The concept of "dandy" or "dandyism" appeared in England in the nineteenth century. The brightest representative of the English dandies was the Englishman George Brummel, a man with impeccable taste. Against the background of the then fashionistas, he was distinguished by the ability to dress and keep himself in society according to the principle of "noticeable invisibility." This principle has been preserved to this day in the creation of the dandy style in clothes. What is the secret of the principle?
Features and basic elements of the dandy style
The dandy style in women's clothing has the following features: modesty and emphasized elegance, perfect cut and, along with this, some negligence, but very thoughtful and well-considered. The dandy style requires the use of only expensive fabrics in classic colors (black, brown, gray, white, etc.). A lot of jewelry is not allowed.
Basic dandy style elements for women:
- vests;
- classic pants;
- strict cut skirts;
- blouses or shirts for men;
- fitted jackets or coats;
- tailcoats and frock coats;
- ties or neckerchiefs;
- men's hats.
All these elements of menswear appeared in the women's wardrobe in the early twentieth century, thanks to Coco Chanel and Marlene Dietrich. In the photo of dandy style clothes, you will see the opportunity to emphasize femininity and sexuality with the help of elements of a man's suit, to give confidence. The female dandy style implies the presence of a trouser suit, a three-piece suit in a woman's wardrobe. Shoes - boots with low soles with lacing, reminiscent of men's, strict hard bags or briefcases.
Accessories - a hat, tie or neckerchief, which can become a bright accent of the image, a large wrist watch or pocket watch on a chain, an umbrella cane.
Jewelry - a brooch that somewhat softens the strict image, a pin for a tie, cufflinks. The main condition that the dandy's style sets when choosing accessories is elegance, impeccable compatibility with clothes, moderation.
Hairstyle and makeup should be discreet - smooth, straight hair, soft makeup.
"Dandy" -style found its reflection not only in fashion, but also in world literature - it is the lifestyle of the English dandy writers Wilde and Byron, the French ones - Balzac, Proust, Stendhal. They created more than one literary character depicting the lifestyle and outfits of the dandy of their time.
 |
 |
 |
Dandyism can be called "virtual aristocracy", the art of showing your taste in thoughtful little things and gestures, without standing out in the crowd. This creates a golden mean between avant-garde radicalism and respectable conservatism. The second principle of Bremmel is the thoughtful negligence and naturalness of the costume. You can spend a lot of time on the toilet, but then you need to behave as if everything in the suit turned out by itself, in the order of random improvisation. "Pedantic thoroughness" is vulgar because it does not hide the pre-stress and, therefore, betrays a beginner who sweats to comprehend the science of dressing decently. This is why the ability to tie an elegantly casual knot on a scarf became highly regarded during this era. This is how the "dandy empire" was created, headed by its uncrowned ruler, the Englishman George Bremmel. Like any emperor, Lord Bremmel also made laws - for example, he suddenly began to wear starched ties or gloves to the elbows, and no one dared to disobey - everyone did.
The dandy entertains people, relieving them of boredom, weaning them from vulgarity, and for these functions the society is charged with maintaining the dandy, just as a political party maintains its orator. " And soon, following the aristocratic youth of the British streets, mocking the bourgeoisie, the fashionable manifestation gains recognition on the continent and passes into a phase of unhealthy intellectual and literary dandyism. Having migrated to the continent, dandyism is already becoming the position of numerous French artists and poets who are trying to theoretically “fix” the very essence of dandyism. Forgetting that modernity and constant work on taste is far from a dead position, but work on reconciliation between shocking and puritanism in society. Dandy is constantly present in the literature of the XIX century as a recognizable character, and in the 1920s in English literature with the light hand of the publisher Henry Coleburn, the genre of "fashionable" novel began to flourish. The epithet "fashionable" in this case had a double meaning: the main character, as a rule, was fond of fashion and was a type of secular dandy.
But, popularization and transformation into fashion in the hands of artists and writers leads to the fact that the dandy artist's focus on artificiality begins to be recognized as his main advantage and takes the form of a protest. Passing off the worlds created by him as "real reality", art creates a new order opposing the chaos of the world. Just like the fashion industry cultivating modern heroic images.
Dandyism is no longer perceived only as a way of living, fashion receives practical justification as a kind of political platform for changing the situation in society. The very same representatives of "true" dandyism, in contrast to the heroes of French fashion, rightly objected to the vulgar understanding of this term as panache, fashionableness. Bremmel represents not only fashion, but also the form of culture. He is not a fashion hero, but a cultural aristocratic personality who watches over and asserts himself in the field of fashion in an imperfect society. But dandyism, which was for the time being a sign of victorious masculinity, is gradually turning into a fashionable hobby and means.
On the continent, the theater and gentlemen's clubs for a well-to-do environment that cultivated actresses and women of society as fashion heroines became the mainstay of the material form of society and the fashionable environment. So did the street cabaret and commoner cafés, where artists and poets frolicked, glorifying prostitutes and dancers as objects of public worship. All these buffoonery antics of Lautrec, and the shocking mockery of the bourgeoisie and aristocracy of Félicien Rops created the illusion of a collapse of social framework and decency, and the aristocrats themselves begin to visit openly slum places, reveling in their dual game.
The situation is only aggravated by the unkind genius of dandyism, Oscar Wilde, who tramples on the basic law of dandyism - the ability to break rules within the rules, to be eccentric and joyfully unpredictable, remaining within the framework of good form and impeccable secularity. In the words of the writer himself, who relished his dual life, “Tired of wandering the heights, I voluntarily sank into the abyss. There I was looking for new charms. I longed for illness or insanity, and most likely both. " Actually, this can be observed in many areas of human life, when selfishness comes to replace individualism. Along the same "path" along which romantics and terrorists come to replace revolutionaries. Thus, Byron's stoic puritanism was replaced by nihilism, and Brummel's outrageousness was replaced by Wilde's immorality. Which, as a result, ended for the writer with a loud scandal, accusations of molestation and sodomy, imprisonment and subsequent exile, and dandyism itself, or rather its false fashionable manifestation, was for a long time discredited in the eyes of conservative English society.
Without a doubt, it was dandyism that was meant by Anglomania with all the attributes of a dictatorship of elegance at the time of penetration into Russian soil. Many researchers of the issue find a "touch of dandyism" in the lives of Chaadaev, Raevsky, Pushkin and Lermontov, the term "Bayrovshchina" is becoming a household name for the growing nihilism in student society. The Russian merchants, gravitating towards vulgar fashion, supported a theatrical environment in the manner of a European, around which decently dressed young men who had read fashion literature swarmed. Undoubtedly, the fashion for dandyism affected the artistic and literary circles of the period of Diagel's sessions, the groups of "worldists" and the "mighty handful", whose representatives often traveled to Europe and precisely to fashionable places where fun, fashion and debauchery reigned.
Someone is inclined to consider Nikolai Gumilyov to be the first dandy of his era, but under all these definitions there is hardly anything like that, as in Bremmel's time. By the time the dendist fashion penetrated Russian soil, dandyism could rather fit into the shorter formulation "esthete, snob and gourmet" because of the very construction of Russian society of that period, its closed nature and perception of aestheticism as an indispensable quality of enlightenment that reigned in Masonic and student circles ... The culture of one's own taste will remain the lot of the elite.
The French word "flaneur" - a lover of idle walks - has come into use since the 30s of the XIX century, when modern forms of urban leisure began to take shape. Planning, or the habit of aimless walks, is a stable attribute of the life of the Dandy youth and the Parisian literary elite. Alfred de Musset, Théophile Gaultier, Baudelaire, Barbe d'Oreville, Stendhal, Balzac, Pierre Loti became famous not only as writers, but also as inveterate dandies who regularly exercised in the most exquisite toilets in order, as they say, to show themselves and others to see ... Flaner becomes a fashionable type in the urban landscape, and the philosophy of flanning so captures the best minds of the era that the famous writer and dandy Honore de Balzac in 1833 decided to thoroughly investigate the "theory of gait". To do this, as befits when writing these treatises, he first studied the existing scientific literature, but he managed to draw the most valuable observations when he finally got ready to Ghent (now Italian) Boulevard, sat down on a chair and began to study the gait of the Parisians passing by. “On this day,” Balzac admits, “I made the deepest and most curious observations in my entire life. I returned, bending under the weight of my discoveries ... It seemed to me that the publication of the "Gait Theory" could only be in ten or twelve volumes, accompanied by a thousand seven hundred engravings. " In the manner of walking, Balzac was able to discern the “style of the body,” a metaphor of character, and described in detail the optimal technique of flanching, in which the walker should “keep straight, put his feet in one line, not deviate too much to the right or left, imperceptibly involve the whole body in movement , gently sway, tilt your head ... ”King Louis XIV had a similar proportionate gait (Balzac never hid his monarchical sympathies!).
As a result, the novelist summed up his reflections on gait in a series of classical aphorisms: "Everything in us takes part in the movement; no part of the body should stand out"; "When the body is in motion, the face must remain motionless"; "Any unnecessary movement is the height of extravagance." The ideal of gait, according to Balzac, implies reasonable coherence and the absence of fussy gestures: "Economy of movement is a means of giving gait both nobility and grace."
Smoothness plays a special role in the fine art of Dandy flanning, since slow movement, as it was believed at that time, is inherently majestic. The mimic analogue of a slow gait is "immobility of the face", emphasizing the noble dignity of the flaneur. Slow flanching with a motionless face is a condition for disinterested contemplation, aestheticism as a bodily and life program. The constructive principle of dandyism - "nothing superfluous" - in this case is directly projected onto the moral and intellectual properties of the individual.
So, the beauty of the Dandy walk is largely based on the algorithm for saving movements, which has both a purely physiological and aesthetic background. According to Balzac, a sluggish gait is an attribute of a sage, a philosopher and a secular person in general: "the smoothness of movement for the gait is the same as simplicity in a suit." The laconicism of expressive means in clothes, as we see, directly correlates with the nobility of a mean gesture and the statics of perfected poses.
As a kind of special training in a proud regularity of gait, one can probably regard a particularly fashionable ritual that developed in the middle of the 19th century among Parisian dandies: walking with domestic turtles. Dandy, leisurely walking a turtle in the Luxembourg Gardens, demonstrates truly stoic equanimity and majestic self-sufficiency. However, his almost anecdotal calmness in this case hides an unwillingness to obey the ever-accelerating rhythms of city life, resistance to industrial progress, aestheticized nostalgia for bucolic times. The deliberate slowness of the dandy with the turtle also accentuates one essential aspect of planning - its fundamental idleness: not just unwillingness to run, but to run on business or move like an automaton. The idleness of the flaneur is symbolically associated with the pose of a carefree aristocrat, for whom worries about their daily bread are excluded by definition and even serious occupations are disguised as a hobby. It is unthinkable for him to run down the street: “I ran! I repeated. “Just like a commoner - has anyone ever seen me or you running?” Says the young dandy aristocrat Pelam to his friend.
Where will the commensurately moving dandy direct his steps? His route is often found out only on the way, for the flaneur is driven by a random whim. Urban space is a map of his desires, a continuous sign surface, a topographic projection of his stream of consciousness. He reads the map with his body, marking out his arbitrary routes with a dotted line. The classic space for an idle walk in the city is “nature islands”: parks, city gardens, boulevards. They are reminiscent of the original sentimental idyll of rural walks, and regular walks in the parks - on foot, horseback or in a carriage - have long been an obligatory ritual of social life. However, a true mid-19th century urban flanneur is more likely to prefer a busy street that nourishes his observant mind.
For the flaneur-writer, the city is like an open book, which provides him with interesting stories and serves as a source of inspiration. After all, the most exciting thing on a walk is to determine the activities and character of passers-by by their appearance and gait. Of course, many writers found their future heroes among street types. Balzac was especially fond of this, who did not neglect street impressions even when it was only required to choose a name for the character.
Program idleness is also opposed to bourgeois efficiency. The bourgeois, who diligently plays the role of a leisurely dandy flaneur, in fact often feels remorse, because so much time is wasted, on "idle" walks! But the days of this reflective, non-vain idleness were already numbered. Indeed, at the very beginning of the twentieth century, the inventor of the assembly line, Taylor, will put forward the slogan “Down with the idlers!”, And in Russia none other than Meyerhold uses the “Taylorized manner of walking” as an artistic device in his productions. The shrewd Robert Musil gave a sad forecast for planning: at the very beginning of his novel “A Man Without Properties,” the last flaneur dies on the streets of Vienna under the wheels of a truck.
In the meantime, in the nineteenth century, Dandy flandering is still perceived almost as an analogue of pure art - free disinterested activity in the name of a perfect form. In this sense, the legendary pink vest and graceful poetic “Enamels and Cameos” by Théophile Gaultier are absolutely equal and logically related cultural facts. During the walk, the flâneur observes, and his excessively keen eyesight works like the look of an "artist of modern life", capturing the little things and noting the details. Flaner enjoys his own freedom, a loner in the crowd, keeping the distance necessary for contemplation.
As part of a photo shoot for her own blog Portraits of a Dandy and for the book I'm a Dandy: The Return of an Elegant Gentleman, Callahan dated "exceptionally elegant" men from New York, London, Paris and the West Coast.
Michael Atters Attree, Brighton, 2011.
Dandy Wellington, New York, 2013.
Sean Crowley, Brooklyn, 2011.
Fyodor Pavlov, New York, 2013.
Who are the dandies? In the 18th and 19th centuries in London, these were self-made men who imitated "an aristocratic lifestyle despite their middle class background." In bohemian Paris, the dandies "sought to express contempt for bourgeois society and to show their superiority over it."
In the 21st century, Rose Callahan has discovered that panache transcends racial, class, and national boundaries. Even the dandy's style varies dramatically. Some of the dandies she's dated wear custom-made suits and shoes. Others find vintage models from mass manufacturers.
Dandy is not a subculture like punks, goths, rockers or metalheads. They have no common musical or political preferences. “They are all desperate to highlight their individuality and go their own way. This is more like the male archetype. Around this theme has always been the idea of \u200b\u200ba "peacock", which underlies dandyism and explains its diversity. For some men, it's a way of expressing masculinity. "
Kevin Wang and Minn Hoore at HVRMINN, New York, 2013.
Sean Crowley, Brooklyn, 2011.
Robert W. Richards, New York, 2011.
Barima Owusu-Nyantekyi, London, 2013.
These mods are so eager to highlight their individuality that they don't even like the idea of \u200b\u200bcalling themselves a dandy.
Callahan hopes her book will provide a deeper understanding of dandyism for those unfamiliar with its history and current trends. She also strives to please the audience and even inspire a little.
“Everyone doesn't have to want to dress like these guys, but I want them to inspire people to be more of themselves,” she says.
Massimiliano Mocchia di Cogjola, Paris, 2011.
Ignacio Keiles at QP & Monty, New York, 2012.
Dr. Andre Schuerschwell, New York, 2012.
How dandy London is dressed ...
From childhood, we know that Pushkin's Eugene Onegin not only read Adam Smith and thought about the beauty of his nails, but was also dressed like a real dandy. Who are they, these dandies who were imitated not only in snowy Petersburg, but throughout Europe? Why is this word still synonymous with masculine elegance? In order to find out, let's be transported to England at the end of the 18th century - that's when London becomes the true capital of fashion.
By the way, you may have a logical question: "Where did this word - dandy come from?" It turns out that no one can give an exact answer. It is believed that it is of French origin - from ‘dandin“ (a small bell, that is, a windbag, a fool). Proponents of another version refer us to the Scottish ‘jack-a-dandy” (literally “handsome”).
So, throughout the 18th century, English restrained style was opposed to French pretentiousness, however, Versailles still remained the main supplier of the latest fashions.
Strange as it sounds, but the main reason for the rise of the British style was ... the Great French Revolution. However, it’s not so strange - when guillotined heads fly in the country, who would think of doing hats? So France passed the baton to its eternal rival - England.
Y. Lotman writes: "Having originated in England, dandyism included a national opposition to French fashions, which aroused stormy indignation of English patriots at the end of the 18th century." It is pompous in the Soviet way, but right!
In the same Lotman we read: "He (dandyism) was focused on extravagance of behavior and on the romantic cult of individualism." Something, but extravagance has always been a virtue of a true Briton, even more so in the 18th century! An important role in the development of dandyism was played by the Prince of Wales (later - King George IV), a hedonist, a libertine and, at the same time, a person who had a subtle sense of poetry and painting.
As the capital of world fashion, England is somewhat lost against the background of such famous couturiers as France or Italy. It is difficult to say what is the reason for this bias. However, now there are more and more English fashion designers, and most importantly, it was in foggy Albion that a revolution took place that radically changed the vector of development of men's clothing.
Like any revolution, this one consisted of many factors and prerequisites, but it was made by one person, who became a role model for many people for a whole century to come. His name was George Brian Brummel (1778 - 1840). He was of absolutely ignorant origin: his grandfather was a simple lackey, who, nevertheless, managed to accumulate a fairly decent fortune and, thanks to the necessary acquaintances, arrange for his son William a good place - as a secretary to Lord North, a famous politician of that time. In this post, William Brummell achieved significant success, became an influential man, and could already afford to send his two sons - William and George - to Eton, where they studied with the offspring of noble aristocratic families. After graduating from Eton, George Brummell studied briefly at Oxford and decided to go into military service - he became a cornet of the 10th Dragoon Regiment.
However, in the barracks he did not show much zeal, and after meeting the Prince of Wales, the future king George IV, who became his friend and patron, and left the service altogether, starting the very career thanks to which he went down in history - the career of a dandy.
While still in college, Brummel was distinguished by particular care in personal hygiene, as well as in clothing and the ability to tie a scarf. Now he could devote much more time to himself and amazed his contemporaries with his habits. Every morning he began with a toilet: he carefully shaved, took a bath in a special basin, and then took a bath of milk to improve the condition of his skin. In addition, shampooing, manicure - everything about everything took about three hours. Then he dressed: snow-white linen, a tailcoat carefully fitted to the figure of plain cloth, long narrow pantaloons, Hessian boots, no jewelry. All clothes, underwear, scarves at any time of the day must be impeccably clean and changed several times a day - quite an expensive pleasure in a time when every house did not have a tap with running water.
What was so surprising to his contemporaries? Not a three-hour toilet with a milk bath, and not a colossal amount of linen and shirts, although these habits were certainly different from the generally accepted norms. To make it clearer, you need to understand what a men's suit looked like in the 18th century: “... he appeared at court balls in rich suits: a pink silk camisole with buttons made of precious stones, five thousand metallic sequins on a hat, shoes decorated with buckles five inches wide - the prince's own invention. Another time he wore a bottle-green silk camisole with dark red stripes, a vest made of silvery fabric with embroidery, and camisole lapels made of the same fabric as the vest. The whole costume, including pantaloons, was decorated with sequins and embroidery, epaulettes and a sword were trimmed with diamonds "- the future King George IV sported such outfits. The flashy outfits were complemented by a lush powdered wig, as well as makeup and flies. Of course, such toilets were also far from generally accepted, and in England, in principle, a more restrained style prevailed in comparison with the continent. But nevertheless, the main features are clear: men's clothing, in principle, did not exclude a rich color palette, various decorations and decorative elements - from lace on the cuffs of a shirt to gold and silver lace along the floor of the coat.
George Brummel, with his delicate taste, absolutely did not like such bright outfits, and he introduced the rules of a new style of clothing:
First: an impeccably clean body (no makeup, perfume or powdered wigs) and fresh linen.
Second: an impeccably fitted tailcoat made of plain cloth (light for daytime, dark for evening outings).
Third: carefully selected and high-quality accessories: a carefully tied neckerchief (Brummel was a master of this art and his knots have always been an object of envy and mystery), a gold ring, a gold pocket watch chain and a snuff box. The latter was probably the only frankly luxurious item in Brummel's toilet: in his collection there were specimens of gold, silver, with jewelry made of precious stones, but she only appeared for a few seconds. In general, the entire toilet was consistent with the principle of "noticeable invisibility". Such clothes served only as a frame, a background for a person. “At the sight of a well-dressed man, one should not say: 'What a beautiful suit he has!' Better to say: 'What a gentleman!'”, Brummel often repeated.
What at first amazed and surprised gradually became common. Fashionistas, and then all other men, appreciated the simple and versatile suit worn by Brummel. Throughout the nineteenth century, slightly changing in nuances, it remained unchanged in its essence. At the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries, interest in Brummel's biography resumed, and a new generation of dandies appeared - aesthetes and decadents, among whom was, for example, Oscar Wilde.
Only slightly changing the shell and nuances, the principles laid down by Brummel are preserved in our time. Until now, a classic men's suit is sewn of woolen fabric of discreet colors, the only color accent in clothes is a tie, tying which is also a special art, and traditional men's accessories remain the best decoration, an indicator of taste and status: watches and cufflinks.
But Prince George himself would have remained in history as an immoral fat man, if not for George Brian Brummell - the best friend and advisor of His Highness. Brummell was flatteringly called "the prime minister of elegance" and "arbiter of fashion," and Byron himself argued that "There are three great men in the 19th century — Brummell, Napoleon, and myself." Oh yes! In secular society, another nickname for Brummell was established - Handsome.
So, handsome Brummell was exceptionally clean, had a rather short haircut (by the standards of the 18th century) and surprised everyone with an impeccable cut of clothes. O. Weinstein, a researcher of dandyism, says: “The Bramell program was remarkable for its striking closeness to the modern principles of men's wardrobe.”
It was he who introduced long trousers-pants for men into fashion - before that, as you remember, men wore short culottes. Brummell spent a lot of time perfecting the knots of the neckerchief, carefully choosing accessories and several tailors sewed gloves for him at once: one was the palm, the second was the thumb, the third was the other four ...
Brummell's demeanor and lifestyle became an example to follow. A real dandy was obliged to combine ease in communication with witty cynicism, and the ability to animate any conversation - with the ability to subtly parry.
And, of course, the follower of Brummell should not have shed tears over the love mail! A true dandy was never surprised at anything, remained impassive and knew how to leave in time. In general, a quote from "Eugene Onegin" will come in handy here:
“... Without compulsion in conversation
Touch everything lightly
With the learned air of an expert.
Keep silent on an important dispute
And excite the smile of the ladies
By the fire of unexpected epigrams ”.
Aerobatics for a dandy is to be able to break the rules within ... the rules themselves, to be eccentric and strange, staying within the framework of good form ... One of the differences between a dandy and a dandy, dandy, dandy was that dandies did not follow fashion, they they did it themselves (of course, within the limits of the permissible!)
Handsome Brummell often behaved openly arrogantly, which, however, only increased his popularity. One day the Duke of Bedford asked him for his opinion on his new tailcoat. "Do you think this is called a tailcoat?" - Brummell asked cynically, and the ashamed Bedford went home to change.
Brummell taught the clumsy prince how to dress properly, care for his skin and communicate with ladies. The only thing that Georg was so unable to overcome was his love for long meals. A true dandy was obliged to keep track of his waist - excess weight was then the concern of men, not women. Lord Byron, for example, constantly went on different diets to fit into the stated image.
Brummell's story is a story of a meteoric rise and an equally precipitous fall. The end of the life of the great dandy was sad - prison, mental insanity and death at the age of 62. This happened on March 30, 1840. In the courtyard there was already another era - for three years already, the English throne was occupied by a highly moral gossip named Victoria ...
But Brummell's ideas have not sunk into oblivion - dandyism has become a real philosophy of sophisticated fashionistas of all times and peoples. By the way, it was he who became the author of the first book about fashion - "Men's and Women's Suit".
Simplicity and restraint became the main principles of the Dandy style. No perfume, the finest linen, more shirts and, most importantly, a beautiful vest and an elegant neckerchief. Throughout the 19th century, Brummell's ideas became a guide to action - the men's suit remained discreet, practical, but, at the same time, elegant. Male elegance was now manifested in the emphasized simplicity and restraint, in the well-groomed mustache and hairstyle.
As you know, the 19th century was the century of the rise of the bourgeoisie - the nouveau riche-moneybags by hook or by crook tried to outmaneuver the aristocrats. And here again Brummell's ideas came in handy - a true dandy is afraid not even of poverty, but of vulgarity. Remember?
"That which is an autocratic fashion
In the high London circle
It's called vulgar ... "
The end of the 19th century is usually called the Belle Époque - a time of sophisticated luxury, beautiful poems and bizarre vignettes. Dandyism Belle Ėpoque is a kind of farewell to male sophistication - in the coming 20th century men who can hold a weapon, not a cane, will be appreciated.
Oscar Wildebeing a true dandy himself, he loved this image - his Lord Goring, Lord Darlington, Lord Henry, etc are the sophisticated followers of Brummell.
Irish poet, writer, essayist, one of the most famous playwrights of the late Victorian period, a prominent celebrity of that time, a London dandy, later convicted of "obscene" (homosexual) behavior and after two years in prison and corrective labor left for France (where he lived under a changed name and surname). Best known for his sparkling plays full of paradoxes, winged words and aphorisms, as well as the novel "The Picture of Dorian Gray" (1891).
Cynical, light on their feet, not so much beautiful as possessing charm, they scoff at the weaknesses and prejudices of the crowd and, at the same time, actively use these weaknesses. And, of course, they dictate fashion and style.
Among the menswear trendsetters 'Belle époque' stands out the crowned bon vivant - Edward VII, eldest son of Queen Victoria.
O. Weinstein writes: “Possessing excellent taste, he knew how to dress always appropriate and for the occasion, whether it was a boat trip or a trip by car, a court ball or a hunt. It was Edward VII who once unbuttoned the bottom button of his waistcoat after dinner, and after him all fashionistas began to do so. And another time, in the rain, he wrapped the edges of his trousers, after which the world learned about a new product - trouser cuffs ... "
I must say that beautiful France has given birth to many real dandies. At one time, the names of Robert de Motesque and Boni de Castellana were too well known for us to forget about them now.
Count Robert de Montesquieu - Fesensac he was rich, noble, handsome. Refined taste and love of life distinguished this man. Contemporaries called him "the master of refined scents" and "professor of beauty." Slender, even, one might say, thin, dark-haired with a chiseled profile, Montesquieu embodied the aesthetic ideal of his time.
De Montesquieu, like many of his contemporaries, adored the art of the Gallant Age and organized brilliant balls in the style of Louis XIV and Louis XV. The Count scrupulously studied the lifestyle and the smallest details associated with the Golden Age of the French monarchy. In the heat of his passion for the life of the inhabitants of Versailles, the count even bought an antique bathtub that once belonged to the favorite of Louis XIV - the Marquis de Montespan!
It may sound strange, but Robert's favorite color was ... gray. Too much unflattering has been written about this color, however, Montesquieu could present gray in his outfits so exquisitely that no one even thought that this was the choice of “gray nature”. He distinguished between steel-gray and "mouse", pearl-gray and gray-gray. He even had a special "gray room". The graph skillfully combined various shades of gray, for example, with lilac-pink.
Montesquieu, like most educated people of his time, was "a bit of a poet." His florid, lofty, vignette-like poems enjoyed some success in secular circles.
Who is the dandy? Characteristic dandy
At the end of the 18th century. France, which survived a bloody revolution and practically lost the old secular society, for several centuries dictating the rules of good taste to all of Europe, gave way to the trendsetter of prim England.
Even the great Russian poet Alexander Pushkin mentioned the image of a dandy in his novel "Eugene Onegin":
Here is my Onegin at large:
Cut in the latest fashion
How dandy london is dressed -
And finally saw the light.
This led to a change not only in costumes and hairstyles - the requirements for the representatives of the strong half of humanity also changed. At the peak of popularity - the image of the English dandy.
How did a man have to behave in order to be known as a trendsetter? Following the newfangled trends was clearly not enough. Of course, a new tailcoat, and curled hair, and a well-groomed appearance were simply necessary, but the image of a dandy demanded much more, namely, a certain behavior. A young man could be called a dandy only if his image was full of grace, and the conversation was ironic, if his demeanor showed genuine composure, and his postures and gestures were elegant.
Dandy was a socialite, the king of fashionable salons and court balls, a conqueror of women's hearts. Of course, the image of a dandy was mainly chosen by young people, the so-called golden youth of the turn of the 18th-19th centuries, who had enough funds to maintain a sleek and fashionable appearance.
The formation of this image was greatly influenced by the gallant French age, from which English fashionistas inherited both a love of expensive clothes and a desire to take care of their appearance, including polishing nails, lining eyebrows and creating an even face tone. But if for the XVII century. were characterized by splendor, an abundance of jewelry and luxurious handmade lace, then in the new century this was replaced by the elegant simplicity of a black dress coat, a high black top hat and an expensive graceful cane.
A real dandy was considered not just a man who knows how to dress fashionably - but one who did it as if he did it completely spontaneously. Therefore, dandies often deliberately let footmen wear their suits to make their clothes look slightly worn.
A secular image, sophisticated and a little feminine, at the same time demanded a fair share of masculinity, since the trail of his victories over women's hearts stretched behind the secular lion, and over rivals in numerous duels for any reason - just remember the duel between Lensky and Onegin from - for a trifling quarrel at the ball.
By the middle of the 19th century, when England became the most powerful power in the world, the image of the dandy finally gave way to the cult of gentlemen, which was widely spread to other countries. After the Great French Revolution and the conquests of Napoleon, separate centers of easy social life remain in Europe, but on the whole, the age of gallantry is becoming a thing of the past, giving way to the advancing class of the rich bourgeoisie, dictating their own norms of behavior. In the business sphere, a man manifests himself primarily as a reliable business partner: the ability to keep his word, defend his interests, defend his business and his family is valued.
A man is unconditionally recognized as the stronger sex, designed to patronize and protect the weaker sex.