A book that contains 70-80% of my feelings.

Shibata: Today you've brought Alan Flusser's masterpiece, "Dressing the Man: Mastering the Art of Permanent Fashion," a book that's said to be a must-read for anyone in the fashion industry. Could you tell us which page, or which illustration, particularly resonated with you, Yamashita-san?

Yamashita: This book is like a notebook of outfit ideas, and it details the 1930s British style that I admire. The 1930s dandy style is immediately clear, and it contains 70-80% of what I feel. I also like the outfits of the dapper men of the past and the attire of movie stars.

Shibata: What actions have you taken as a result of reading this book?


Two years ago, Yamashita first stepped into the long-established Savile Row tailor ANDERSON & SHEPPARD and began having suits made there. Anderson & Sheppard is a tailor house favored by men who are considered dandies, such as former Hollywood stars and Prince Charles.

For me, it's like a "Western-style restaurant in Asakusa." Nowadays, tailoring techniques have improved, so from that perspective, it might not be the ultimate, but the aesthetic beauty that has been built up for over 100 years is clearly different. It's a kind of aesthetic beauty that only a long-established business can have, a quality that doesn't evolve.

Shibata : I see. Yamashita, you probably buy a lot of books because of your job, right?

While Yamashita does buy many fashion books, he often purchases books that are more informational than art books, such as photobooks by German photographer August Sander, or books on traditional Turkish and Moroccan clothing.

Ms. Shibata Yamashita, you've traveled to many different countries for your reporting. Could you please recommend some bookstores, both domestically and internationally?

In the Yamashita used bookstore district, there's no place that surpasses Jimbocho. You won't find a bookstore like Yasunori Nakatake's ( https://amvai.com/amvar/6 ) "magnif" anywhere else in the world. As for recommendations abroad, the bookstore above "10 Corso Como" in Milan has a great selection of photobooks and other visual books. I also keep an eye on the museum shop at the Prada Museum in the suburbs of Milan, and Eslite Bookstore in Taiwan, which carries "Men's Precious."

Finally, what is Yamashita's definition of "oldness," as someone who finds romance in old things?