Rare photos and interviews with Ellis close friends and family paint a portrait of a man who not only defined an aesthetic, but changed the landscape of fashion forever. ~Out Magazine
Perry Ellis tome traces storied career. The designer's influential career is detailed in a sweeping new monograph....illustrated with a trove of photographs...Surprisingly, this is the first comprehensive examination of Perry Ellis life and work, apart from a biography penned in 1988 immediately following the designers death. The tome has an in-depth biography of Ellis woven into the pictorial history ~Womens Wear Daily you are reminded that this was a blip on the radar as the man, Perry Ellis, had an extremely brief career, and that he has influenced fashion more than you realize in the decades following his untimely death. This lovingly told tale is remembered by those who were there and those who participated in his lifeThis is not a sappy chronicle or diary but an insightful, warmly related dialogue about a designer who was light years ahead of his time and would be considered an exception in todays world rather than the rule.
As a veteran of the fashion trenches, this book can be viewed and appreciated on multiple levels and by many categories of readers. It can be viewed as cautionary, fairy tale like, instructive, sentimental, and commemorative, but it will jar your memories and enlarge and refresh your perspectives on the topic of American fashion. Perry Ellis: An American Original is a gift to all who love fashion and the creative process. Consider this a genuine and heartfelt eulogy for one of the great designers of the 20th century. ~New York Journal of Books