I find it unfortunate that Bodega didn’t give more credit to scholar and author W. David Marx (aka Marxy), who wrote the definitive book on Ametora, called... wait for it… Ametora! The article shamelessly rips a lot of its substance from the pages of his amazing book.
Highly recommended reading. Ametora: How Japan Saved American Style https://www.amazon.com/dp/0465059732/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_xHFsCbB3PYVTQ
Edit: more than half way through he gets two mentions, one of which calls his book the Bible of Ametora, so I revised shameful to unfortunate.
A user recently posted photos from the book Bushido: Legacies of the Japanese Tattoo. The photos are copyrighted images and I don't think it's right to have them posted like that here. These are images that I made myself that detail the same information that user posted. It's a great book and I recommend picking it up here. Sorry for being a stickler.
Its mostly a picture guide of how to use makeup to achieve the desired effects. It breaks down terminology and techniques used by makeup artists in the 90s. It’s a great book! It may be old but i find it’s not dated. It’s not so much about looks to try but tricks to master. My mom gave this to me when I was like in 8th grade ( like 12 years ago), so I have no idea if it’s still around
Edit .found it!
I donno if it’s been suggested here before....
I highly recommend a book by Chizu Saeke that came out a few years ago.
It’s a quick, non-preachy or alarmist read that keeps things simple with a focus on how the Japanese culture prioritizes moisture to combat aging and why it works and how to do it well.
Japanese skin care is pretty simple and not necessarily costly. I highly recommend the book to anyone who pays attention to their skin.
No pushing of products or procedures either. No pressure to spend on luxury or trends. No requirement to buy Asian products only.
https://www.amazon.com/Japanese-Skincare-Revolution-Have-Beautiful/dp/1568364067
I found a book called "Bushido" which was fascinating. Tonnes of cool images and the author took the time to set out background and history quite a bit.
Bushido https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/0764312014/ref=cm_sw_r_apan_glt_fabc_RMT3KVGT1DAVDFZVDQZJ
Not an article (sorry), but I really enjoyed this book. It does sort of lean more into the Japanese streetwear trend towards the second half of the book, but it's all around a great read if you haven't heard of it before. You could also check Heddels for their articles on the history of particular fashion brands and articles of clothing, they might have something.
Hi! I recently bought the Curly Kids book (same authors as CG) and it's been great.
The wiki links on the subreddit sidebar has some great starting points as well.
Curly Kids: The Handbook: How to Care for Your Child's Glorious Hair https://www.amazon.com/dp/1523507403/
My MIL, Eunice, was born in 1917 in coastal Massachusetts and passed away in 2014. She ALWAYS wore a hat when she went out. She had a tweed small brimmed man’s hat she wore in fall/winter, a straw hat with a medium brim for spring summer and a small feathered mini beret shaped hat with feathers for dress. No matter if it was a trip to the grocery store, doctors office or to eat out, she wore a hat. She took her hat off when she visited. And she could pin it back on without a mirror. When I met Eunice in the late 1970’s, she was still wearing gloves. Eunice wore hats because it was PROPER to do so.
My mother, Anna, was born in 1926, passed away in 2009. She was much more “liberated” in her views and life than my MIL. She wore hats to church or when it was colder to match the coat she was wearing. Mom was an accomplished sewist and milliner. In the 1960’s, she made a hat to wear with every suit or jacket and dress she sewed. Later, she bought dress hats to wear with her winter coats, from soft berets to moderately large brimmed hats. She absolutely loved her hats for fashion’s sake. She always wore them at a jaunty angle, and with some feathers for decoration. As an honor to my mom, I wore one of her summer brimmed straw hats with one of her scarves to her memorial service.
So, in short, Eunice wore hats because it was what a proper lady wore. My Mom wore hats because she loved them. She wore them for fashion.
A wonderful book about hats in African American culture is Crowns Portraits of Black Women in Church Hats
Each woman whose portrait is shown tells what hats mean to her, and the significance of the hat chosen.
This is probably off the path for the information you were seeking, but it was nice to write about Mom and Eunice.
Try working with him and using the details magazine. Has a lot of great tips for men and how to dress. $9.00 on amazon
Details Men's Style Manual: The Ultimate Guide for Making Your Clothes Work for You https://www.amazon.com/dp/159240328X/ref=cm_sw_r_apan_i_N0CQ8DJJ0HK0ZDSS580Z?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1
I have curly hair and this is the book I always recommend to friends struggling with curly headed babies:
Curly Kids: The Handbook: How to Care for Your Child's Glorious Hair https://smile.amazon.com/dp/1523507403/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_RJZMAJDW3SVD3CVN59NX
For my daughter I just use conditioner to wash her hair and comb it through with a wide tooth comb before rinsing. We also use a spray leave in conditioner on her hair before bed to help with overnight knots and frizz and I’ll often freshen up her curls and detangle with it in the morning:
SoCozy, Curl Spray LeaveIn Conditioner For Kids Hair https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B01M9DV1OT/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_0BX61N9JXTVBWTRP825F?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1
Your not that old. Check out the link for a book which will give you great advice.
Details Men's Style Manual: The Ultimate Guide for Making Your Clothes Work for You https://www.amazon.com/dp/159240328X/ref=cm_sw_r_apan_i_WFXD7Q0CGVT7E2AYQTQV?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1
Get a copy of 'Dressing the Man' by Alan Flusser. It has been in print for almost two decades and is becoming a classic. ( https://www.amazon.com/dp/0060191449 )
This book will give you all the answers you seek
Details Men's Style Manual: The Ultimate Guide for Making Your Clothes Work for You https://www.amazon.com/dp/159240328X/ref=cm_sw_r_apan_glt_fabc_5GH6KN6W8W3Q12SPP5MH?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1
In case you're not aware of this book, it's great. Naturallycurly.com is a useful site. It sounds like you're doing a good job.
This book, from the skincare queen herself, says on page 18, “My motto is that excessive care damages the skin. Being alive, skin is equipped with a self-cleaning mechanism, and pampering it too much only weakens that ability… sometimes less is more.” The ultimate skincare recommends is what she calls “skin fasting.” The routine is simple: dont do anything. This doesn’t mean neglect. Rather, one day a week do nothing more than rinse your face. “This will reawaken your skins innate strength and bring it back to health.”
Adding skin fasting and facial massages will literally change the life (and lifespan) of your skin.
Let me know if you have more questions. She has everything in this book. It’s my skincare Bible and I’m happy to share.
Hi, fellow curly here! I second the recommendation for following r/curlyhair, great community and hugely helpful!
The advice in that sub is largely based on the Curly Girl Method, which is a set of guidelines for what products to use and how to best care for wavy and curly hair. The original book was modified a few years ago into a new book specifically for parents of kids with curly hair. I send it to all my friends who have little curly babies:
Curly Kids: The Handbook: How to Care for Your Child's Glorious Hair https://smile.amazon.com/dp/1523507403/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_fabc_4Z0TB0FB900F9QN82QK9
Dressing the man leans towards classic styles, but it also has some really good tips, including what colors go best with what skintones and how to match things. https://www.amazon.com/dp/0060191449/ref=cm_sw_r_apan_glt_fabc_N2Q59S2M9KKQ20182ZD8
Very clumsily worded, but, Japanese reiterations of western garments are on another level.
And folk in Japan who are into clothes are deeply immersed in it, very knowledgeable about fabric, cut drape and the history of garments..
Quite a few British heritage brands openly admit that without the very specialised nature of the Japanese market that their goods would no longer be in production.
W.DAVID MARX's Ametora is a good primer in Japanese cultures obsession with Americana..https://www.amazon.co.uk/Ametora-Japan-Saved-American-Style/dp/0465059732
Try looking for a professional makeup artist that has experience with special effects. They might be a freelance artist, so don’t look for a salon. They will have an amazing Instagram story, so you will know ahead what you are getting capability wise. I’ve been a cosmetologist for almost 40 years. I’ve been trained in all kinds of makeup. If you really want MY advice, you really need to learn this yourself. Go get this book. It will explain highs and lows to you. It will explain almost any kind of makeup to you. It’s a makeup artists Bible for beginners. Kevin is gone, but he left us a beautiful guide!
Making Faces https://www.amazon.com/dp/0316286850/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_fabc_JY5PQDW82F44DD68TE5P
The relationship between Japan and traditional American styles (prep, Ivy looks, workwear, western wear) is really fascinating. “Ametora” is sort of <em>the book</em> when it comes to learning about this trend, but there are plenty of good summaries available online.
That’s why some of the “best” Americana or Ivy League type clothes are actually coming from Japanese brands - Kamakura, Beams, and roughly a million different selvedge denim brands.
Bushido: legacies of the Japanese tattoo is an interesting read. There's been a few other times it's been asked, I think a quick search could bring those threads up
I had a job where I had to wear suits every day for a few years. I can't recommend Dressing the Man by Alan Flusser highly enough. I didn't have the traditional family unit and I credit this book for teaching me how to navigate formal and business dress.
https://www.amazon.com/Dressing-Man-Mastering-Permanent-Fashion/dp/0060191449
I would recommend a grey suit and a navy, find your color palate and patterns you like, and buy items that fit within that. For me, I like white dress shirts with cool color, small scale checks which are usually blue. Medium to large scale striped or patterned ties, and a tan belt and shoes.
Stick with the same colors and cuts forever, those are dictated by your body type, but then experiment with patterns, pattern scale, and textures. Wool and knit ties are nice in the fall and winter, for instance.
In today’s edition of pandemic boredom, I just scanned the Lucky Shopping Manual for the first time since probably 2004. Amazingly so many of the recommendations hold up. As you can imagine some examples look dated, but there are tips about fit and proportions that are useful. While other things about work clothes and minimizing features are products of its time. Anyway it is a good guide.
https://www.amazon.com/Lucky-Shopping-Manual-Building-Improving/dp/1592400361
I have, on numerous occasions, waxed poetic about my utter disdain for loafers. They have even caused a negative visceral reaction on occasion. However, I just finished Ametora and I keep reading those stupid Style and Fashion drawings from Put This On, and I feel the Dark Side of the Force taking hold.
https://www.amazon.com/Lucky-Shopping-Manual-Building-Improving/dp/1592400361
I don't really follow this book, but did read it and it seems helpful. I seem to do ok on style though, so I don't refer back to the book when shopping etc.
Hit up Pinterest for men's fashion and save any picture that catches your interest, even if you don't know why yet. Once you have a decent collection of images, find the common elements and try to find yourself clothes that match.
If you're looking for a book, check out this one. It has many good pictures with many good tips for any budget. I used to own a copy and wore the thing out.
I can't really say much that other's haven't already, but if you are interested in traditions when it comes to what matches what and placement etc. I can recommend a good entry level (price wise) book called Bushido: Legacies of the Japanese Tattoo (link here to Amazon (UK)):
> Any idea the price range on Alan flusser?
I have no clue however he is an authority on how to choose clothing based on your individual characteristics. This book of his explains what he means:
https://www.amazon.com/Dressing-Man-Mastering-Permanent-Fashion/dp/0060191449
> Also, any thoughts on balani custom clothiers?
I am not familiar with them.
I just started getting into SCA, but I'm trying to delve into AB because I think they are simply better at it. I read the Chizu Saeki book (https://www.amazon.com/Japanese-Skincare-Revolution-Have-Beautiful/dp/1568364067) and I'm trying to do as much of her methods as I can. The wierdest thing for me is that I don't wear any makeup and everyone makes makeup a huge part of the routine