American Fashion Menswear

It has been said that almost all of menswear has been mined from the sartorial-rich soil of war and sport. American Fashion Menswear, an Assouline book by Robert E. Bryan, vividly illustrates this claim. It is the latest addition to our coffee table. The book chronicles the past century of men’s style by way of a septenary arrangement: "Utility," "the Ivy Road," "Sportswear," "the American Suit," "the Dandy," "Hollywood," and "Music."

Bryan aims to prove that American men’s wear is more influential and significant than American women’s wear. “The things the U.S. is known for in fashion are men’s—jeans, Western gear, work wear, great outdoors clothing. Ivy League style is essentially about men, and rock style revolves around men, too,” Bryan notes. Pick up your own copy but ditch the dust jacket—the sartorial-rich turf of football is a much more effective conversation starter.