AskMen.com Presents The Style Bible: The 11 Rules for Building a Complete and Timeless Wardrobe

by James Bassil

The Style Bible is an indispensable handbook filled with fundamentals that every man can use to improve his dress sense and lifestyle. Divided into 11 rules, The Style Bible helps you build a versatile wardrobe; coordinate different colors, patterns, and accessories; learn which clothes flatter your body type; and navigate the worlds of shoes, jeans, and watches. You'll also learn how to dress appropriately for any occasion or environment, from meetings at the office to first dates and nights on the town. With instructive illustrations and loads of tips, The Style Bible is essential reading for every man who wants to dress to impress.

Genres: Fashion, Nonfiction, Self Help, Reference

226 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 1, 2007

Reviews

[Julio Bonilla · Rating 5 out of 5]

I bought my own copy because I found the copy from the library inspiring. It's better to have my own than to check it out from the library!

[Dane Hill · Rating 4 out of 5]

This How-To Book’s target audience is men Ages 18 – 35, as it is geared at helping inexperienced/young men build their first adult/stylish wardrobe. This how-to book is aimed at helping men assemble a formal, versatile wardrobe, giving advice in an entire range of different types of apparel and accessories. The book is broken down into 11 different rules, that range from advice on how to coordinate colors, how to wear patterns that flatter your body type, and which shoes to buy to match your wardrobe. Yet the book is not as one-dimensional as it first appears. Reading through the rules, the book does not claim to have a one-size-fits-all answer to every person. In fact, the number one rule is to know yourself, and as the author says, “true style resides in accommodating individuality, rather than blindly following the lead of others.” The book was very helpful to me, and continues to be helpful to me as I go through my young adult life and assemble a more formal wardrobe. Besides all of the fashion tips, including a whole chapter on watches, it provides really sensible information, like how much money a young man should spend on shoes. It also has a step by step guide in how to tie a tie, which will be a lifesaver for me next time I have a formal occasion(I have always asked my dad, a friend, or a neighbor). I would recommend this book to any young man who is employed and needs to upgrade their wardrobe. Someone like me, who has no sense of fashion sense at all, would really benefit from knowledge of which patterns fit which body type and other non-common-sense information. The simple illustrations on bags, suits, ties, and more, help the reader see in front of them the fashion styles refered to in the text, and greatly amplify the effectiveness of the advice. A great book! 4/5 stars!

[Jeffrey · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent resource for stylish & classic men's dressing and grooming.

[Brandon Baggett · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book is written more for the times that you need to dress up, but there is still a lot of good advice in here that can be used for any occasion. The tips found in this book are great, but some of them still have to be taken with a grain of salt. It even mentions in the beginning that everything is based on your type, so the book is more of a set of guidelines than rules. (Though at the same time, you shouldn't look for reasons to break the advice that is given.) I highly recommend this to anyone who is looking to step up their game in the world of fashion.

[Heather · Rating 2 out of 5]

I picked this up for fun. It's easy to read and overall I learned a lot, but I wouldn't recommend this book to anyone without cautioning them that it compares women to watches and is written as though all men are straight (I don't know a whole lot about askmen.com but it doesn't seem very inclusive). This book also doesn't say much about men's hairstyles, which kind of surprised me.

[Michael · Rating 2 out of 5]

Often smug and irritating, with a myopic perspective. A quick read nonetheless, if only for an additional opinion.

[Larry · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lots of easy to follow (if not remember) rules, but no photos. Definitely read this book with another more photo-oriented book. Might make a decent reference book.

[Matt on Books · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not a bad place to start if you know nothing about dressing well, but left me wanting more.

[Brady · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good introduction but was fairly vague in many cases.