In my occasional series of book tips, I’ve this time picked up another tome dedicated to improving the style and clothes sense of men. This one is a spin-off from the British style website The Chic Geek, an independent website offering plenty of information and tips on how to improve your style since 2009. The book promises to be a “Fashion, grooming and style guide for men”, and over 175 richly illustrated pages it proves to be just that. The author, Marcus Jaye, has a long history in the business and obviously has a fair amount of knowledge about the topic.
The book starts off with a foreword by the British fashion industry Grand Olde Man Paul Smith, and I was surprised to find myself actually enjoying his page. Off to a good start. The “geek” in the title is a reference to the obsessive and totally informed man the author suggests can be found inside every stylish man. Probably not an incorrect assumption, as men do tend to obsess about things, and at some point being stylish can easily be as much of a hobby as fishing, and we all know how much gear a guy can drag down to the side of a canal on a Saturday morning, right?
As mentioned, the book is richly illustrated, both with drawings by illustrator Rich Fairhead, and copious amounts of photos. Such is normally the way of books in this field, given that it’s mostly a topic that requires visual aids to make sense. The only book so far to be reviewed where the words weighed more heavily on the scales is “How To Be a Man: A Guide To Style and Behavior For The Modern Gentleman” by Glenn O’Brien, where even the title itself is a lengthy piece of prose! The text in the Chic Geek is mostly sufficient though, covering as it does a very wide-ranging array of topics. Like most of these books though it does leave me with the feeling I’d like to read something with more depth, something that requires an attention span of more than a couple of minutes.
The book includes a rundown of historial and fictional geeks, from actual people to film characters. A section on streetgeek, basically photos of random people with commentary. Fashion of the geek, various tips and advice for building up a wardrobe. Grooming tips are also included, from metrosexual style moisturized advice through to cultivating dreadlocks. Finally a short Q&A section and a Geekipedia.
Take a look at a few example pages:
Direct link to the book at:
Amazon.com
Note: If you buy this book using one of these links, I receive a small consideration from the vendor in question. This is really appreciated, as it will offset a little of the costs of keeping this blog running and will enable me transform into the Woosterish international style icon that I aspire to that much sooner.
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