Perry Ellis ― An American Original

The first complete monograph on Perry Ellis, the preeminent American sportswear designer. Perry Ellis remains a force in the fashion world nearly three decades after his untimely death. In the late ’70s, he established his signature American look—classic, young, sporty, free, sensible yet inspirational. Ellis, who once told the New York Times that he "always made a determined effort to do something different," did just that. The rich career of Perry Ellis the designer is celebrated completely and beautifully in this book, offering a window into the work of an enigmatic artist and allowing readers to luxuriate in Ellis’s timeless designs through gorgeous photography that has never been assembled in one volume until now. The first to collect each season of Ellis’s career, from 1978 to 1986, the book offers unique access to editorial and ad campaign photographs unearthed from the verdant archives of photographer Erica Lennard, whom Ellis worked with almost exclusively. Illuminating Perry Ellis’s rich career, this book includes ephemera, sketches, and never-before-published photos from the personal collections of the designer’s friends and family, adding insight to Ellis’s unique aesthetic while solidifying his place as one of the key designers of American fashion.

Jeffrey Banks is a Coty Award–winning fashion designer of men’s and women’s apparel. He is the coauthor of Tartan: Romancing the Plaid and Preppy: Cultivating Ivy Style. Doria de La Chapelle is a freelance writer who is coauthor of Tartan: Romancing the Plaid and Preppy: Cultivating Ivy Style. She has written on fashion, beauty, and style for Mademoiselle magazine and other publications. Erica Lennard is an internationally renowned photographer whose books include Secret Gardens of Hollywood. Marc Jacobs is the head designer for his eponymous fashion label Marc Jacobs and his diffusion line Marc by Marc Jacobs. Jacobs has been Louis Vuitton’s creative director since 1997.