"One Hundred Years of Menswear" is a retrospective of the influences upon men's fashion, and therefore all fashion, in the 20th century. Cally Blackman points out in her introduction that men's fashion is at the avant garde, with women's fashion following, and this was even true in the 20th century, while men's fashion was in a slump of sorts. It's generally accepted that men's fashion was subdued from the beginning of the industrial era until the "peacock revolution" of the 1960s. While true on the face of it, I think that the emergence of modern dress during that period, with its neoclassic overtones, is a cultural colossus. Cally Blackman seems to find some fault with that sweeping statement also, as this book showcases the great variety and influence of men's sportswear, workwear, and "subcultural modes of dress" over the past century.
The book is divided into two periods: 1900-1939 and 1940 onward. Each period is broken down into six themes, "chosen because they were important at a particular point in history." At first, I was thrown by this organization, because the sequence is not entirely chronological, and it views fashion by its function and subculture, not in light of the social, economic, and the technological developments of the time. Those are mentioned in the introduction to each theme, but it would not be possible to follow fashion as a whole though time using this organization. For example, trying to compare the sportswear and artistic fashions of 1930 to one another, in light of the circumstances of their time, would not be easy.
The organization by theme is fascinating in its own right, however, because it focuses on the subculture from which a particular type of clothing or mode of dress came from. Anyone familiar with women's fashion will see its inspiration right away as well. The themes for 1900-1939 are: Suit, Worker & Soldier, Artist & Reformer, Good Guy-Bad Guy (movies), Player (sports), and Dressing Down-Dressing Up. The themes for 1940 onward are: Rebel, Peacock, Media Star, Culture Clubber (1980s counterculture), Stylist, and Designer. The sections that deal the most with professionals deliberately imposing their vision on fashion are "Stylist" and "Designer". The latter is also the section that showcases clothes that are found on runways but unlikely to be found in anyone's wardrobe.
There are over 300 pages of photographs of clothes, advertisements, and illustrations from fashion magazines. A clear and insightful explanation of the significance of the particular theme introduces each section. Fashions are arranged in vaguely chronological order within each theme, but pay attention to the dates in the captions, because the author sometimes shuns the chronology in order to group fashions by some common element. "One Hundred Years of Menswear" has a lot of insight to offer if it is read, captions and all, front to back, or at least one theme at a time. It's far more enjoyable and informative that way than trying to use it as a coffee table book.