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Rating: 
Summary: Great book...a book of style...and more..much more...
Review: I loved this book! One of the best things about this book is Rubensteins great wit....from subtle to hilarious! When something makes you laugh, you tend to remember it! Rubenstein provides useful, pertinent information for buying and wearing suits, pants, shoes, underwear, hats, gloves, belts, etc. He goes beyond this with much information on equally important items such as skin care, hair care, shaving, choosing eyeglasses, choosing scents, your posture and more. Other related information about your look and, more importantly, your style, comes into play with chapters on buying gifts, entertaining at your place, being entertained elsewhere, travelling, resaurants, things a man must know and things a man must have.
The information is presented not only in familiar paragraph fashion but also in refreshingly candid, informative one-liners and short bullet-paragraphs ...no wading through droning, rambling paragraphs to eek out a few nuggets of useful information....no fluff. A tremendous amount of useful information in a small book...This is actually a handbook on how to be a guy...with style!
Rating: 
Summary: A waste of my money
Review: Plenty of wit and plenty of good advice. Rubenstein assumes that you don't know too much about style and other matters. If you do, then you probably won't bother with this. If you don't, he offers some invaluable advice--everything from how to pack for a trip to which style collar is best for you. Rubenstein relies on classics rather than trends, although he's thoroughly up to date on the more relaxed styles of the 90's. Much of the book is lists, and here he can be a little frustrating. The majority of one-liners are pithy and knowledgable, but some are too esoteric for the rest of us slobs. But snobbery isn't really a problem. The prickly sarcasm is mixed with a little intentional silliness, and readers offended by the occasional snooty barb are missing Rubenstein's point. He encourages you to bend the rules to suit your own style. Style is mostly about confidence. And if you can't take a joke, the suit won't make any difference.
Rating: 
Summary: Slightly pretentious. But he looks so good doing it!
Review: Plenty of wit and plenty of good advice. Rubenstein assumes that you don't know too much about style and other matters. If you do, then you probably won't bother with this. If you don't, he offers some invaluable advice--everything from how to pack for a trip to which style collar is best for you. Rubenstein relies on classics rather than trends, although he's thoroughly up to date on the more relaxed styles of the 90's. Much of the book is lists, and here he can be a little frustrating. The majority of one-liners are pithy and knowledgable, but some are too esoteric for the rest of us slobs. But snobbery isn't really a problem. The prickly sarcasm is mixed with a little intentional silliness, and readers offended by the occasional snooty barb are missing Rubenstein's point. He encourages you to bend the rules to suit your own style. Style is mostly about confidence. And if you can't take a joke, the suit won't make any difference.
Rating: 
Summary: definitely a mixed bag
Review: The book consists of a few chapters of prose (about picking out a suit, shoes, etc) sandwiched in between numerous lists. Some of the information is good, some is decent, some is bad, some is wrong, and some is just plain out of place. For instance, there is a brief section on being single and a longer section on travelling; several of the topics seemed out of place in a book about "style". There is good information in this book but unfortunately you have to wade through a lot of chaff to get to the wheat: "10 Musts to Have in the Car -- a detailed map covering a 50-mile radius from your house." The book is also targetted at a slightly older demographic. Of the fifty things that every man must know one of them is, "That Philip Roth, and not Norman Mailer, is the conscience of his generation." Does anyone under 35 care about either of those people?There is certainly enough useful information in this book (and it is mercifully brief) that you should spend a day or two reading it should the opportunity avail itself. Just don't spend any actual money on this book. Check it out from the library.
Rating:
Summary: definitely a mixed bag
Review: The book consists of a few chapters of prose (about picking out a suit, shoes, etc) sandwiched in between numerous lists. Some of the information is good, some is decent, some is bad, some is wrong, and some is just plain out of place. For instance, there is a brief section on being single and a longer section on travelling; several of the topics seemed out of place in a book about "style". There is good information in this book but unfortunately you have to wade through a lot of chaff to get to the wheat: "10 Musts to Have in the Car -- a detailed map covering a 50-mile radius from your house." The book is also targetted at a slightly older demographic. Of the fifty things that every man must know one of them is, "That Philip Roth, and not Norman Mailer, is the conscience of his generation." Does anyone under 35 care about either of those people? There is certainly enough useful information in this book (and it is mercifully brief) that you should spend a day or two reading it should the opportunity avail itself. Just don't spend any actual money on this book. Check it out from the library.
Rating:
Summary: not for the average Joe
Review: This book, like most books, makes certain assumptions about its readership....and if these assumptions don't apply, then the book is going to sound like Mr. Rubenstein is talking down to you. He's not. In fact, he is doing just the opposite. He is encouraging you to look at yourself and evaluate what you can do for yourself...if you want to. The basic assumptions are that the reader is not comfortable with the idea of developing an individual style. Men are,in fact, stereotypically notorious for letting someone else do the thinking for them...mom, wife, girlfriend, sales person, and sometimes a male buddy (if you don't believe that, go sit in the men's department of a typical retail outlet and watch). Not EVERYONE does this, but the numbers are astounding. If you fall in the category of style challenged (as many of us do, from San Francisco to New Orleans to New York City), if you wonder how the other guy gets the best tables at the best restaurants, why he looks so completely put together all the time, how he found those great glasses frames, why his haircut looks effortless, why his suit coat is never wrinkled on business trips, and why he never wears linen; if you are looking for good ideas for travelling, shopping, grooming, gift giving, social circumstances, and just getting through the day....then buy the book. Mr. Rubenstein is not focusing on what you are doing wrong, but he does give you good, sound ideas that you can incorporate into your life that just might make you appear a little sharper than you already do (and appearance is not all about clothes either). But the book doesn't take itself, or you, too seriously, and it is definately not sarcastic (acerbic, biting, cutting, derisive or mocking). What it does do is encourage you to stand up, look at yourself, think for yourself, act for yourself, and develop that personal self-style you have seen, and yes even envied, in other men -- not to be like them, but to find what works for you -- what will build your confidence and social skills. Anyone can do it and at least some of the advice in this book will be helpful to many of us. Some will remind you what you already know, and some may result in a personal catharsis (who knows?). And yes it pokes fun at men's habits and makes jokes...frankly, it's not hard to do...and that helps make the material less dry, dull, boring, and tedious. Less teachy preachy. More friendly. Oh and one last thing, there are references to NYC in the book. The author is from NYC so it makes sense. So here is an idea, substitute the city you live in for NYC. If you live in Enid, Oklahoma, well some of them may not apply. A book can't be everything to everyone. But frequently, for other locations, they will apply. And if they don't apply, well then ignore them, and read the rest of the book. It's worth it for the advise, and the laughs. And a chuckle here and there is okay, I think it's supposed to be funny...and informative. If on the other hand you have it totally together, then don't buy the book. And please, if you don't have a sense of humor,if you can't laugh at yourself and your gender, don't buy it. While Mr. Rubenstein is not the Arbiter of Tasteful, he can help men get started. Anyone who thinks we don't need a kick start, isn't paying attention. Oh, and one more thing, remember it is a book of opinions, not federal law. You are, of course, always free to ignore any of it, all of it, or paper your birdcage with it. Personally, I enjoyed it, and learned a thing or two.
Rating:
Summary: I loved it
Review: Yes - this book is written with wit and humor. If you're incapable of understanding a joke, then it might not be for you. Some people think it's *about* New York. Far from it - instead, it uses NY as a reference for many tired cliches and how to break them. Quite literate and very engaging. Aside from the author's writing style, the information presented in the book is outstanding. Much of it is common sense stuff that people just don't think about. The rest is highly informative - allowing the reader to pick and choose what tips they want to incorporate into their own personal sense of style. I seriously feel that every man sould read through it at least once.
Rating:
Summary: I loved it
Review: Yes - this book is written with wit and humor. If you're incapable of understanding a joke, then it might not be for you. Some people think it's *about* New York. Far from it - instead, it uses NY as a reference for many tired cliches and how to break them. Quite literate and very engaging. Aside from the author's writing style, the information presented in the book is outstanding. Much of it is common sense stuff that people just don't think about. The rest is highly informative - allowing the reader to pick and choose what tips they want to incorporate into their own personal sense of style. I seriously feel that every man sould read through it at least once.
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