INprint:
American Fashion Menswear

The long awaited 3rd in the series of 3 books published by Assouline in conjunction with the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) has reached a mahogany shelf at a bookstore near you.  Entitled “American Fashion Menswear”, as mentioned it follows “American Fashion Womenswear” & “American Fashion Accessories” & penned by Robert E. Bryan, it is a healthy 280 pages of full color plates that chronicle the full history of the genre as it developed within the continental 48 over the past 200+ years as it transformed from its humble beginnings as work wear (think Levi’s) to its position today as one of the world’s bright spots on the revolving calendar of fashion weeks.

The transition isn’t so rapid.  Bryan makes many stops along the way.  He chooses to tell the story in seven chapters entitled:  “Utility”, “The Ivy Road”, “Sportswear”, “The American Suit”, “The Dandy”, “Hollywood”, & “Music”.  Each chapter is lush with photos & just enough text to make it more than a photographic essay.  The overall effect is light, fun & at the same time educational without ever being preachy or overly scholarly.  Menswear fashion fans will undoubtedly find many pages that spark a sense of nostalgia & cause more than one stroll down memory lane.  (I have my own personal favorite… page 249, right side).

Robert E. Bryan brings his ample resume to this project  – men’s fashion director at “The New York Times Magazine” , men’s editor of “W”, fashion director of “Men’s Wear” Magazine, & editor at “DNR” – which alone would be enough to give this title merit; but when you add an introduction by Ralph Lauren & photo research credits by Jeffrey Banks, it’s immediately clear that this isn’t just a well written book that has been published, but rather the undisputed standard by which all future menswear books will be measured.

www.cfda.com

www.assouline.com

-Scott French