20 Years of Style: The World According to Paper

by Kim Hastreiter, David Hershkovits, Michael Musto

For the legions of Paper Magazine fans, and anyone who's interested in Where Style Starts. This stunning portrayal of the last 20 years is a wonderful commemorative look at the life and times of the era. Following introductions and commentary by a virtual who's who of popular culture, 20 Years of Style charts just how style has evolved over the past twenty years, illustrating the huge influence that underground cultures from the worlds of art, music, film, sports and urban street life ultimately have played on mainstream fashion. Laid out by year starting in 1984 and continuing through the present, this star-studded journey cannot be described by words alone. Adding to this visual feast are essays and commentary from Paper Magazine founders and co-editors Kim Hasreiter and David Hershkovits, as well as celebratory tributes to Paper Magazine from dejay and musicologist Moby; rap icon Fab 5 Freddy; artist/designer Todd Oldham; and style historian Harold Koda.

256 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2004

About the author

Kim Hastreiter is co-editor of the independent New York fashion magazine, Paper. Via her Macintosh SE 30 (which, as a keepsake, still occupies a corner of her office desk) she was a “lurker” on The Well throughout the early 1990s. She was recently profiled in the New York Times.

Reviews

[A · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wanted this book to be so much more. As a handy (if shallow) recap of downtown NYC fashion of the 80s and 90s -- the period when "cool" and "below 14th St." were synonymous in the fashion world -- this book is indispensable. It's a decent visual feast as well (Thierry Mugler dressing drag queens! Cindy Crawford in Willi Smith!). As a chronicle of the overall downtown scene or the actual magazine PAPER, however, this falls WAY short. Look, in the 20 years covered by this book, downtown was the center of the universe (not just in fashion but in music, art, drugs, literature, etc.) -- and it was PAPER that was telling the world about it, forever changing the publishing and 'zine landscape in the process. You don't get that sense here at all, and what is here is neither juicy nor very well articulated. Spy: The Funny Years or Purple Anthology are both models of this genre, vividly conveying both their respective publications' rises and falls and their respective fast-living NYC zeitgeists. I hope I don't have to wait another 20 years to get a comparable book about PAPER.

[Jodie · Rating 4 out of 5]

In the 1980s Paper magazine was published in New York City and was at the vanguard of the wild craziness of an exploding fashion scene. Even though I didn't live in NY, I usually bought a new copy of Paper when I saw it on a newsstand. The magazine felt both extravagantly hip and a little sleazy. This book is a retrospective of Paper's best work, especially its thought-provoking fashion photography. Kim Hastreiter and David Hershkovitz pushed fashion in new directions through Paper, beyond the Valley of the Vogue and into the reality of the streets.

[Tori · Rating 5 out of 5]

First of all, if you call yourself an indie kid OR an alternative kid and you've never read Paper, then you need to get a subscription. Then, you may purchase this book and read it. Beautiful photo collection of fashion as captured by Paper mag.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cool perspective on style!