THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, September 5, 1996 TAG: 9609050614
SECTION: DAILY BREAK PAGE: E1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY KIM WADSWORTH, CORRESPONDENT
LENGTH: 80 lines
THERE ARE MANY THINGS to learn about being a fashionable man.
Alan Flusser, fashion author and one of America's foremost designers, aims to demystify men's clothing with his latest treatise, ``Style and the Man,'' which comes out this month (HarperCollins). Those in Hampton Roads will have a chance to consult with Flusser in person Friday and Saturday, when he makes begins a 10-city book tour with appearances at The Quality Shop menswear stores in Norfolk and Virginia Beach.
It is the basic do's and don'ts of buying and wearing quality clothing that Flusser wants to convey on the tour, he said in a telephone interview from New York.
Some examples, from his book:
Never sacrifice comfort for style.
The bottom of a man's jacket should line up with the knuckle of the thumb when the arm rests by his side.
One half-inch of a shirt collar should appear above the jacket collar.
A properly fitted vest should be long enough for its fifth button to cover the trouser waistband.
The trouser bottom should cover two-thirds of the wearer's shoe and be long enough to remain in contact with the shoe when walking.
A sock should match the trouser rather than the shoe.
A necktie should be pulled up into a collar so that it is tight enough to arch out slightly from the neck.
Bow ties that extend beyond the width of the wearer's face or collar make him appear to be gift-wrapped.
A cummerbund's folds always face up to hold the evening's theater tickets.
``The issues I address in this book are from real-life experiences I have had over the last 10 years,'' Flusser said. ``My focus is on the questions men have about fashion. They are very quick learners and there is almost nothing about dressing well that can't be explained in a logical fashion.
``I teach a person how to wear a dark suit,'' he said. ``That's the foundation.
``If you don't know the proper length of a jacket or its sleeve, you will never get the correct fit. I think men ought to know that the jacket sleeve should extend to where the wrist breaks with the hand and that there should be a half-inch band of linen between the sleeve and the hand. This distinguishes the sophisticated dresser.''
Flusser said most men are capable of putting things together if they are well-advised by trained salespeople. His book lists 200 of the world's best menswear stores.
In a time when visuals and impressions are important, Flusser maintains that men who are dressed well have more confidence and present themselves more effectively than others.
Observes Flusser, ``Clothes do sell the man. It's all part of the package.'' ILLUSTRATION: Color photos by V.W. VAUGHAN
AT LEFT: Alan Flusser's latest book explains the principles of
proper dressing - and includes a list of 200 of the world's best
stores to shop.
Men who are dressed well have more confidence and present themselves
more effectively than others, says fashion expert Alan Flusser.
AT LEFT: When buying a sports coat, Flusser cautions, pay special
attention to length: The jacket bottom should line up with the thumb
knuckle. And he says 90 percent of men wear coat sleeves too long
and shirt sleeves too short; a half-inch band of linen should lie
between jacket sleeve and the hand.
Graphic
WANT TO GO?
Alan Flusser will hold trunk shows and book signings from 11 a.m.
to 5 p.m. Friday at the Quality Shop at Bank and Plume streets in
Norfolk, and from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday at the Quality Shop in
Hilltop East shopping center in Virginia Beach. Information:
627-6073 or 428-8615. by CNB