The Isaac Mizrahi Pictures: New York City 1989–1993: Photographs by Nick Waplington

The Isaac Mizrahi Pictures, photos by Nick Waplington, bears a striking resemblance to Fashion's Front Line that features the images of Niall McInernery, in that both books focus on fashion and yet neither contains the glossy Photoshopped images we have become so conditioned to expect in books of this genre.

Nick Waplington provides the reader an amazing four-year “snapshot” of club life in New York City intertwined with behind the scenes activities of designer Isaac Mizrahi in the pre-QVC days. No matter which way the reader perceives the intent of the book, the images are quite telling when it comes to that era in NYC both fashion-wise and sociologically. The photographer offers a visual smorgasbord that can be selectively viewed or interpreted.

No question that the photographer has offered an amazingly keen eye when it comes to assembling the contents of this book. As for the text, well, there is extremely little of it which means that Waplington allows the reader to draw his or her own conclusions from his images. Without question, the book is almost totally photocentric. There is value in its viewing in that the millennial reader will only know Isaac from QVC and that this era of NYC clubbing no longer exists in any way. For the older reader, it might serve as a wonderful reminder of days gone by.