Fashion magazines and society fun in the 80s
919966
This was fun and very well written! It was more fun for me because I lived in NYC during this time and was aware of many of these players. Definitely worth reading even if you weren't there!
2097065
Just a year older than the girls so I really enjoyed reminiscing about the fads and crushes of the 70s.  How special that the girls have been able to maintain such close and loving relationships.
2175214
I read Seventeen Magazine back in the olden days, and it's still a good magazine today. It's got great advice on fashion, make-up, getting along in school socially and academically -- it's all here!

I purchased this for a family member just starting out in high school, and I know that she will love it as much as we did back then!
3199737
Nice collection of 70s/80s fad culture.  Some of the things appear in many other places, but many of them (Pudding Pops, Gee Your Hair Smells Terrific, among others) only appear here.  I also like how the authors tell if they are still in production, and if so, where you can get them.
2361053
I never read this magazine because I mistook it for puerile fare like Maxim. But, judging by this fine book of collections and smart, intelligent writing, it appears that I was mistaken.
The bad first: this book can come off badly with some roll-your-eyes quality immature humor. Some of the sex content *does* seem to come off like some cheesy Maxim rubbish.
Now, on to the good. This is good stuff, a wonderfully irreverent take on modern urban culture, which of course, includes plenty of sex, drugs, and rock and roll. Seeing as the magazine started in Montreal, it's nice to get some views into this woefully overlooked metropolis...
2815219
Flash back from my youth, Love the 80's hairbands!
695594
The moment in time being, of course, the party-all-night culture of Manhattan in the 1980's.  Patrick McMullen chronicles these hedonistic and frenetic doings admirably in hundreds of crisp black-and-white photos in this huge book.  There are a heck of a lot of celebrities in here, and a lot of ordinary people as well, dancing and drinking the night away.  Andy Warhol was still alive at the time (did he pass on in 1987 or 1991? I can't remember), so a goodly number of the photos in this book focus, no pun intended, on him and his circle.  That's why there are so many photos of zaftig blonde "Queen of the Night" Dianne Brill, who tells her own story in _Boobs, Boys and High Heels_ (out of print but available through Amazon Marketplace).  There are also a lot of pictures of people whom the non-New Yorker may not recognize offhand, but who were important players on the city's social scene in the 1980's.  Fashion mavens, in particular, will value this book for its excellent views of what the well-dressed partygoer and disco patron wore during the decade.

By the way, I have to wonder whether "A Reader" was reading the same book the rest of us were when he characterized it as "oversized pap", which it certainly is not. (I notice, by the way, that a lot of the really bad reviews are left by these anonymous "A Reader"'s. Why are they afraid to sign their names?)
2409924
A romp down memory lane read with not too little New York nostalgia as the story takes us through the beat poets (Ginsberg, Corso, Jones), the hip restaurants (Pavillon, Parador) and the stews of evil of Greenwich Village all laced with a nervous generation's search for love, meaningful sex and enduring relationships,  all seen through the lens of its "wild girls" (really not so wild as you might think). I enjoyed it immensely.
2685983
Yes, I know you can see that stuff online for free. Yes, I know the magazine ain't what it once was. But it's still a great magazine. I love the glossy photos and sexy covers. And despite the jokes, the articles are actually pretty good. Definitely recommend.
2481904
This is a fun fashion book for the over 60 set.  Ari Cohen is a genius for finding a neglected corner of the world of fashion and bringing it to light.  Great photographs.  Great subjects.  Great book!
2299312
Great read for anyone who was around in the 80s. Fun easy read. Like a light version of snow crash
1756020
As others have said, the quality of this magazine has gone down. It still has some good articles on health issues, careers, and other important topics of interest to women. The pictures are great; if you're interested in fashion it's better than Cosmo (though not quite as good as Vogue). The new editors are too focussed on sex and relationships, though. There's more to most women's lives than our relationships with men. Still more worth reading than Cosmo, though.
468292
Downtown Julie Brown.  I grew up in the 1980's  as a teenager, so I was conscious
of the time's.  They were good times.  As a
living perk I was there for the launching of MTV on channel 21 Indianapolis Cable
(Now Comcast). All of the VJ's were quite entertaining.  And yes the charismatic Julie Brown.  So this magazine release is a treat. Thank you.
Sincerely,
Terrence W.
1597966
This is a great book for anyone studying the design of the '80s, it's not the most inspiring book to me personally as a young contemporary designer, though I do see the historical value and I definitely respect the work.
2648729
I love this book. I've been devouring fashion magazines since I was 8 years old and Bruce's face, to me, personifies the strong, male model superstar. At first I wouldn't feel the desire to pursue more information about how fabulous it is to be so sought after but that's the point of my review.

Sometimes things can't be helped. You're born a certain way on the outside which gives you an edge in pursuing the things you're supposed to want. Bruce's book is interesting to me because of how he illustrates a life that is enviable on the outside but often unbalanced and tumultuous on the inside. It's a highly unusual situation for a male model to be so recognized and celebrated. That type of fame is almost always saved for the ladies who don't need a last name. A student at Cornell, raised with sand and salt water in his hair, where his grandest pursuit was to live a natural and spiritual state of being. Enter the fashion world which has little respect for either. Staying true to oneself in a climate that continuously challenges this pursuit, is an interesting topic to me. There's more than meets the eye to this book which a welcome benefit to any reader.

Don't get me wrong, there's also plenty of juicy tales that make this book a fun and easy read. I read it in a weekend and was left with wanting even more stories about the supermodels who I had worshiped as a kid. I love this era of fashion. I was thoroughly interested in the personal stories and entertained by the glamorous tales.

A great weekend read. I highly recommend it.
34058
I had this magazine in college, and the only thing that's changed 6 years later is that it's  thinner. I think they're reusing old material because some rings of memory strike at the oddest times. Still hot women, still dick and fart jokes, same old Maxim.
375237
This is a great book if u r interested in the fashion industry and new york. Both of which i am.  It was entertaining and a cross between working girl the devil wears prada and something in the genre of evanovich. Lots of interesting trivia on fashion