Ametora: How Japan Saved American Style

I discovered japanese made clothing through forums and websites. I got to know the brands through some fanatics jeans and also scanned magazine pages, which showed me a totally new universe. Since then, access to products from Japan rose sharply. Brands that previously operated only in the japanese market began appearing in stores all around the world. I also had the opportunity to know the country and see a bit of it all. But how they got to that point was still a mystery to me, why couldn't it be like that in Brazil too?What Amora does is unify all this information through very extensive research. E. David Marx tracked many important figures and obscure clues to trace a narrative that explains the evolution of men's fashion industry in Japan, through the consumption behavior, creation, and content. Reading is light and the build up makes a very exciting plot. The book has less than 300 pages that talk about the Ivy style in Japan, the US denim reproductions, vintage culture, workwear, the avant-garde, and streetwear concept brands.One of the most interesting things in the book is how it describes the role of men's style magazines. These magazines, written by enthusiasts, took on the function of describing the "rules" of American clothing, encoding all styles in categories such as "Ivy", "Heavy Duty", etc. If a Japanese wanted to use Ivy League clothes in the early '60s, he had no older as a reference point and so had to resort to the media to tell you what to buy and how to use. The American style in Japan was not a copy, but more of a filtered version by through the eyes of "influencers"These authors were mainly inspired by catalogs, and as the Japanese rew more confident, magazines decreased the"cake recipes". I found this to be a very interesting aspect because we're in a similar boat here in Brazil. There are no references in our society for those who want to dress well, or those like a style in Brazil. Brands are pretty much all the same, and follow the same ideas. There is no diversity of styles... you can't find ivy, you can't find workwear, you can't find high fashion, at least not easily and without huge import duties. If a brand wants to introduce a new product it needs to explain how to use that product, show references, creates "rules", fight backslash of consumers, etc. We are still at the stage of how to tie a tie, not to ride your custom Harley wearing flip flops, etc. Even new creative brands do not have many resources because of operating costs, or access to knowledge and expertise to go beyond the surface of their inspiration. Sounds very much like the Japan in the early stages of "Ametora"! Unfortunately we do not have magazines and people creating content so cool, but fortunately we have the internet and books like this one!I highly recomend it even if you're not into fashion and clothes. Read it for the history, cultural aspect, and thrilling story of some cool entrepeneurs.

Lots of detailed information, well written, good photos (wish there were more!).

I like cultural history, and was a kid when the Preppy Handbook by Lisa Birnbach came out, and found it hilarious but on-target.This book isn’t humor, but it explains the effect that the style had in Japan. “Amitora” is short slang for “American Traditional”. Young people who wore it and hung out on the Ginza were deemed troublesome derelicts that the officials thought would be embarrassing to Japan if observed by foreigners! Describes the history and the people who kept the style alive.If you’ve secured a copy of True Prep, or if you’d like to, this belongs in your library, too!

Really insightful and well-researched examination of the topic. As a personal fan of the style, I was happy to learn more about the history that brought it into existence. My only real issue with the book is that I feel like it loses steam in the middle. Super strong start and solid finish but I feel like the book's middle section is a little sluggish in the relay from past to present.

A real page turner for anyone obsessed with Japan, Japanese history and Japanese pop culture and fashion. I have read a lot of books like this, on Japanese baseball -- Gotta Have Wa -- and tons on Yakuza and bozozuko -- Speed Tribes is really great. But this one is really well written and tells a great historical story. Learn how Harajuku became what it is today, about the greasers dancing nearby in Yoyogi park, about the history of product fetish magazines, and how Tokyo youth wearing Ivy --Ivy league clothing -- really had no idea of its origins. Most of all, the book teaches that Japanese fashion trends imitate more than blaze new trails -- indeed, that Japan itself, as a whole, since Meji, is a studied imitation of the West. Well done.

As someone whose decision to pick up this book had more to do with Japanophilia than an interest in fashion, I was relieved to find that Ametora packs enough entertaining anecdotes on culture, history, and economics to interest even the dowdiest readers. This brisk and highly enjoyable read is at its best when it tells the stories of the eccentric, sharply-dressed Japanese entrepreneurs who innovated their own country’s fashion by carefully replicating America’s. The well-connected, bilingual author W. David Marx has expertly chronicled a topic few others would be qualified to tackle. His crisp prose is frequently broken up by photographs, allowing even those with limited fashion lexicons to follow along with the styles that progressed (and deliberately regressed) through the decades.

Interesting read - recommended

I found this book to be well written and cover a fascinating ongoing chapter of fashion history that I wasn't aware of until now. Even if you're not into fashion, this book is a worthwhile read!