Film Noir Buff
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What exactly do we mean by dandy?
A man who loves to wear clothes, a man who has a heightened sense of interest in grooming and style, a man for whom individuality must be expressed more clearly? Well dressed men abound but they need not be dandies. Dandyism is a lifestyle but we are here concerned primarily with clothes. However, there is an association between English dandyism and congregating around the Gentleman's clubs and the more fashionable shopping areas of London.
There are at least two types of English dandy or at least two levels. English dandyism as originally conceived of by Brummell was a denial of exciting plumage and a preoccupation with minuscule differences in cut, quality, fit and cleanliness for clothes and shoes. The other sort of dandy, the more modern dandy, is someone who uses clothes more for shock value (Although in his day, it is arguable that Brummell also sought to shock people with his "plainness"), to affect a trompe l'oeil or to pique the observer's curiosity with a prolonged delay of what art critics call the resolution phase.
The Brummellian dandy today would simply be referred to as a smart dresser and a solid man of manners. His kit excites no wonder, just an immediate symmetrical, eye pleasing canvass of everything well made, fitted and proper with just a dash of flair. The smart dresser wants you to notice the cut of his suit, the shape of his otherwise standard spread collar, the quality and knot of his tie, the suppleness of his black lace ups. This sort of man is clean, well groomed and, until noticed, invisible.
By contrast, the modern dandy would use a lot of offbeat colors, textures, patterns and shapes to be acceptable but have some iconoclastic differences. Both individuality and eccentricity play a major role here; accented with the touch of an artist. This is why I often associate Salvador Dali as a prime example of modern dandyism. A dandy is more interested in the archaic which his why he would wear the Cartier crash watch while the smart dresser would instead wear a modern Patek.
As of yet, no one has figured out whether being a smart dresser is a gateway to becoming a fully fledged dandy or if the two are separate but equal creatures. One thing is certain, they both love clothes.
However, a dandy is allowed expressions the well dressed man is not. A dandy is allowed to get things perfectly while other Englishman are not. He is excused rather like the shaman the eccentricity and the fanaticism of clothes. He is also allowed to be more in touch with his feminine side because that side is acknowledged to be more concerned with matters of color, fit and luxury.
Brummell stands for lack of imagination in color and fabric choice but a fanatically tasteful eye for details. But there are those that are concerned with color and texture and a bending if not a departure from Brummell's rules. They will just do things better, pick things that others find tasteful but cannot choose themselves, and indeed dare not wear themselves. The dandy dares. However he does not pose, instead he wears something that is unquestionably himself but more flamboyant than the "chaps" would wear. And although he is perhaps idiosyncratic and eclectic, his clothes are recognized as in good taste and undeniably English.
A man who loves to wear clothes, a man who has a heightened sense of interest in grooming and style, a man for whom individuality must be expressed more clearly? Well dressed men abound but they need not be dandies. Dandyism is a lifestyle but we are here concerned primarily with clothes. However, there is an association between English dandyism and congregating around the Gentleman's clubs and the more fashionable shopping areas of London.
There are at least two types of English dandy or at least two levels. English dandyism as originally conceived of by Brummell was a denial of exciting plumage and a preoccupation with minuscule differences in cut, quality, fit and cleanliness for clothes and shoes. The other sort of dandy, the more modern dandy, is someone who uses clothes more for shock value (Although in his day, it is arguable that Brummell also sought to shock people with his "plainness"), to affect a trompe l'oeil or to pique the observer's curiosity with a prolonged delay of what art critics call the resolution phase.
The Brummellian dandy today would simply be referred to as a smart dresser and a solid man of manners. His kit excites no wonder, just an immediate symmetrical, eye pleasing canvass of everything well made, fitted and proper with just a dash of flair. The smart dresser wants you to notice the cut of his suit, the shape of his otherwise standard spread collar, the quality and knot of his tie, the suppleness of his black lace ups. This sort of man is clean, well groomed and, until noticed, invisible.
By contrast, the modern dandy would use a lot of offbeat colors, textures, patterns and shapes to be acceptable but have some iconoclastic differences. Both individuality and eccentricity play a major role here; accented with the touch of an artist. This is why I often associate Salvador Dali as a prime example of modern dandyism. A dandy is more interested in the archaic which his why he would wear the Cartier crash watch while the smart dresser would instead wear a modern Patek.
As of yet, no one has figured out whether being a smart dresser is a gateway to becoming a fully fledged dandy or if the two are separate but equal creatures. One thing is certain, they both love clothes.
However, a dandy is allowed expressions the well dressed man is not. A dandy is allowed to get things perfectly while other Englishman are not. He is excused rather like the shaman the eccentricity and the fanaticism of clothes. He is also allowed to be more in touch with his feminine side because that side is acknowledged to be more concerned with matters of color, fit and luxury.
Brummell stands for lack of imagination in color and fabric choice but a fanatically tasteful eye for details. But there are those that are concerned with color and texture and a bending if not a departure from Brummell's rules. They will just do things better, pick things that others find tasteful but cannot choose themselves, and indeed dare not wear themselves. The dandy dares. However he does not pose, instead he wears something that is unquestionably himself but more flamboyant than the "chaps" would wear. And although he is perhaps idiosyncratic and eclectic, his clothes are recognized as in good taste and undeniably English.