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One Hundred Years of Menswear
A rich, comprehensive collection of images covering the revolution in menswear over the last 100 years with text by fashion historian Cally Blackman.
Rare photography and illustrations reveal the elegant tailoring of Savile Row and tough khaki and denim of the uniform and workplace giving way to an exuberant array of styles and colors as the century progresses. Packed with images of Hollywood style icons, the artist personalities of the 1930s, and more, the evolution of menswear from practical to peacock is explored in an array of rarely seen photographs and illustrations.
The impact of Pierre Cardin, Giorgio Armani, Ralph Lauren, and other designers is contrasted with the street fashion of the 1960s, punk, and the club scene to bring together the story of the flourishing menswear market in one invaluable book.
A unique collection, 100 Years of Menswear will prove indispensable for all fashion students, historians of dress, and lovers of men's clothes.
Rare photography and illustrations reveal the elegant tailoring of Savile Row and tough khaki and denim of the uniform and workplace giving way to an exuberant array of styles and colors as the century progresses. Packed with images of Hollywood style icons, the artist personalities of the 1930s, and more, the evolution of menswear from practical to peacock is explored in an array of rarely seen photographs and illustrations.
The impact of Pierre Cardin, Giorgio Armani, Ralph Lauren, and other designers is contrasted with the street fashion of the 1960s, punk, and the club scene to bring together the story of the flourishing menswear market in one invaluable book.
A unique collection, 100 Years of Menswear will prove indispensable for all fashion students, historians of dress, and lovers of men's clothes.
- GenresFashion
320 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2009
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
February 5, 2020
As someone who has studied fashion for years, I couldn't wait to get my hands on this book. Men's fashion isn't covered as strongly or in detail as its opposite sex counterpart and it was wonderful to see a book cover the topic so beautifully.
The images are large, well chosen, and really illustrate the points made. And that's this book's strong suit: it really gives the reader a chance to see how the style evolved over the years in a very graphic and friendly way. As such, this makes a great coffee table book or a tool for quick referencing the style trends of the eras. It is beautifully laid out and I like that the author goes for 1-2 large images rather than trying to pack in 6+ smaller images. With style, it helps to really have a large picture in order to see all the details of the fashions.
But with the images taking up 3/4 of the page, there is little room left for expository and I think I really missed being able to read more about the styles. But that wasn't really the purpose of the book and that's why I merited this at 4.5 stars. It's a big beautiful book full of eye candy for those interested in fashion.
The author, Cally Blackman, clearly knows what she is writing about. She is a writer and lecturer with degrees in Fashion Design and History of Art, and an MA in History of Dress from the Courtauld Institute of Art. She teaches on the BA Fashion History and Theory course at Central Saint Martins College. Her previous publications include 100 Years of Fashion Illustration (2007), Costume: From 1500 to the Present Day (2003), and The 20s and 30s: Flappers and Vamps (2000).
Reviewed from an ARC.
The images are large, well chosen, and really illustrate the points made. And that's this book's strong suit: it really gives the reader a chance to see how the style evolved over the years in a very graphic and friendly way. As such, this makes a great coffee table book or a tool for quick referencing the style trends of the eras. It is beautifully laid out and I like that the author goes for 1-2 large images rather than trying to pack in 6+ smaller images. With style, it helps to really have a large picture in order to see all the details of the fashions.
But with the images taking up 3/4 of the page, there is little room left for expository and I think I really missed being able to read more about the styles. But that wasn't really the purpose of the book and that's why I merited this at 4.5 stars. It's a big beautiful book full of eye candy for those interested in fashion.
The author, Cally Blackman, clearly knows what she is writing about. She is a writer and lecturer with degrees in Fashion Design and History of Art, and an MA in History of Dress from the Courtauld Institute of Art. She teaches on the BA Fashion History and Theory course at Central Saint Martins College. Her previous publications include 100 Years of Fashion Illustration (2007), Costume: From 1500 to the Present Day (2003), and The 20s and 30s: Flappers and Vamps (2000).
Reviewed from an ARC.
December 17, 2023
I found 100 Years of Fashion Illustration more impressive, but this one's good, too. I wonder what Blackman might do if asked to analyze trends in some of the fashion subreddits.
April 29, 2012
Not a lot of writing but some fantastic pictures.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews