Richard Torregrossa-Book Review-Cary Grant: A Celebration of Style

“The movie star of movie stars who perfected charm and elegance with such ease that he fooled us all into thinking that we could do it, too, as if it was as simple as learning a card trick.” Cary Grant: A Celebration of Style is a book I cherish deeply, because, first, only by revealing Cary’s complex character it made me understand just how he was always able to look impeccable, and second, it inspires you to develop your own personal style.

Richard Torregrossa’s book is part biography, part style guide, completedby well chosen quotes from people in the fashion world, authors and actors who knew Cary Grant well and thus help us get an insightful look not only at the man of style that he was in the way he dressed, but most important at the man of class that Cary was in every aspect of his life. The author speaks of important stages in CG’s life, revealing his many qualities that made possible his ascent from his home town of Bristol to worldwide stardom and to an iconic status: his determination and hard work regarding his film projects, his modesty, his good manners, his sense of humour and true interest in others, his never ceasing wish to improve himself in everything he did and of course,

his taste and elegance.--Classiq http://classiq.ro/cary-grant-a-celebration-of-style

"Grant was the epitome of sophistication and professionalism and could wear a suit like few men could. Photos, documents, and recollections capture the actor's inimitable sartorial style and will please fans of Hollywood, fashion and the man himself." --USA TODAY

"...the author very nicely synthesizes a lot of material on Grant--much not directly related to things sartorial--and has produced a smooth and very well-illustrated primer." --The Atlantic Monthly

"It was Cary Grant's innate sense of how to be a man transcended everything else beyond his looks and even what he wore." So states Carlo Brandelli, design director of London's posh Savile Row menswear store kilgour, in Cary Grant: A Celebration of Style, by Richard Torregrossa (Bulfinch Press, $35). More than just coffee table eye candy, the book deconstructs how Grant's style evolved and why it's relevant in this age of slobbery: --Delta Sky Magazine

"Here's a clever -- and subtle -- way to upgrade your guy's style this Valentine's Day. Give him a copy of Cary Grant: A Celebration of Style, by Richard Torregrossa, available at Amazon.com for $24. This new book looks at the movie icon's fashion and cultural influences, with a forward by Giorgio Armani and and afterward by Michael Kors. After a few pages your guy will be itching to try this new confident and elegant look out with you. Better keep your LBD handy, just in case!"

"...in his forward to Cary Grant: A Celebration of Style by Richard Torregrossa, Giorgio Armani quotes the screen icon as saying 'Everyone wants to be Cary Grant.' So true, and the reason is obvious from the many photos and fashion writer Torregrossa's words." --The Sunday New York Daily News

"Author Richard Torregrossa has compiled a fun, detailed sartorial history of Grant that any fashion-insider would covet. Filled with photos both on-set and off, see how the icon left an unforgettable mark on men's fashion that's still visible today. Bonus: foreword by Giorgio Armani and after word by Michael Kors." -- Fashion Week Daily

Richard Torregrossa interviews top fashion and cultural icons including Tom Wolfe. Eva marie Saint, Helen Gurley Brown, and Peter Bogdanovich, as well as Grant's former Savile Row tailor, to present a compelling case for why Grant matters more today in the world of entertainment and style than ever before. "Twenty years after his death and more than forty after he completed his final film, Grant's sense of style is just as inspiring to designers today as at the peak of his career. Giorgio Armani, who wrote the book's foreword, has modeled many of his men's fashions after Grant's attire in his landmark films North by Northwest and Notorious. Michael Kors is another A-list designer under Grant's influence-as he writes in the book afterword, "He grasped that it's simple touches that create distinction...But most of all, he had that gracious manner, that timeless elegance, onscreen and off, that comes from the inner man, the tru essence of style. "The book includes exclusive and never-before-published photographs of Grant and gives incredible insight into the life of one of the greatest stars into the life and lasting influence of one of the greatest stars and fashion icons of the past century."--Turner Classic Movies

"We're not suggesting that if you are a a man, you, too, can become Cary Grant, but at the very least, it may provide some inspiration. In his foreword Giorgio Armani says this about the actor: 'Even when he was playing for laughs, he still managed to be effortlessly stylish and-that word again -elegant. It is this quality that I marvel at and which for me makes a great role model" And, may I add, a great heartthrob."--Pamela Fiori, editor-in-chief, --Town & Country magazine, in her editor's letter introducing a 12-page excerpt from the book.

"Consider this book a must-have for the style-conscious guy in your life-or the guy who may need a few tips". --Morieka V. Johnson, The Atlanta Journal Constitution

"In Richard Torregrossa's new book, "Cary Grant: A Celebration of Style" ($35, Bulfinch Press), is a portal of a fashion icon who would never have been considered a maverick. He didn't flaunt or grandstand. He was revered for simply being flawless. "But Grant was, in fact, very human. He endured a heartbreaking childhood, a surprising first career as a burlesque acrobat, four divorces and a fifth marriage in his twilight years to a woman 46 years his junior. There was gossip and scandal, but it never diminished Grant. He soared above the fray in high fashion. Soon, people only remembered his aplomb."--The St. Louis Post-Dispatch

"As a side issue the book weighs into the argument regarding the difference between a man of style and a metrosexual. I am happy to say that Grant is placed in the camp of the former. It also shows that style is as much a state of mind as it is a state of being. Clothes don’t make the man, they’re merely a useful tool. What is clear from this book is that the warmth, humanity and humour of the man was as quintessential a part if the icon as the clothes.
For my part, one bonus of this book is that it elegantly puts the manufactured fakers who currently litter our silver screen, TV and newspapers to shame. Those fools need stylists, Cary Grant is style." --Bespoke.me

"The book celebrates Grant's stylistic integrity." --Classic Style magazine

"An important biography of personal style, it is also a visual pleasure in its photo accounts tracing the creation of Cary Grant's classic image. This book reveals some of Grant's secrets of creating style--still applicable today. One is to have integrity and not compromise your values or settle for something inappropriate. Grant sought out sophisticated role models he could respect and made use or their best style qualities (e.g., Douglas Fairbanks. Sr.). ...I was stimulated by the Celebration of the life that Cary Grant seemed to display daily..." --Armchair interviews

"How he became the paragon of understated elegance, how, in fact, the uneducated, working class Bristol dock-walloper Archie Leach ran away to America and became Cary Grant is the subject matter of Richard Torregrossa's engrossing new book, Cary Grant: A Celebration of Style. The Author know his stuff and his book is a good one." --Quest magazine

"Cary Grant: A Celebration of Style by Richard Torregrossa, foreword by Giorgio Armani, celebrates this Hollywood paragon of satorial splendor. --Publishers Weekly

"The movie world lost one of its icons when Cary Grant died in 1986. Thankfully though, he survives and by the detailed work of authors like Richard Torregrossa. They offer us a look at the man behind the legend. " --Bookloons.com

"Whether you are a long time fan or just discovering Grant's appeal as seen in "The Bishop's Wife" or "Notorious" there is plenty to enjoy in this rare view of the style sense behind the legend." -- MonstersandCritics.com

"A richly illustrated study of the charismatic icon of timeless elegance brings together interviews with friends, family, and colleagues, along with rare photographs, personal letters, and other sources, to reveal the style secrets that made Grant an influential fashion icon." --VH1.com

"Twenty years after Grant's death, Richard Torregrossa has put together an album that true grant aficionados would die for. In exploring Cary Grant as a stylistic icon, the author interviews some people who've got some idea of style -- Tom Wolfe, Giorgio Armani, Helen Gurley Brown, and the actor's former Savile Row Tailor. Dozens of lavishly-displayed photographs display Grant's threads along with his sex appeal as he romances the likes of Joan Fontaine, Katherine Hepburn, Sophia Loren, Ingrid Bergman, and Eva Marie Saint." --Steve Goddard's History Wire

he bought his clothes, how he had them cut and how he customised them. Torregrossa talks about Grant’s style and his life with insight and real information". http://www.whatmakesaman.net/wordpress/category/style

"Richard Torregrossa's well researched book shows how Cary Grant
continually learned from his mistakes and continually shaped his image
to become one of Hollywood's most glamorous and successful leading men.
The lessons learned from this biography of style can be applied to
creating your own style for business or your personal life."
—DressToWin.net

Cary Grant: a celebration of style