"I Am Dandy"

[herringbonekid]

to me, there's always something about the modern dandy which harks back to the golden age of dandyism: 1800-1830.
this is the period when the Regency streets sprung up in west London and wealthy young bachelors would have lived in apartments in the same area.
there's the idea of the dandy as a young (self-obsessed) gentleman of leisure with nothing much better to do than shop for fashionable clothing and accessories.
Burlington and Piccadilly arcades in London were centres for this - and supposedly had brothels upstairs accessed by staircases within the shop (still there today... the staircases, not the brothels). Savile Row wasn't established as a tailoring street yet.

there's the idea of finery associated with the Regency dandy. he's a connoisseur who enjoys the finest workmanship and materials, and wants to show them off in the right company.


even if modern dandyism doesn't go for the Regency style, and its modern day proponents don't quite have the bank balance, it seems to still hanker for the luxuriousness and lifestyle associated with the period.

 

[herringbonekid]

HBK: as you know, I am very intrested in writing on menswear etc. For me, the worship of 'the dandy' as style icons exists as a barrier. Similarly, the standing of Savile Row (about whose tailors plenty has been written) is another barrier.
Imagine me going to a publishers and saying 'I've got a great idea for a book on menswear, it's about provincial tailors and brands like Hepworths and the Kays catalogue."
They reply "are there any dandy figures in it?" Sorry, no dandies.
"What about Savile Row tailors" Sorry, no. But look at this suit from Caslaws in Sunderland - how fantastic is that label?
Exit TT through the door marked timewasters.

TT, the release of 'I am Dandy' and 'Artist / Rebel / Dandy' recently might work in your favour; you can say the dandy theme has been more than covered already.

 

[Flat Foot Floey]

Yes, I think that may be a good point. I also think that the hedonistic part is also a very narcisstic and self-absorbed one. Such some dandies of the early 20th century were closer to fascism than to other political and social movements. They strive for some aesthetic and "heroic" ideas but just don't care shit about people. This is why I mentioned D’Annunzio in the first comment and guys like Ernst Jünger are also seen in the dandy context. You won't find Dandy icons who are know for their altruistic deeds and commitment to social ideas.


PS: Again it should be clear that I don't aim at the people in the book just the various defintions of "dandy" in general. Pages www.dandyism.net often flirt with the "irresponsible and decadent bachelor thing" though.

 

[herringbonekid]

Burlington Arcade, popular dandy hang-out:

 

[Flat Foot Floey]

Acoording to this: Flagrantly Attired: A Review Of Callahan & Adams’ I Am Dandy most of us would be called retro-eccentrics. I disagree with some of that (Raymond Chu is certainly not pretending to be somebody else) but of course a dandy blogger rather wants to come of as provocative than boring and coaxing. Sean Crowley is too boring in his eyes too. I wouldn't mind to be boring then. I like his style and his flat too.

 

[herringbonekid]

thanks for the link Flo. funny stuff.
it's interesting that many in the book objected to the term 'dandy'. supposedly the authors didn't like the title but the publisher insisted.
i'm sure that among the elite who subscribe to the label 'dandy' there is much disagreement about who is and who isn't.

 

[simonc]

Dandism means to me as it did to Beau Brummell; an inside knowledge of how cloth is spun, cut and stitched that works with form and movement, wit and atmosphere. It is a constantly expanding craft not a costume, and most importantly an ongoing discipline in what not to wear, what not to say, to remove, and strip back that creates true knowing elegance. It is the point of trying not to make a point, trying not to be seen but invisible that is the height of being.

 

[Feraud]

TT, agreed.

for me the term doesn't just mean 'having an excessive interest in clothes' - (someone may have an excessive interest in t-shirts, jeans and trainers but they're not a dandy) -
it's an aesthetic, a 'look' in itself; monocles, cravats, canes, opera pumps, waxed 'taches are all part of the dandy look. the Fedora Lounge doesn't seem to attract many of that ilk (as mentioned in another thread, sometimes we're closer to 'dowdy' than 'dandy').



i'm still interested to know if anyone other than A.C. Lyles thinks of themselves as a dandy ?

Fwiw, My wife might say I have an excessive interest in clothes but I am certainly no dandy.

It seems we've not narrowed down a proper definition of the term.

 

[Two Types]

I was interested to read the observations on the site Florian mentioned. They exclude Zack Pinsent from being a dandy on the grounds of being (and I paraphrase) 'a retro-eccentric antiquarian'.

I would tend to agree on not using the description 'dandy' since, for me, he appears to be trying too hard to be a nineteenth century dandy. That falls into the category of costume. I would qualify this by saying I don't know the bloke, and he may be very genuine about the way he dresses, so I stand to be challenged on my assumptions.

I just feel that, trying to dress like Beau Brummel doesn't make you a dandy, just like me dressing like Winston Churchill wouldn't make me one a great orator.

 

[Guttersnipe]

In this discussion about definition of dandy/dandyism, I think that the contradictory views (i.e., A.C.'s assertion that an interest in clothes a dandy makes and TT/Flo/HBK's assertion that something special is a prerequisite) are simultaneously true. Allow me to explain.

It has always seemed to me that there was something within the British national character that tends towards the embrace of sartorial matters (the same is true of French and Italian cultures too, I believe). That is to say, it is regarded as natural, and manly, that an Italian / French / English man take pride in his appearance / dress, if only as part of the natural courting rituals of youth. In the U.S., this is not the case (more on this below).

For example, take the significant musical/cultural trends/subcultures born in the UK in the last ~35 years: Glam, Skinhead/Mod culture, Punk, and New Wave. Even with the punk music/subculture, and all its an anti-fashion rhetoric, or skinhead/mod culture, with all its dress down anti-bourgeoisie working class posturing, there was fundamentally an embrace of fashion to these movements. To me, this seems telling.

In the U.S., the Baby Boomer generation fundamentally rejected the "starched" aesthetics of the Golden Era, and this has been reflected American's view of clothing ever since. In the States, there is a widely held (perhaps subconscious) view that any male who takes (any) interest in clothes is unmanly / fussy / effete / etc. As such, to many Americans, any man who would willingly opt to wear suits / ties / tailored clothing / vintage clothing (really anything but jeans and a tee) a dandy for all intents and purposes.

Therefore, we have a transatlantic divided when it comes to definitions of dandy/dandyism.

 

[Chasseur]

In the U.S., the Baby Boomer generation fundamentally rejected the "starched" aesthetics of the Golden Era, and this has been reflected American's view of clothing ever since. In the States, there is a widely held (perhaps subconscious) view that any male who takes (any) interest in clothes is unmanly / fussy / effete / etc. As such, to many Americans, any man who would willingly opt to wear suits / ties / tailored clothing / vintage clothing (really anything but jeans and a tee) a dandy for all intents and purposes.

Well said. This is the reality in the States whether one thinks one is a dandy or not if you have an interest in clothes odds are you will be thought of as a dandy by others.

 

[herringbonekid]

TT, i've seen Zack wandering around in Hove. he doffs his top hat to passers by and the overall effect is rather performance art-ish.

Guttersnipe, interesting observation. the UK isn't always that tolerant of the various forms of male dress though. depends very much which street you walk down, though it's not as bad as it was since certain rival subcultures fizzled out.

 

[HoosierDaddy]

Here in Midwestern America a 'Dandy' congers up visions of men in ruffles and even lace rather than a very well dressed man. [huh]
HD

 

[simonc]

HD it was Brummell who used military uniforms to form the foundation of modern dress, he removed make-up, frills, stockings, wigs, and replaced them with trouser, shirt, jacket and tie and also bathing and shaving, he stripped down dress to the raw basics, quite the opposite.

 

[herringbonekid]

I was interested to read the observations on the site Florian mentioned.

while i think the subsections such as 'retro-eccentric' and 'fashionisti' are all very tongue in cheek (and the article meant to be taken in good humour) perhaps they do prove a point; that dandyism is a very personal thing.

 

[Guttersnipe]

Guttersnipe, interesting observation. the UK isn't always that tolerant of the various forms of male dress though. depends very much which street you walk down, though it's not as bad as it was since certain rival subcultures fizzled out.

I've definitely heard tales from friends about what it was like to walk down the street in London with spiky orange hair in 1979. It doesn't sound very fun. Especially with the aggressive tribalism of the various youth cults . . .

. . . but I guess my point is that even quintessentially macho/aggressive/hyper-masculine U.K. subcultures, like skinheads and teddy boys, took (take?) and more than overt interest in fashion/clothes. Whereas, when the punk subculture was transplanted to the U.S., it took on a decidedly more utilitarian and less artistic slant. I've always assumed that was cultural.

Example:

These are dandies

These are not dandies

 

[LizzieMaine]

Here in Midwestern America a 'Dandy' congers up visions of men in ruffles and even lace rather than a very well dressed man. [huh]
HD

When I hear someone called a "dandy" my first thought is of someone who essentially contributes nothing to society -- the image is that of a preening wealthy idler, a playboy, a drone, a parasite, someone whose self-absorption is so complete that, for them, nothing exists outside of their own well-cultivated, highly-self-conscious image. That was how we of the hoi polloi understood the term in the 20th century -- it wasn't a favorable thing to call someone at all.

A very well-dressed man might be called a clotheshorse or a fashion plate or an Adolphe Menjou, but only a prancing wastrel would be called a "dandy."

 

[GHT]

The image that a dandy conjures up, to me, has always been someone like Oscar Wilde, Quenten Crisp and more lately, Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen. But reading the eloquence of these posts, and that of Guttersnipes take on the American view, has changed my perspective.

It's almost inconceivable to expect a dandy to be seen in a tropical shirt, yet Llewelyn-Bowen wears matching floral ties and shirts to great effect. He is also one of the few celebrities that can carry off the 'no tie' image to great effect.

Perhaps the best definition, if not of a dandy, then that of an obsessive with appearance could be that of Quenten Crisp, he says:

The difficulty is that once you start to cultivate your image, you do in a sense start to cultivate your exhibitionism. And exhibitionism is like a drug. You take a dose of it after a while that would kill anyone just starting out. So the day does have to come when you say, “Am I doing this to please myself or am I doing it to annoy the neighbors?” You see, the desire to annoy the neighbors is just as ridiculous as the desire to placate the neighbors. What you have to ask yourself is this: If there were no praise, and no blame, who would I be then? Then you know who you are, and what your style is.

 

[dhermann1]

I went to a book signing event last night, and had a nice chat with Rose. The name of the book definitely came from the publisher. Apparently somebody had seen her blog, and that of the author of the text. They were gotten together and told to come up with a book in three months. The name came from the publisher, and apparently nobody is happy about it but the publisher. That said, I think the name is inspired. It certainly gets attention. Mike Haar, my barber, who is one of the subjects, also dislikes the name, but is philosophical about it.
The text of the book states on several occasions that the term dandy is not liked by the vast majority of the subjects of the book. Whatever.
It's a beautifully made book, with wonderful pictures, and great commentary. If it gets people talking and thinking about how they look, so much the better.

 

[Brian Sheridan]

I was kind of put off by the oddly dressed chap on the cover. But when I read Gay Talese was profiled and the forward was written by Glenn O'Brien, I placed my order. Can't wait for the book to arrive this week.