.
May 18, 2021
Excellent. Changed the wardrobe of the men in my life so much for the better. I love the author's voice, his calm reasoning, gentle humor and especially his historical references to the evolution of men's clothing. Take notes for when you shop for quality pieces.
September 28, 2021
Although not as comprehensive as other books such as Dressing the Man, this is an excellent primer for those who want to improve their wardrobe. I thoroughly enjoyed the tone of the writing that demystified what can sometimes feel like a daunting task.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews