Customer Reviews

One Hundred Years of Menswear

5 star:		(24)
4 star:		(15)
3 star:		(9)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

"One Hundred Years of Menswear" is a retrospective of the influences upon men's fashion, and therefore all fashion, in the 20th century. Cally Blackman points out in her introduction that men's fashion is at the avant garde, with women's fashion following, and this was even true in the 20th century, while men's fashion was in a slump of sorts. It's generally accepted that men's fashion was subdued from the beginning of the industrial era until the "peacock revolution" of the 1960s. While true on the face of it, I think that the emergence of modern dress during that period, with its neoclassic overtones, is a cultural colossus. Cally Blackman seems to find some fault with that sweeping statement also, as this book showcases the great variety and influence of men's sportswear, workwear, and "subcultural modes of dress" over the past century.

The book is divided into two periods: 1900-1939 and 1940 onward. Each period is broken down into six themes, "chosen because they were important at a particular point in history." At first, I was thrown by this organization, because the sequence is not entirely chronological, and it views fashion by its function and subculture, not in light of the social, economic, and the technological developments of the time. Those are mentioned in the introduction to each theme, but it would not be possible to follow fashion as a whole though time using this organization. For example, trying to compare the sportswear and artistic fashions of 1930 to one another, in light of the circumstances of their time, would not be easy.

The organization by theme is fascinating in its own right, however, because it focuses on the subculture from which a particular type of clothing or mode of dress came from. Anyone familiar with women's fashion will see its inspiration right away as well. The themes for 1900-1939 are: Suit, Worker & Soldier, Artist & Reformer, Good Guy-Bad Guy (movies), Player (sports), and Dressing Down-Dressing Up. The themes for 1940 onward are: Rebel, Peacock, Media Star, Culture Clubber (1980s counterculture), Stylist, and Designer. The sections that deal the most with professionals deliberately imposing their vision on fashion are "Stylist" and "Designer". The latter is also the section that showcases clothes that are found on runways but unlikely to be found in anyone's wardrobe.

There are over 300 pages of photographs of clothes, advertisements, and illustrations from fashion magazines. A clear and insightful explanation of the significance of the particular theme introduces each section. Fashions are arranged in vaguely chronological order within each theme, but pay attention to the dates in the captions, because the author sometimes shuns the chronology in order to group fashions by some common element. "One Hundred Years of Menswear" has a lot of insight to offer if it is read, captions and all, front to back, or at least one theme at a time. It's far more enjoyable and informative that way than trying to use it as a coffee table book.

This is the best book on men's fashion I have seen. As a costume designer, I have shelves full of books on costume/fashion history, some better than others, and this ranks among the best for its brilliant use of images and concise but informative text. Did you know "Denim" comes from "de Nîmes", as in "from the city of Nîmes, France"? The little captions, about the size of fashion magazine descriptions of what a model is wearing, are instead filled with short descriptions covering the name of the item, context of the image, origins of the garment, and other information like who would wear it and what it means.

The organization is loosely chronological (there are two halves, 1900-1939 and 1940 on), and then by theme. For example, the period from 1900-1939 is broken into the following chapters: Suit, Worker & Soldier, Artist & Reformer, Good Guy & Bad Guy, Player, and Dressing Down, Dressing Up. Each chapter follows the theme, covering clothing for different occasions, looks, and types of people (class, occupation, type of event...)

Each chapter opens with a few pages of text shedding more light on the era and theme and how that concept progresses--the writing is clear and detailed, but does not bog the reader down with too much. For the most part, the book is composed of images ranging from fashion plates and drawings to photos of influential fashion leaders or people in the streets.

As someone who owns Many books on costume and fashion, I can recommend this beautiful item for any reader. This is a GREAT book!!

The Prince of Wales,Dizzy Dean,Elvis, Mark Twain,George Raft, Humphrey Bogart, Fred Astaire, Don Johnson, Picasso, the Beatles, Cary Grant, Jimmy Hendrix, and David Bowie on the cover. They're all here and many more royal personages, actors, singers, sportsmen, cowboys hippies, beatniks, and average Joes. One Hundred Years is ostensibly a book of fashion but it's so much more as it intertwines history and clothing seamlessly and splendidly.

The heavy stock paper used to create this volume gives it a quality, heirloom feel and look in a book that one is proud to display and share. Painstaking research must have gone into this book with its meticulous detailand rich fabric that threads together the evolution of fashion against the backdrop of history and famous people.

Not being a follower of fashion myself, I wasn't sure that a book like this would hold my interest. Sure it has loads of photographs, but the topic is not one of great interest to me, or so I assumed. The book wore well on this reader and became more comfortable the deeper I got into it, like breaking in a new pair of jeans or slippers.

The author not only details attire and trends but sprinkles in just the right amount of biographical nuggets like so much dressing on a salad.

As the reader sails through the pages of this book, he sees stars as they looked in their younger years,celebrities like Elvis, Marlon Brando, Sean Connery will a full head of hair, Mick Jagger smooth faced, Lurence Fishburned, John Travolta, and Daniel Craig.

Most of the photographs are depicted in black and white, many of necessity because of their ages. I think the use of black and white pictures actually works quite well, capturing a mood, starkness, and timeless quality.

Younger readers might enjoy seeing the fashions of bygone decades, zoot suits, psychedelic patterns, beads, and big Afro hairstyles. I enjoyed trying to name the people in the old photos before reading the text and captions.

Categorizing fashion, as the author notes, is a difficult task. All styles overlap, decades bleed into one another, and so on. However, Cally Blackman's choice of making up her own terms, "Peacock"; "Good Guy, Bad Guy"; "Stylist"; "Designer"; "Media Star"; comes out confusing. An imperfect categorization by decade would have been easier for the reader than vaguely defined terms.

That's my only gripe, however. This book is beautiful, full of large color photos, and perfect for any coffee table. I give it a look before heading to the thrift store for a little extra inspiration.

Even 300 pages is hardly enough space to do justice to a hundred years of menswear, but the author does her best and partly succeeds. The first part is excellent, summarizing the development of the suit from 1900 to 1940 (though I would have enjoyed an analysis of what's happened since then: why does a 1940 suit look almost, but not quite, in fashion?). And the treatment of wartime wear, including zoot suits, zazous, etc., is fascinating. The book's handling of the latter half of the century wanders and becomes somewhat amorphous, perhaps unavoidably so, since fashion went off in so many different directions. And the latter chapters spend too much time on runway collections and rock star costumes, rather than clothing actually worn in public: a reader 100 years from now might get the impression that the streets were filled with men wearing these startling outfits from the catwalks! Many archetypal styles are ignored: preppy, clone, emo (goth gets only 1 picture) or misunderstood (bling), perhaps because the author is British. The emphasis is on British fashion: we hear a lot about Carnaby Street and teddy boys, but America is often either neglected or misunderstood (three pages devoted to Elvis? And Kurt Cobain in a dress certainly doesn't typify the style he was an icon for). But the pictures alone make this a worthy addition to any coffee table.

This is an outstanding collection of menswear photography and history, brilliantly put together in a way that leads the reader (and viewer) through the evolution of menswear over the last one hundred years. For me, I am surprised to see how much has NOT changed. Looking through this fantastic collection of images over time, I am struck with how important great tailoring, textiles and jacket detailing has been over the years to the male image. The author does a wonderful job of describing how war, bohemian lifestyles, Hollywood stars and international textiles have all influenced menswear for a century. The book is dense with photography from designers, advertising, and historical events over the years that detail the path from evening coat to biker jacket. Wools, tweeds, leathers, denim . . .every textile is discussed, as well as the Jewish, Italian, and Polish workers and designers who created and used these fabrics for warmth, for war, for fashion. The later years are even more informed from the emerging pop counterculture and blending of gender roles in Western culture. The author does a masterful job of leading the reader from one influence to the next.

This is much more than a beautiful coffee table book and much much more exciting and passionate than a textbook. It's pop culture, it's history . . . just a great book, period. It's truly a successful narrative of why we have the clothes we do. I'd give it more stars if I could.

I requested this book for evalutaion as a potential guide in my volunteer work with textiles at a local museum. Men's clothing is generally under-appreciated and it is often difficult to discern unique (i.e., interesting) aspects of various artifacts, much less put them into any kind of serious chronology.

From that perspective, I found this One Hundred Years of Menswear to be a useful resource for placing garments in time as well as creative spark for approaching exhibits. This is NOT a textbook; Blackman mostly shows, rather than tells. However, her text gives the reader enough information to initiate deeper research into areas of interest. For example, Blackman's discussion of the transition of clothing designed for specific sporting activities into acceptable wear for informal occasions makes passing mention of knitting for soldiers during World War I, the adoption of textile technology for unforseen uses, and changing ideals of the masculine form. Any of these ideas could inspire a fresh look at the archives as a new way to engage with museum visitors and fulfill an educational mission to help students understand the complex ways in which history unfolds.

My only quibble with the book is the choice of cover image, which is of David Bowie wearing a suit of headache-inducing shade of baby mucous green. That image is a turn-off for me (no coffee table display in my house) and I wonder why other, more wonderful images were rejected in favor of this one. Your mileage may vary.

Rather than a fully technical journey through design and fashion, the book welcomely provides a photo visual array of men's fashion throughout this decade. Well known actors and faces are used as photo references, and the book follows the evolution of style from 1900 to the present. I like the overall look and vintage photos, but I do not like that it is only broken into two main sections, 1900-1939 and 1940 onward. Having a breakdown by decades would have been much easier, especially for those wanting to quickly flip to a certain period and style. Maybe that was their point in doing it this way, to make sure the reader gets an overall history and not focuses simply on 70's bell bottoms or their favorite 80's leisure suit. If you're fully into fashion or a designer this may be a good read from start to finish, but to attract more casual readers/buyers, a decade breakdown would have been the way to go.

ONE HUNDRED YEARS OF MENSWEAR by Cally Blackman is a fascinating book that covers menswear for the past century.

The thick mid-sized 8" by 10" (approx) book is chock-full of color and black and white photographs that start in the 1900s and goes up to today. Many of the photographs feature famous and everyday men and also include ads from famous men's clothing stores and designers.

Each section covers a theme--"Suit," "Player," "Peacock," etc.- and is dedicated to a block of time. The theme starts off with a detailed explanation of what was going on at the time to inspire men's fashion, as well as the guys who were the fashion plates of the era. The interesting text is just enough to give you an understanding and then you get to the wonderful photographs that also include captions.

It's surprising to learn that many styles in men's fashion were influenced by real world utilitarian clothing--like for soldiers or athletes-- and it was also inspired by social movements like teen rebellion and the counter-culture.

The gorgeous photographs illustrate styles like the ubiquitous business suit and covers business and formal wear to hippies and mods to punk and grunge to break-dancers and hip-hop.

I especially enjoyed the section on the "Peacock" which was a period in the 60s where fashion and music collided, along with counter-culture, and really pushed the envelop on men's clothes.

This book is a must for aspiring fashion designers and anyone who loves pop culture. It's also great as a coffee table-book because it's really interesting to look at.

Cally Blackman's One Hundred Years of Menswear is the perfect book for the coffee table. It is filled with pretty pictures and the information doesn't overwhelm.

The chapters are divided by years and theme (example: 1940- /Peacock). The most interesting chapter to me was the first one (Suit) because it shows just how much the basic suit has not changed in the past 70 years. The most surprising chapter was 'Culture Clubber' because I had forgotten how tribal fashion could be during certain decades.

It is not the most informative book as the reader doesn't get in depth analysis of why certain fashions rose and fell or why some styles remain so consistent. There isn't even a chapter dedicated to designers who have had an impact on men's fashion. But it is a leisurely read that one can peruse through while relaxing.

All in all, I give it a 3-star rating. My personal preference is that I wish it had a little more information and history, but it was well organized and it had a lot of wonderful pictures to look at.