Subtitled The History & Principles of Classic Menswear, Boyer’s latest delivery is a mixture of sartorial history, social comments and personal viewpoints that never fail to stimulate. Not only are Boyer’s remarks extremely apposite but they are also open-ended enough to leave room for discussion as he never indulges in doctrinal decisions.
This approach is in itself of utmost elegance.
The text tackles every element of a man’s wardrobe, from boots to eyewear, shorts to pocket squares, reviewing their historical development and their contemporary relevance. It also deals with such generic ways of putting together an outfit as ‘the English countryside look’, the ‘Italian style’, the ‘business attire’ or the ‘Ivy style’. Boyer also covers concepts like sprezzatura and practical problems of the ilk of ‘the shoe-hosiery-trouser nexus’.
This book reads as a philosophical essay. It is by no means a book of prescriptions or even tips, but rather a collection of informed musings, written in a witty and thorough manner.
Inevitably, in the case of an honest approach, the author’s writing style is in keeping with his sartorial style, proving once more the deep truth of Buffon’s famous aphorism—“le style, c’est l’homme même”. This compendium of unhurried erudition begs to be read from the deep confines of a burnished leather armchair, in one’s most classy and relaxed apparel.
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True Style, The History and Principles of Classic Menswear chez Basic Books
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