First off, I need to be honest I love all things kitschy and strange . . . particularly if they are Japanese. I feel in love with the magazine FRUiTS in high school and never looked back. I have always been a snappy dresser and willing to take what most people would consider chances. I love color and pattern and bows and leather . . . it just doesn't matter. This put me in the right state to fall in love with Harajuku.
Harajuku is a neighborhood in Tokyo that is densely pack with fashion/designer/punk/goth/kids/freaks. In essences it houses the coolest of the cool (non-main stream . . . mostly . . . until your too cool to contain) and has since the 1970s.
Style Deficit Disorder is all about Harajuku and the glitzy magical maelstrom of fashion it is. The book is set up in tiny sections that cover different aspects of Harajuku and the fashion scene there. It starts with a history and moves on to the different styles its a mecca for. This format mostly works, though some ideas and fixtures of Harajuku get repeated a bit due to the organization. Personally my favorite part was the history and of course, the pictures. I also with the font was a bit larger for some of the section . . . I'm not as young as I once was and I'm an academic . . . bigger font = happier eyes.
Overall, its a very fun book. I felt the beginning is really where it shines. Its also where things are talked about in greater depth, which I like. The end sections felt a bit like a catalog list of important people. Still interesting, but less so. If you like fashion or oddities of Japanese culture this is a great book for you!
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