Queer Eye for the Straight Guy: The Fab 5's Guide to Looking Better, Cooking Better, Dressing Better, Behaving Better, and Living Better

by Jai Rodriguez, Kyan Douglas, Carson Kressley, et al.

Book Overview

Imagine this: Five eminently stylish and hilariously witty gay men -- authoritative experts in food and wine, grooming, decorating, fashion, and culture -- invade your life, assess your strengths and... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: B0007NMYVS
• Release Date: February 2004
• Publisher: Clarkson Potter
• Length: 256 Pages
• Weight: 2.00 lbs.
• Dimensions: 9.6" x 0.9" x 7.7"

Customer Reviews

Plenty of useful advise here!

Heard the taped version of QUEER EYE FOR THE STRAIGHT GUY by Ted Allen et al. . . . I must admit to not being a big favorite of the TV show (of the same name); however, that said, this was an engaging program with lots of useful advice about food and wine, grooming, decorating, fashion, and culture. For example, I liked the suggestion to have two bottle openers in case one disappears at a party--as it usually does. Also, I took note of such other ideas as: * On how to button jackets, remember: sometimes, always, never. If a three button jacket, that's how to button it; if a two button jacket, skip the first word (sometimes). * Jeans should fit you as you leave the store. Don't buy them too short or long, as they are now most often preshrunk. * Give more compliments. They strengthen relationships and show you care. * At a party, hire somebody to help. * If you get a cellphone call, say, "Hi, I'm with someone. Can I call you back later?" * Don't take a call while dining! * Read COSMOPOLITAN to learn about relationships.

Turning yourself up two notches

I bought this book having seen only 20 minutes of one episode -- you don't need to be a fan of the TV show. It helped that I have a few gay male friends who have taste, so it was not a tremendous step to take advice from five gay men. The easiset chapters to put into practice are on grooming, clothes, and culture. Who knew that plucking eyebrows (gently) and caring for one's face twice a day would have people notice? The chapter on clothes is helping to get me out of a predictable clothing rut, and the chapter on culture has some really action-provoking suggestions on going out, even if it's just you by yourself. The point of the book is to gently nudge you into a different direction. The first step is being open to new things. You'll find your confidence increasing and that you secretly covet other men's clothing and hair styles. Check out the music CD, also -- you can dance around while you get ready to go out.

Who doesn't need a little "tszujing" in his life?

Every woman who has wished that she could get a gay man to take her guy shopping--and every hetero man who would like to figure out how to unstick himself from the tarpit of cultural ignorance--has managed to make "Queer Eye for the Straight Guy" a major hit. Absorbing all that information in a fast-paced TV show, however, can become challenging. The Fab 5's book retains the same breezy, frank, gay-joking tone of the show while providing an easy-to-use reference that guys can come back to--or gals can use to drop a subtle hint to their favorite caveman.Sure, guys could probably get the same information by reading cooking and decorating magazines, subscribing to GQ, calling the local Mary Kay rep, and (gasp) listening to women, but the Fab 5's guide does a great job putting together key information on food, grooming, decorating, fashion and culture in a fun and focused way. "Right now, in cities and towns across this great land, there are men eating pork-n-beans out of the can, grooming like Neanderthals, and dressing themselves in the darkness of utter couture-ignorance. (The tragedy!) You needed us, and we were there."The chatty format and clean layout makes the information accessible and quick to find. Each section contains helpful 5-point lists. Short straight-guy FAQs, Q & As and "hiptips" sprinkle the chapters with easily digested ideas. The writing style is a crack-up, filled with the gay-straight double entendres that make the show fun to watch.The guide is divided into the same five areas that the Fab 5 address in their make-over show: * Food & wine, by Ted Allen of Esquire, contains enough cocktail recipes to get you through all seasons, suggests a few easy ways to prepare bar snacks, reviews some basic wine information, provides recipes for several simple but elegant meals, and (perhaps most helpful of all) tells guys how to "fake it" with no-cook dinners. The chapter concludes with five tips for dressing a dinner plate--something few guys know unless they've worked in restaurants. * Grooming, by stylist Kyan Douglas, covers hair styling products, nose-hair trimmers ("Dude, it's power tools for your nostrils!"), skin care and shaving. I found the skin-care section particularly helpful since I've been trying to get my boyfriend to pay attention to this topic, but haven't been able to explain to him why he needed to do certain things. Kyan does a good job explaining why guys should pay attention to these topics, and manages to do it in amusing "guy talk." * Decorating, written by interior designer Thom Filicia. While key points about grooming can be covered well in brief, an overview of decorating in the same amount of space is bound to leave a lot out. Fortunately, Thom doesn't attempt to be all-encompassing. He emphasizes thinking about how you use your space, and points you in directions for learning more about styles you find appealing. Creating architectural details, particularly in bland apartments, has been a

How to tszuj...

Reading this book confirmed what watching the TV show made me suspect - I have no idea how to run my own life. This is the book every mother should give her son before he moves away to college or gets an apartment of his own. Life is full of stuff we all are SUPPOSED to know but nobody ever tells us about. Why was there never a guidebook before? As soon as the show started, I wondered when the Fab Five were going to write down their accumulated wisdom.The book itself is kind of a coffee table book - expensive and heavily illustrated. Each of the five writes his own section which covers the basics in every area of expertise.TED: What tools you need in your kitchen. When to buy produce. How to make cocktails. He tells you to NEVER smell the cork. There are a whole bunch of recipes in this section as well.KYAN: I never had that "how to shave" talk with my dad - probably because he doesn't know how himself. Kyan tells you how. He also tells you how to properly wash and care for your face and hair. You'll find out the difference between styling gel and pomade.THOM: You know more about decorating than you think you do. You'll find out how to paint those rectangles on your walls.CARSON: Fashion - this is the most indispensable part of the book for me as I have no fashion sense whatsoever. You'll find out what to look for in a suit, what kind of clothes you should own, how to buy jeans, and the all-important pocket-square.JAI: He has the hardest job on the show because he has the most nebulous job description. Yet, he does come up with a lot of useful tips for his section - how to shake hands properly, how to be the perfect party host/guest, and how to go on a date.Every section is pretty funny and it makes a good reference book to keep coming back to.

Learning How To Live Better

By now everyone knows the premise of the show: five gay men (aka The Fab Five) bust into some poorly dressed, hygienically clueless and culturally unaware straight guy's messy home (a guy, for instance, like me or probably you if you're reading this) and set him... well... straight on a few things. The book, like the show, is divided up into five areas.Ted/Food: Definitely the meatiest section of the book (pun intended). I got more useable info out of Ted's few page crash-course in wine than I did out of complete wine books I've read. And the list of kitchen essentials is great. Also included are some not-to-complicated looking recipes, lists of bar essentials, directions on mixing various cocktails, Steak 101 and a brief guide to fresh produce. With Ted as my witness, I'll never eat Hot Pockets again! (Well, maybe not `never,' but less often.)Kyan/Grooming: I thought this section of the book was a bit lacking. Don't get me wrong - there's plenty of great information here. I just wanted more at the end. After all, I think this is the area that most guys are perhaps the most clueless. The essentials are covered, from what hair product does what and proper moisturizing through shaving and hair removal. And, of course, BUY A NOSE HAIR TRIMMER!!!Thom/Decorating: This section wasn't quite what I expected. I expected more specifics. And I'm glad I didn't get them. Thom can't tell me how to decorate my place to make it my own. But what he did do was give me an idea how/where to start and got me thinking in terms of color palettes. Again, I got more out of a few pages here than entire decorating books.Carson/Fashion: Some great dos and don'ts in this section, as well as lists of fashion `essentials' each guy should have in his closet. Great tips on creating different looks with the same items too and info on selecting a suit that's right for you. One thing missing though: direction on the proper way to tie a tie, something I definitely need help with.Jai/Culture: This section was a surprise. Too often in the show I think the culture aspect doesn't come through clearly. It's easier to see the dramatic results of a haircut or redecorating. But in the book, there's plenty of great info on culture and etiquette. Tips on hosting a party or being a gracious guest, encouragement to try new things and the tips on dating section had some great ideas as well. I may start handing out copies of Jai's `Cell-Phone Etiquette' to people everywhere.Overall, the layout of the book is entertaining and contains easy to read short-topics. Just like on the show, Hip-tips pop-up in the corners every few pages. And the mantra of the show comes through loud in clear in the book: don't be afraid to try new things. I'd say a must-have for fans of the shows or guys looking to improve themselves a bit. As Carson said in one of the early episodes, "We're not here to change you; we're here to make you better."