I picked up this when I was in Urban Outfitters recently. I normally stop by their book section for a browse, as their eclectic selection always has something or other that catches my eye. This time, I was in a menswear frame of mind, and hence the provocatively titled “Fuck Yeah Menswear” stood out. A quick browse, and yes indeed, this was related to the notoriously satirical menswear blog of the same name.
The two authors, Kevin Burrows and Lawrence Schlossman, have been blogging as FYMW for a while now, but obviously leapt at the opportunity to do a proper book in the same style as the blog. And a proper book it is, with almost 250 full colour glossy pages.
What do we find in it? Well, if you’ve read the blog you’ll know what to expect. These guys are pretty funny, and they know their stuff. Part of their thing is to identify and expose the various Style Archetypes you’ll find around the fashion scene, or maybe more likely on the various web forums like Styleforum and Superfuture. Anyone who thinks men don’t obsess about sartorial issues should take a look at the esoteric and excruciatingly obsessive denim threads on Superfuture. It’s almost a little scary.
Anyhow, is the book any good? Yes and no. If you liked the blog, you’ll love the book. If you don’t have a clue about the blog, you’ll think it’s probably one of the worst menswear books every published. It’s very much a case of getting it, or really not getting it at all.
I enjoyed it a lot, but the absolutely best bit is right at the end, their spot on satire on Japanese menswear magazines like Free & East and Popeye. FYMW do one called “Cheer up! Pony Boy Issue”. Like I said, you need to get it.
Direct link to the book at:
Amazon.com
Note: If you buy this book using one of these links, I receive a small consideration from the vendor in question. This is really appreciated, as it will offset a little of the costs of keeping this blog running and will enable me to holiday in the Seychelles that much sooner.
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