When charting the influence of certain key Hollywood figures on the evolution of classic men's style, some observers have divided the relevant universe into camps of "Astaire Men" and "Grant Men." I am unabashedly an Astaire Man ... though I hasten to add far more by aspiration than achievement. There's nothing wrong with G. Bruce Boyer's brief 2005 book "Fred Astaire Style (Memoire)" -- I gave it four stars last October -- but I could only wish the great dancer, singer, and actor might someday receive the same in-depth treatment the arguably even greater actor Cary Grant does in this style-biography by Richard Torregrossa.

"Cary Grant: A Celebration of Style" is not a traditional biography (though of course there is a wealth of biographical details), nor is it an analysis of his films (though many of them are mentioned, with a particular focus on To Catch a Thief (Special Collector's Edition)). What it is, is a look at how Grant's distinctive and influential style evolved, what the details of that style were, and what lessons we mere mortals can learn from it. The book is packed with interesting details, revealing and entertaining anecdotes, a perhaps-surprising degree of psychoanalytical analysis, and names of designers, craftsmen, stockists, and other suppliers who helped provide Grant with the raw materials he molded into a style distinctly his own. Though very traditional, and seldom employing the surprising detail of pattern or accent the way Astaire did, nobody has carried it off so well since.

One of the things I was most interested to read was that Grant dressed much the same way off the set, and in his private life, as he did on-screen. Which is another way of saying, he was the real thing. Dressing well wasn't an affectation, or a way to get in the papers to publicize his films, but instead an honest reflection of who he was and how he lived. This encouraging discovery is perhaps one of the best lessons an aspiring Grant ... or even Astaire ... Man can take from this entertaining and educational biography of style.

This is not just another book about Cary Grant--it's a bizarre commentary on why he looked and talked the way he did. Give the author credit for coming up with a unique concept that is fascinating to read for the Cary Grant fan. But the author's opinions are often so out-of-left-field that the reader has to wonder how he came to the conclusions he did.

"Style" in this case runs from the types of suits Grant wore to his ties, his lack of hats, his mixed vocal style, his hair, etc. The author writes a psychoanalysis of why Grant made the choices. There is often no proof given, just the author's theory stated as fact. For example, Grant's sense of suit style came from his childhood Boy Scout uniform and his love of military uniforms. That's an interesting theory, but there is little outside evidence to prove it.

This is a much longer book than expected, the 200 pages containing a lot of written analysis along with the photos. One problem is that some of the pictures are not identified, so readers have no idea what film or era the picture comes from.

The book will probably offend some who think they know the movie star or want just another rehash of what so many other books have said about Grant. The author makes a definite conclusion regarding Grant's rumored interest in men, saying that any "man of style" in Hollywood would have those questions raised. The author also says Grant's voice cadence comes from his listening to crowds at baseball games (saying "Judy, Judy, Judy" is done in the style of "Batter, Batter, Batter")!?!

But often the writer seems to know what Cary Grant was thinking when he was making certain choices. Maybe, just maybe, Grant was wearing what the studio wanted him to wear or he picked out whatever looked good in his closet at the moment and he didn't always make pre-determined choices the way presented here.

So even though many opinions are presented as fact, this is worth reading because it raises all sorts of interesting questions about why Grant was styled the way he was.

I'm sorry, but having actually read this I wonder if the author's editors were on holiday. While I can appreciate the point of view in discussing CG's fashion, throwing in colloquial terms like "dissed" into the text makes the over-all effort come off as less than serious. In this light the fact that the author spends an ENTIRE CHAPTER on CG's preference for women's underwear is downright creepy, and taken together it says more about the author than the subject of the book.

Really, this is stupid stuff, and the only thing to recommend it are the pictures, but the pictures aren't enough.

THIS IS AN AMAZING LOOK AT MR. GRANT. THIS RANKS UP WITH RICHARD SCHICKLES BOOK CARY GRANT , A CELEBRATION.I LOVE GRANT AND HAVE ALL HIS MOVIES AND MOST BOOKS ON HIM EXCEPT THE SCHLOCK LIES.HIS ACTING AND COMEDIC TAKES ARE BEYOND EVEN CHAPLIN OR KEATON AND IN SITUATION COMEDY HE WAS PEERLESS.I WAS LUCKY TO BE IN THE AUDIENCE FOR "AN EVENING WITH CARY GRANT" IN STAMFORD ABOUT A YEAR BEFORE HE PASSED AWAY.HE WAS CHARMING, ERUDITE, SELF- DEPRECATINGLY FUNNY ABOUT HIMSELF AND HOLLYWOOD AND HIS FRIENDS LIKE CROSBY, SINATRA , FLYNN, COOPER,STEWART, ROGERS ETC.AN IT WAS ALL I HOPED FOR AND FAR MORE.THERE WAS NEVER AND WILL NEVER BE ANOTHER CARY GRANT.OUCH.THE ACADEMY AWARDS COMMITTEE SHOULD DIE IN SHAME THAT HE ONLY RECEIVED AN HONORARY OSCAR. I CAN NAME 3 FILMS HE SHOULD HAVE HE SHOULD HAVE WON FOR.GET THIS BOOK AND PUT IT OUT AS A STAR PIECE ON YOUR COFFEE TABLE.WHERE HAVE YOU GONE ARCHIE LEACH???

I bought this book believing it was about the Cary Grant style and tips on the varies aspects of dressing well. To my surprise it was really a very short biography on CG with lots and lots of photos. Now I gave it four stars and not lower because I actually enjoyed it. Even though I've read CG biographies I must say this book has photos that I've never seen before and so that tops the flaws I found in the style department.