This is the second part of my interview with W. David Marx. You can read part 1 here, and buy his book, Ametora: How Japan Saved American Style, here.This is the second part of my interview with W. David Marx. You can read part 1 here, and buy his book, Ametora: How Japan Saved American Style, here.
If you’re a regular patron of No Man Walks Alone, my guess is that you’re a man who enjoys the curiosities of clothing and style as much as the clothing itself. And, that being the case, you’ve probably read one of the innumerable articles on the invention of the “No White After Labor Day” rule (feel free to Google) for tailored clothing. I, however, am going to ignore the very existence of that rule, since 1) Who cares? and 2) I don’t wear suits and ties anyway.
It's been almost ten years since the “Look At My Striped Shirt!” book came out, and yet, when I go out, it still seems like three-quarters of the men around me are wearing jeans and a “button down” striped shirt.
Much of denim culture today owes itself to Japan. There are many theories about how this quintessentially American garment was introduced to the Far East, but it’s most widely believed that they came with the American soldiers who decided to stay in Japan after the Second World War. By that time, jeans had evolved from being a workwear garment to a fashion item.