Book Description

[note: for superior quality photographic reproduction see The Decorated Ape - B&W Vertical - SPECIAL EDITION] >Punks, Rockers, Ravers, Goths, Teddy Boys, New Romantics, Head Bangers, New Psychedelics, Rockabillies, Skinheads . . . between the late '70s and the end of the 20th century Ted Polhemus photographed them all. And more - never before in human history have we had such freedom to dress and decorate ourselves in whatever style we want. 99 Black & White, vertical format images demonstrate the flowering of street style as the dictatorship of fashion went out of fashion and subcultural or idiosyncratic, personal sampling & mixing style took over. The author of Street Style, Fashion & Anti-fashion and Style Surfing, Ted Polhemus is also a photographer and The Decorated Ape represents the first collection of the best of some 40+ years of his recording and celebrating the visual creativity which bubbles up from the street. Additionally > 'The First 100,000 Years of The Decorated Ape' is a brief text which puts in context why and how human beings became the only species which deliberately and consciously alters its appearance - from tribal style to fashion, then back to the tribal style of subcultures and on to the explosion of personal, individual creativity which characterizes life in the 21st century. Also 'Notes on Street Style Photography' and extensive captions. Contains a small amount of nudity and a few images some might find offensive. Not appropriate for children or stylistically unadventurous adults.