Fine and dandy

The dandy style, created by Beau Brummell, was perfected by Oscar Wilde and Edward VIII. By Shaun Cole and Miles Lambert

- Shaun Cole and Miles Lambert

George Bryan ‘Beau’ Brummell (1778-1840) is credited as the ‘original’ dandy. That was in the sense this sartorial style was first understood – as restrained, almost austere elegance, with keen attention to detail.

Brummell is seen as the first exemplar of, as French essayist Roland Barthes put it, ‘a man who has decided to radicalize the distinction in men’s clothing by subjecting it to an absolute logic’.

This is in contrast to more flamboyant, ostentatious predecessors such as the fop or 18th-century macaroni, who reveled in ornamentation and decoration.

Brummell did not invent this restrained style but drew on that of many English country gentlemen, who by the 1770s chose to wear plain, woolen tailoring for their outdoor activities, both country and urban.

Practical considerations for more activewear led to the need for improved construction and fit and stimulated the development of the already-dominant London tailoring profession.

Brummell was described as the ‘dictator of taste’. His ideals, exemplified in his appearance and manners, stressed personal elegance and neatness; panache and languid hauteur; wit and intelligence; and meticulous care and cleanliness. Although clearly some income was required, vast wealth was not.

There’s a deep contradiction here. Brummell may be identified as the source of 19th-century, understated, plain but elegant men’s dress and style. Yet he was actually a paradigm of 18th-century conspicuous consumption, requiring admiration and emulation.