It's hard to justify buying this book. Although beautifully photographed with characteristically interesting subjects, these images have already been shown on The Sartorialist blog and Schuman's GQ page. I imagined more of a big, glossy volume and at least a little bit of new photography (instead of new photos, though, there is some caption-style writing). But as it turns out, the book's size is really fantastic, as is the use of thick matte paper. It's also very well priced, so generally speaking my disappointment comes from the expectation of new material.
Schuman is a talented photographer and may be the pioneer of street-style blogs, but he isn't as talented as some of his peers. For example, the French photographer Garance Dore is much more skilled in photography, which may be related to her artistic background as an illustrator. She has a more developed eye for representing beautiful things (rather than just recognizing them), so even though her subjects are more or less the same as Schuman's her photos are much more satisfying to look at.
Schuman is a talented photographer and may be the pioneer of street-style blogs, but he isn't as talented as some of his peers. For example, the French photographer Garance Dore is much more skilled in photography, which may be related to her artistic background as an illustrator. She has a more developed eye for representing beautiful things (rather than just recognizing them), so even though her subjects are more or less the same as Schuman's her photos are much more satisfying to look at.
