W. David Marx

If this is the kind of thing you like, you'll love it. This book shows how Japanese clothing buyers first became enamored of American "prep" style in the 1960's, how that interest has mutated and developed over the following six decades. The author argues that classic American style has been better preserved and developed in Japan than in the U.S. As a devotee of Japanese clothing, I would agree with this, and I found the book fascinating. Unquestionably, however, it will be most rewarding for those who are deeply interested in clothing, deeply interested in Japan, or (best of all) deeply interested in both.… (meer)

This book discusses subjects that have a whole lot to do with the way we life -- status, culture, and class. It should be very interesting, and in some aspects it is. I got some new insights on how status works in our culture, on the diffusion and diffraction of the class system, and on why the outward manifestations of culture seem to have changed so little over the last 20 years. The author also writes clearly (if rather flatly) making sometimes complex arguments easy to follow. But the book isn't nearly as interesting as it should be. The author relies on a wide range of other authors, which can make it hard to know what view in particular he favors. And the book gets dull: it could be a whole lot more fun if more of our current (and recent) cultural icons were noted and discussed. All in all, a worthy book, but a bit of a chore to read.… (meer)