Cary Grant: A Celebration of Style

by Richard Torregrossa

Book Overview

With rare and never-before-published photographs, personal letters, and documents, this groundbreaking book reveals the style secrets that helped make Grant a fashion icon.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0821257609
• ISBN13: 9780821257609
• Release Date: September 2006
• Publisher: Bulfinch Press
• Length: 206 Pages
• Weight: 2.51 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 8.4" x 10.1"

Customer Reviews

Good things come to those who wait.

Cary Grant fans have been waiting a long time for such a worthwhile treatment of the man and his work. Not his film work, but a piece of him that isn't just gossip and hearsay. A Celebration of Style is born from bonafide research and reporting on what set Cary Grant apart from his peers. The book is interesting and easily read as well. Congratulations and thanks to you, Mr. Torregrossa. While Mr. Grant's style was only one part of his personality and work, it was indeed the part that provided the basis for all the rest. My father always said that he'd take luck over skill any day. To quote his favorite coach, "Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity." That's what this book is about. The painstaking, thorough, and neverending preparation of one Archie Leach. Preparation as an actor and as a gentleman. While I understand one reviewer's temptation to knock the rating down one notch for want of more pictures and a lower price tag, I have to admit, I haven't recently been more pleased with a book. The pictures selected are appropriate for what the author is discussing and are not only plentiful, but some are rare. The price to publish these must be rather high. Another reviewer is also correct in pointing out that a picture that appears to be labelled as Douglas Fairbanks, Jr. is not either of the Fairbanks men. The gentleman in the picture is actor Dan Tobin portraying Grant's attorney in The Bachelor and the Bobby-Soxer. Regrettable error, but not remotely offensive. Overall Cary Grant: A Ceelebration of Style is a delightfully professional work which tells us about one extraordinary man's art and gives us ordinary folk some practical tips and guidelines for improving our own wardrobes without being preachy or condescending.

Bravo - a classy job in honor of a classy man

This is definitely not your typical cut and paste job - it is a classy, well-written, interesting photo/guide/memoir to probably the greatest film star of all time. Is there anyone even CLOSE to Cary Grant working as an actor in Hollywood today (and please don't say "George Clooney")? Grant's remarkable, disciplined, yet seemingly casual, attention to his appearance went deeper than just mere vanity. He was about class, about being a gentleman, about portraying to the world the kind of grace and style this more sordid world today clearly needs. The author has written a lively, interesting account of his life, the development of that style, and tips for the public, that cut deeper than most books of this type. Grant's upbringing was far different than the man he later became - and he literally "created" himself in lasting, memorable film roles, and, later, as the epitome of class, grace, and style. The photos are candid, the writing is sharp and probing, and the tips are timeless. It's a book worth owning, while the man himself, Cary Grant, is worth emulating. It's amazing - and somewhat sad - to think that American cinema once had the likes of Grant, Hepburn, and Astaire gracing our screens. How much we miss not only their style, but their talent and grace. This book reminds us of what he had - and how we might attempt to achieve it for ourselves. Bravo!

Finally -- Something for Men To Aspire To...

I loved this book! As the author of style biographies of Audrey Hepburn, Jacqueline Onassis and (I kid you not) Elvis Presley, I was most interested in this book. I have to say -- Mr. Toregrossa hits the ball out of the park. Straight, gay, dating the meter maid, frankly, I don't care... because face it: Mr. Grant was possibly the handsomest man in the world with the greatest style -- and don't you think we can ALL learn something from him? I loved the writing, and the images, and in this very un-stylish time that we live in, I think we could all use a primer. Mr. Grant was a gentleman and, god knows, we could use a few more of them today. A very enjoyable read.

Charisma Can't Be Taught...

...but style can. Cary Grant's personification of style and grace is illustrated and described by Torregrossa in a manner that would make Mr. Grant proud. Cary Grant - A Celebration of Style allows us to reminisce about a time when men's fashion had a clear focus and appeal. This book made me want to trade in my artificially faded jeans and undersized t-shirts for a fine suit. Congratulations to the author for an honest, well written and illustrated tribute to an international icon.

Style Personified

It's about time somebody wrote about Cary Grant's style and how he achieved it. Bravo to Mr. Torregrossa for pulling it off in a readable and fun manner with an impressive assemblage of photos, documents, and quotes. There's a lot of new material here. I've read many biographies of Grant because I'm a Cary Grant fan, but I didn't know he was such a good businessman and that he cared as much about people as he did about his work. I also liked the descriptions of Cary Grant off screen, his sense of joy and his passion for life and how, despite a poor working class background, he completely reinvented himself. The book illustrates that metamorphosis quite well and by explaining HOW he managed to do that makes this a fascinating read. I couldn't put this book down! The last chapter is really touching. I was reminded how, even after four divorces, he hung in there and never gave up on love finally finding true happiness in his fifth marriage. Most men would have thrown in the towel by then but he was a true romantic and by marrying again in his late seventies, Grant found a sense of happiness that had eluded him before. Cary Grant had style. We all know that. But he had heart, too. A great movie star, but this book makes clear that he was something more: a great man.