While I wasn’t expecting an anthology of fashion writing, I was expecting the essays to at least relate to the topic somewhat. Unfortunately this collection has pretty much nothing to do with fashion, or much of any unifying topic.

The closest I could come to describing a central theme would be NYC / politics / the post 9/11 world / NYC and politics in the post 9/11 world. Certainly not “the intersection of pop culture, the arts, politics, and fashion”... the blurb is nothing more than self-aggrandizing wish fulfilment.

Too many pointless anecdotes that don’t lead anywhere interesting, too much fiction, not enough substance.

There is, however, one positive thing I can say about the collection: the interviews are definitely worth a read. All are at the least mildly interesting, some contain genuine insight. The format of the interviews (generally a conversation between two similar yet contrasting subjects with a moderator to throw in an occasional topical question) works very well.

The book might satisfy readers looking for something different to myself, but not those who expect it to contain what the blurb promises.