The Clothing Man
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About this ebook
This informative mens clothing book teaches men how to dress themselves and teaches others how to dress men. With encouraging words from some of the most successful mens retailers in the industry, such as Blake W. Nordstrom, President Nordstrom, Inc.; Jay Stein, CEO of Steinmart; Geroge Zimmer, founder and CEO, Men's Wearhouse; John Esposito, Assistant to Calvin Klein; and Charles Fagan, Chief of Staff to Ralph Lauren, this eBook is 140 pages of original drawings and mens fashion knowledge that everyone can learn from.
Charles Henry Tharp
Charles Henry Tharp began his career in the clothing industry at the age of eighteen. He quickly rose to the top of his field, eventually owning his own high-end men's clothing business. He then joined a retail management consulting firm, where he developed best-practice systems in the areas of buying, advertising, merchandising, and financing for numerous retail clients. After that, he formed Charles H. Tharp and Associates, a business consulting firm specializing in turning around companies in a variety of industries. Upon re-entering the clothing industry in recent years, Mr. Tharp realized that his true passion was teaching men the art of dressing well. Mr Tharp wishes to honor the men's fashion industry and teach others about the men's clothing business.
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The Clothing Man - Charles Henry Tharp
Copyright © 2009, 2012 Charles Henry Tharp.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the publisher except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.
ISBN: 978-1-4497-4163-1 (e)
WestBow Press books may be ordered through booksellers or by contacting:
WestBow Press
A Division of Thomas Nelson
1663 Liberty Drive
Bloomington, IN47403
www.westbowpress.com
1-(866) 928-1240
Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.
Printed in the United States of America
WestBow Press rev. date: 2/20/2012
Image1868.JPG1_Page_002.jpgCONTENTS
DEDICATION
INTRODUCTION
SECTION ONE
MEN’S FASHION CONSULTANTS
SECTION TWO
INDUSTRY ISSUES
SECTION THREE
CLOTHING SECTION FOUR
THE CLOTHING MAN
Copyright © 2009
BY ARCHITECTURAL SPECIFICATIONS, INC.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner without prior written permission except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews. The Clothing Man may be purchased for educational, business, or sales promotional use. For information regarding Mr. Tharp’s Men’s Fashion Consultant Training Programs, please contact Architectural Specifications, Inc. 615-305-0505.
www.theclothingman.com
Written and Designed by:
Charles Henry Tharp
Editors:
Nikki Cary
Melissa Wozniak
1.jpgGraphic Design:
Hudson Alvares
Brian T. Cox
Charles Henry Tharp
Illustrators:
Allister Dougherty, Brian T. Cox,
Jessica Bauman, David Hellams,
Nancy Higgins
Personal Assistant to Mr. Tharp:
Amy Adamo
THE CLOTHING MAN
BY CHARLES HENRY THARP
Amen’s fashion consultant must be an artist, for the properly dressed man is a work of art. That’s why The Clothing Man is illustrated with original art, created specifically for this book. In fact, the vast majority of these illustrations are based on items from my own wardrobe and personal collections of vintage watches, cuff links, and buttons.
2.jpgMy team of artists had never drawn men’s clothing. However, they perfectly captured my vision and made me smile each day with their enthusiasm for the project. Together we found that style is the imperfection of perfection. C.H.T.
DEDICATION
I dedicate this book to my fashion mentors. Each one gave me an advantage and helped me become the best men’s fashion consultant I could be. The best in the business taught me the art of dressing well. It is my goal to share this knowledge with as many people as possible.
3.jpgI also dedicate this book to those who understood my vision:
Nikki Cary and Melissa Wozniak, for taking my thoughts, ideas, and words and helping me bring this book to fruition
Hudson Alvares, for your friendship and partnership in the graphic design process
Brian T. Cox, for your talent in graphic design and visual art
Allister Dougherty, for your talent and love of fashion
Amy Adamo, for being my office sister
Thank you to Hillsboro Church for your support and positive influence.
A special thank you to Bill and Susan Lassiter and Dan and Nancy Ryan for being my friends and believing in me.
Thank you to my sister Claudia Ann Maynard, my brother Ammon Tharp and my sister-in-law Pat Tharp for always being there for me.
To the love of my life, Mary Jane, and the light of my life, Ellen,
from your husband and daddy.
3.jpg1_Page_006.jpgTHE CLOTHING MAN
1_Page_007.jpgThe majority of the models in this book are family and friends
whom I’ve always admired. C.H.T.
1_Page_009.jpgTHE DOWNFALL
OF
MEN’S FASHION
The art of dressing a man is lost. Dapper and natty have been replaced with
rapper and ratty.
Style icons of yesteryear have fallen by the wayside while self-aggrandizing celebrities, misdirected designers, and fashion experts
with questionable taste take center stage in men’s fashion. The advent of business casual, that bastion of blandness, conspires to convince us that comfort supersedes the self-confidence that dressing well inspires.
Even the fashion industry treats menswear as an afterthought. Designers expend all of their creative energy on women’s lines, leaving little more than the boring or bizarre for the boys. Once this merchandise reaches the retail floor it is relegated to the back corner, near the restrooms usually, and hawked by untrained people who merely repeat the sales pitches that are fed to them by the so-called fashion authorities, whether it be store management or manufacturers’ representatives.
Is there any hope for modern men’s fashion? The simple answer is yes. But it is time to put the job of dressing men back into the hands of true professionals: the
men’s fashion consultants.
Fashions Fade. Style is eternal.
Yves Saint Laurent
THE REASON FOR THIS BOOK
I left the clothing business years ago. I did so not because of a lack of love for it but because I had reached my professional goals.
Achieving your dream at a young age is both a blessing and a curse. I felt a sense of accomplishment that can only come from setting lofty goals and then working hard to reach them. As arrogant as it sounds, I knew I was the best in the business The problem was that I applied those self-imposed high standards to all others in the field.
As I traveled around the country as a consultant with a retail management firm, it pained me to see the lack of taste, style, quality, and service that permeated the industry even at high-end stores. My criticism was not with the merchandise, although during that era fashion was in a state of decline; there was just no passion in the business of dressing men.
There were those in the business who had the experience, knowledge, and impeccable style to be successful clothing salespeople. But the art of dressing a man is just that: an art. Clothing salespeople take the paint-by-numbers approach while a true men’s fashion consultant works with each client to create a one-of-a-kind masterpiece. The difference is passion.
Passion is what propelled me to the top of my field. I truly loved helping clients
discover their own style and teaching them how to build ensembles that worked for their body type, lifestyle, and profession.
One day a man with perfect posture and close-cropped hair wandered into my store. I could tell he was a military man, but something about his demeanor seemed off-kilter. It turned out he was a widowed Navy admiral, soon-to-be retired, and soon-to-be