Book based on the rise and fall of man of style

Early celebrity stylist still influences modern fashions.
KNIGHT RIDDER NEWSPAPERS
He is credited with inventing the suit. He was considered the first metrosexual long before the term was a word, and he was at the forefront of personal style centuries before there was such a thing as a celebrity stylist or a Giorgio Armani.
His is Beau Brummell. His influence from the 18th century affects how men dress today. And if he had not lived, we would have difficulty categorizing the dapper writers Tom Wolfe and Gay Talese, the designer Valentino, Andy Warhol or the work of Gianni Versace.
His name has been the stuff of drama and song. He is mentioned in Billy Joel's lyrics and was the subject of an operetta, a musical called Beau and a play.
So at a time when celebrity obsession is at a fevered pitch, it is probably appropriate to see a book on the life of the first quintessential celebrity who was, like the modern stars, copied at every opportunity. Welcome the arrival of "Beau Brummell: The Ultimate Man of Style" (Free Press, $26), by Ian Kelly.
Ironically, Kelly says, Brummell came from a shady neighborhood in London known for brothels. He grew up tending a boarding house that might have been a brothel.
He rose to the height of society and became a friend to royalty. But life was not kind as he grew older. He fell into debt. His wardrobe unraveled, as did his mental capacity. He was even imprisoned for a time.
It's a sad, dramatic story whether you love clothes or not or appreciate the vanities of society.