Men's Style: The Thinking Man's Guide to Dress

Ian C. Nelson, Librarian Emeritus, former Assistant Director of
Libraries (University of Saskatchewan) and dramaturge (Festival de la
Dramaturgie des Prairies).

Though Russell Smith is the author of several works of fiction (Muriella
Pent, The Princess and the Whiskheads, Young Men, Noise), he is probably
best known in Canada as a restaurant critic and as a guru and
philosopher of style through his columns in The Globe and Mail. Indeed,
he notes that much of this handy guidebook for men “just beginning to
assemble their first grown-up wardrobes” first appeared in his weekly
column for that newspaper. His advice is, not surprisingly, succinct and
self-assured but comes enriched with a host of historical and
sociological facts that take a lot of the mystery out of men’s
sartorial vocabulary. He is particularly good at drawing attention to
the kind of useless but labour-intensive detail in men’s haberdashery
that marks a higher-priced garment, frequently adding snob appeal. Amid
the occasional irony and a confession of betraying personal prejudices,
he does not eschew terms such as foppish, snazzy, and swanky to describe
that which is generally to be proscribed; nor is he shy about
recommending clogs obtainable only in Europe or navy suits by “Boss or
Armani or Paul Smith or John Varvatos or the more forward lines of
Canali or Zegna.”

Line drawings by Edwin Fotheringham lightly illustrate a number of
elements (standard textile patterns, double-breasted button styles,
knots for ties, etc.). Marginal notes expand on certain subjects or
repeat various edicts of cogent advice in pleasingly attractive
typography. As might befit a Beau Brummel, Smith’s notes are often
epigrammatic (e.g., “rules generally act as a man’s substitute for
taste”). He justifies the usefulness of this volume with clever
observations regarding North American, British, and European style,
along with the reminder that “men’s clothing relies much more
heavily on tradition and convention than it does on fashion.” His book
will most likely outlast some of the modern trends that he abhors. A
delightful read and a useful guide.