Sorry! I Am One Of Those Who Can't Let Go!

So bear with me. I am still looking for a good fashion coffee table book that a black fashionisto like my baby can proudly place on his nightstand -- still nothing. However, I have a couple ideas to fix this, so hear me out.

I may have downplayed my enthusiasm for fashion in my previous post. Actually I am a huge fan of fashion blogs. There are an array of men fashion bloggers. One of my personal favorites and what has come to be a staple in the fashion blogosphere is The Sartorialist by Scott Schuman. A pioneer in fashion photography on the streets disseminated in blog form has awarded Schuman a column in GQ and a book form of his blog: The Sartorialist. I love this blog just as much as the next dude, and his book is beautiful in the same minimalistic, clean, and glamorous way his blog is beautiful. And even though it is not a big hardcover book, I still recommend it for your coffee table. However but I have to point out the fact that Schuman is a white male.


What about our brothers in the fashion blogging business -- Joshua Kissi and Travis Gumbs' Street Etiquette, are making waves in the industry with their new definition of urban swag, they also have been featured and guest columnist on men's mags like GQ. Where is their book deal? There are other black and latino males like Josh and Travie doing their thing. Rae and Gabe, authors of SFPL (Stuff Fly People Like) could also use a book deal because their book would look pretty dope on my coffee table. What do you think? 

Dear Fashion Industry, Diversity is Good!

So my bf is a what some may call a fashionisto (-n- the male version of a fashionista, some what of a metrosexual). I am very supportive of his interests and since we work as a team I keep my eyes open for things that he may be interested in. So I thought... why not write a post about fashion coffee table books. I have since found them to inhabit an entire world of their own -- apparently fashion enthusiasts prefer to display books on their coffee tables rather than carry them around and read them (lol). My bf could also use a good book or two on his side table so I specifically ventured looking for books that focused on men's fashion.

As I expected there weren't that many, but even more disturbing is that there were relatively no books about black men's fashion or even including black men's fashion, even worse there were hardly any books that had a single black or colored man in it.

One of the better examples were American Fashion Menswear  by the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA). It was published with the idea that it is the most comprehensive portfolio of both historical and contemporary influences of men's fashion in American culture. At 280 pages and 4.6 pounds one would hope that it be the most thorough and complete collection -- including all the influences and genres of men's fashion. But no! As does its counterparts, the CFDA has interpreted American fashion to be white American fashion. And although the book does highlight some black celebrities like Sean "Diddy" Combs and Dennis Rodman, it still does not give due credit to the influences of all minority cultures in America. Despite its colorful pictures, this book is a complete whitewash of American culture.

As I am not the expert on this genre I am hoping that I overlooked a book or two that did include a more illuminating display of men's fashion and would really love any comments you guys may have or books you would like to suggest that would change my point of view. *sighs 

Why?: Books I Strongly Advise Against

So far i have presented you guys with the best of what I can find. But in my journeys there are way too many coffee table books that I come across and ask the universe: "WHY?" Thanks to the suggestions of my lovely friends I will be picking out the worst of the worst and strongly advise you to stay very very far away.

PART 1

Cacas: The Encyclopedia of Poo by Colors Staff, Oliviero Toscani,  is a book about poo. If you are particularly interested in poo, I don't know what to say to you, but I strongly advise against having anything on your coffee table that has any connection to poo. Coffee is dark, poo is generally dark -- you and your guest should be able to eat chocolate without looking down at your coffee table and having the urge to spit it out.

Of course I am not the absolute voice on this. An Amazon customer review states: "This is certainly a coffee table book that will break the ice and get people talking...It is interesting to see droppings from giraffes, monkeys, etc." She also mentions that she wished there was some discussion on human poo... I just have to ask WHY?

Internationally Loved: So You Can't Go Wrong

Photography  courtesy yours truly

I was at my boyfriend's Aunt's house this weekend and I saw this big, beautiful book on her coffee table with a very striking image of  Nelson Mandela.  My boyfriend immediately picked it up. Let me tell you something about my boyfriend - I have never seen him even notice a book, let alone pick it up.

Mandela: The Authorized Portrait is a timeless treasure - visually striking and graciously allows the reader a peek at one of the (if not the) most important democratic transformations of the 20th Century.

First published at $100 a piece - you can now place it on your coffee table for just $30 (plus shipping and handling of course).

Here Today Gone Tomorrow :(

This past Earth Day was a real bummer as all major publications highlighted the many ways in which human beings have led to the destruction of our beautiful mother earth.Global Warming is drastically changing the world before our eyes and sooner than we think places are going to start to disappear -- visually at least because of the ice caps melting and higher sea levels etc. So while the world is the beautiful place that we know it to be, lets get to know her better -- then maybe we might start to appreciate her beauty and treat her better.

And so I present to you 100 Places to Go Before They Disappear. This beautiful documentation of the world's most wonderful natural treasures and even some of our own back yard (*coughs Battery Park) are in danger of extinction.

I highly recommend this book for anyone concerned about the environment or with any appreciation for the Earth's natural beauty. Help change attitudes by placing this gem on your coffee table, if only for a couple minutes as your comrades gasp at Mother Earth's awesomeness.

For a sneak peak of what to expect in this book check read more at Aol Travel News.

If you want to learn more about the book itself and message check out 100places.com.

The BIG WHAT?!?! (NSFW)

So in my class someone brought up that there exists a coffee table book that focuses on the enormity of a certain organ. Well I would like to inform that person, and everyone else that may be interested, that there are a set of these books that each focus on a private body part (*giggles).

I know you are intrigued....

More ART for Your Money

A friend of mine, Greg, is thinking about moving to a studio apartment and needs to get rid of some stuff. He specifically is thinking of getting rid of this really old but really cool side table (not quite a coffee table but a definite substitute) which our friends have taken to carving their initials and reminders that they "wuz here." I convinced him that it was not junk but a great work of art as instead of sumping it he should simply remind his friends to lay off his stuff or at least get something to put on the table to distract them -- a coffee table book maybe ;)

So I took him to Barnes and Nobles, Union Square to check out what they had. He immediately complained about not wanting to spend a lot of money on books so we headed to the bargain wall and were surprised at what we found.

Kirby: King of Comics, brand new (covered in plastic and everything) on sale at $9.98. Originally priced at $40 and on Amazon for $26.40. This beautifully illustrated book journeys the life and career of revolutionary comic book artist, Jack Kirby. The later is responsible for creating iconic characters for the Marvel and DC enterprise.

You absolutely can't go wrong with a huge coffee table book such as this one for less than $10. Comic book buffs and cool people alike are all familiar with characters such as Spider Man (illustration below) and it is sure to catch his friends attention.

It was a success because, Greg ended up getting three books, each for under $20. He is camera shy but see me below expressing his utter joy at great coffee table art books and money well spent.