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If a gentleman is wise, he is grateful there are rules about a few things in life. He is particularly grateful that some of those rules apply to what he may wear or may not wear when he is lucky enough to be included in life’s special occasions. Even the most seasoned gentleman may find himself thinking twice before he begins to dress. Being a gentleman, he has no desire to stand out in the crowd—even if the crowd is a festive one, like the revelers at a black-tie ball, and especially if the gathering is a somber one, such as the funeral of a coworker. The gentleman desires simply to dress appropriately for the occasion—be it high-spirited and convivial or dignified and ceremonial.
A gentleman takes care that he looks his best— and dresses his best—every day, since he never knows when he will meet his next major client or the love of his life. He understands that good grooming—like any other aspect of the gentlemanly life—is not a matter of money. He does not have to run up the balances on his credit cards just to keep his shoes neatly shined, his sports coat brushed, and his hair neatly trimmed. Even if his wardrobe is limited, he knows that as long as it is carefully selected and well cared for, it can take him— and he can take it—to life’s most challenging occasions. He can be confident that as long as his closet contains a few staples, he is ready to dress and head out the door at a moment’s notice.
But even if he gives little thought to his appearance from day to day, even if the dress code at his office is casual, and even if he has no intention of accepting an invitation to anybody’s black-tie party, every gentleman knows that the moment will come when he must pay attention to which shirt he puts on his back, which jacket he dons on top of it, and perhaps even which tie he knots around his neck. This book provides detailed guidance to help the gentleman face each of life’s sartorial challenges—whether it is his college roommate’s wedding, a cookout with friends from the office, or his own high-pressured interview for a new job.
With these guidelines, even a gentleman who has been branded an inveterate “slob” can transform himself, at least on select occasions, into the tasteful, well-mannered fellow nature intended him to be. At such moments, in fact, he may surprise himself as to how good it feels to look his best. He may even decide to make it a habit, transforming each of life’s occasions somehow into a special one.
That, after all, is part of his ultimate job as a gentleman. When it comes to getting dressed, it is not a gentleman’s goal to call attention to his tailoring. He is confident that his intelligence, his resourcefulness, his hearty handshake, and his ready smile set him apart from all others. His clothes, he knows, are merely there to help him along.
This book is there to help him too.
A well-dressed gentleman knows
that, once he has left a party, it is not
his clothes that will be remembered.
Instead, his friends, new and old, will
comment on the pleasure of his company
and the charm of his conversation.
Being a gentleman, those qualities are
the essentials of his everyday wardrobe,
no matter which suit he pulls out of
the closet, no matter which necktie he
chooses to go with his shirt.