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A review by lovelykd
Dapper Dan: Made in Harlem: A Memoir by Daniel R. Day
3.0
As a longtime consumer of hip-hop, and hip-hop culture, I knew of Dapper Dan long before I equate him with his signature brand of fashion.
It was only recently that I was able to connect the dots between the signature designs--which graced the bodies of some of my favorite artists--with the man behind their creation.
That said, this book--with its amazing cover--immediately appealed to me as one who tries to devour as much hip-hop history as she can; especially with the evolution its gone through over the last two decades.
The most interesting parts of the book discuss how Daniel Day's having grown up in Harlem--witnessing the ingenuity and ambition displayed by those with the "hustler's mentality"--would eventually be pivotal in his decision to form "Dapper Dan".
It's clear he was seeking a way to meld his fashion sensibility, with his desire to make money, while also continuing to challenge himself.
He wanted to create and innovate, yes, but he also wanted to make a respectable name for himself in a field where few Black men (or women) had ever dared to tread; he had aspirations far beyond a simple storefront and he found an untapped market.
The parts of the book that focus on that single-mindedness were the most intriguing because you really caught a glimpse of how hard a true entrepreneur has to work to find even a small measure of financial solvency.
There was no denying how hard Daniel Day worked to go from drug dealer to dice hustler to fashion mogul.
Even more, for him to do so on the strength of an idea which seems simple now, but had zero interest back then, was a huge risk; to simply create something original was a risk but Day had the foresight to find that niche, carve it out, and leave a mark.
The fact he was able to do so, as a Black man, with no college education, no clue about how fashion is created and made, using what amounted to street capital (money he earned playing dice), and nothing but word of mouth as advertisement, is nothing short of amazing!
Those parts, again, were a treasure to read.
However, on the flip side, I was turned off by his treatment of women.
Despite his consistent protestations of growth and maturity, he still came off as a man with little in the way of remorse for the despicable way he treated the women in his life; that was a major turnoff.
Yes, he took care of his children, financially, but his dealings with women--including the one he eventually married because she hung in there long enough for him to stop being a f-boy--was abhorrent.
Also, if you know anything about the Civil Rights Era, Malcolm X, or the climate of New York post-Vietnam, through the Reagan era, some of the history offered by Dan will feel repetitive.
If not, it'll further explain the climate Dan lived in and how the laws and lack of restrictions offered, in some cases, allowed him to thrive the way he did in the fashion world.
Overall, this is a good book and, again, that cover alone makes it worthy to be displayed on your coffee table.
It was only recently that I was able to connect the dots between the signature designs--which graced the bodies of some of my favorite artists--with the man behind their creation.
That said, this book--with its amazing cover--immediately appealed to me as one who tries to devour as much hip-hop history as she can; especially with the evolution its gone through over the last two decades.
The most interesting parts of the book discuss how Daniel Day's having grown up in Harlem--witnessing the ingenuity and ambition displayed by those with the "hustler's mentality"--would eventually be pivotal in his decision to form "Dapper Dan".
It's clear he was seeking a way to meld his fashion sensibility, with his desire to make money, while also continuing to challenge himself.
He wanted to create and innovate, yes, but he also wanted to make a respectable name for himself in a field where few Black men (or women) had ever dared to tread; he had aspirations far beyond a simple storefront and he found an untapped market.
The parts of the book that focus on that single-mindedness were the most intriguing because you really caught a glimpse of how hard a true entrepreneur has to work to find even a small measure of financial solvency.
There was no denying how hard Daniel Day worked to go from drug dealer to dice hustler to fashion mogul.
Even more, for him to do so on the strength of an idea which seems simple now, but had zero interest back then, was a huge risk; to simply create something original was a risk but Day had the foresight to find that niche, carve it out, and leave a mark.
The fact he was able to do so, as a Black man, with no college education, no clue about how fashion is created and made, using what amounted to street capital (money he earned playing dice), and nothing but word of mouth as advertisement, is nothing short of amazing!
Those parts, again, were a treasure to read.
However, on the flip side, I was turned off by his treatment of women.
Despite his consistent protestations of growth and maturity, he still came off as a man with little in the way of remorse for the despicable way he treated the women in his life; that was a major turnoff.
Yes, he took care of his children, financially, but his dealings with women--including the one he eventually married because she hung in there long enough for him to stop being a f-boy--was abhorrent.
Also, if you know anything about the Civil Rights Era, Malcolm X, or the climate of New York post-Vietnam, through the Reagan era, some of the history offered by Dan will feel repetitive.
If not, it'll further explain the climate Dan lived in and how the laws and lack of restrictions offered, in some cases, allowed him to thrive the way he did in the fashion world.
Overall, this is a good book and, again, that cover alone makes it worthy to be displayed on your coffee table.