A dandy is term historically used to describe a man who places particular importance upon physical appearance, refined language, and leisurely hobbies, pursued with the appearance of nonchalance in a cult of self. A dandy could be a self-made who strove to imitate an aristocratic lifestyle despite coming from a middle-class background, especially in late 18th- and early 19th-century Britain.
Previous manifestations of the petit-maître (French for small master) and the Muscadin have been noted by John C. Prevost, but the modern practice of dandyism first appeared in the revolutionary 1790s, both in London and in Paris.
The dandy cultivated cynical reserve, yet to such extremes that novelist George Meredith, himself no dandy, once defined cynicism as “intellectual dandyism.” Some took a more benign view; Thomas Carlyle wrote in Sartor Resartus that a dandy was no more than “a clothes-wearing man”.
Honoré de Balzac introduced the perfectly worldly and unmoved Henri de Marsay in La fille aux yeux d’or (1835), a part of La Comédie Humaine, who fulfils at first the model of a perfect dandy, until an obsessive love-pursuit unravels him in passionate and murderous jealousy.
Charles Baudelaire defined the dandy, in the later “metaphysical” phase of dandyism, as one who elevates aesthetics to a living religion, so that the dandy’s mere existence reproaches the responsible citizen of the middle class.
Dandyism is a form of Romanticism. Contrary to what many thoughtless people seem to believe, dandyism is not even an excessive delight in clothes and material elegance. For the perfect dandy, these things are no more than the symbol of the aristocratic superiority of mind.
“WE ARE DANDY” UNFOLDS WITH A FOREWORD BY THE ILLUSTRIOUS DITA VON TEESE, THAT CONVEYS THE AUTHENTICITY OF THESE AESTHETES, THEIR PASSIONS, AND THEIR BRAVELY CURATED PHILOSOPHIES.
The linkage of clothing with political protest had become a particularly English characteristic during the 18th century. Given these connotations, dandyism can be seen as a political protest against the levelling of egalitarian principles, often including nostalgic adherence to feudal or pre-industrial values, such as the ideals of “the perfect gentleman” or “the autonomous aristocrat”. Paradoxically, the dandy required an audience, as Susann Schmid observed in examining the “successfully marketed lives” of Oscar Wilde and Lord Byron, who exemplify the dandy’s roles in the public sphere, both as writers and as personae providing sources of gossip and scandal.
EDITORS: GESTALTEN
RELEASE DATE: NOVEMBER 2016
CREDITS: PHOTOGRAPHS BY ROSE CALLAHAN, TEXTS BY NATHANIEL ADAMS
FORMAT: 22.5 × 29 CM
FEATURES: FULL COLOR, HARDCOVER, 304 PAGES
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH
The magic of dandyism resides in the interplay between the dandy’s temperament and his appearance. Yet it is not a question of simple harmony, for one dandy may combine severe dress with a jocular demeanor, while another meshes cold aloofness with colorful and audacious dress. Nevertheless, what follows is an attempt to describe the indescribable, to unravel the formula of dandyism’s certain something.
To do so we must bear in mind that dandyism is sometimes referred to as an affectation. In Regency England, dandyism became a fashionable pose when men wished to imitate Brummell without having either his sartorial originality or his particular temperament. And though Brummell surely exploited his temperament for effect in fashionable society, it was already present when he was a lad at Eton and distinguished himself by “the most bold and delicate mixture of impertinence and respect.”
THE MAGIC OF DANDYISM RESIDES IN THE INTERPLAY BETWEEN THE DANDY’S TEMPERAMENTAND HIS APPEARANCE.
Around the world, dandies embrace style while respecting their local cultural traditions. Dandyism transcends fashion —it is a committed way of life. From America to Africa to Asia, dandyism is fashion in the best sense, self-esteem through style. And, in every country, it takes a unique form as dandies draw on the local context and fashion culture to shape their looks. The book “We are Dandy” throws open the doors of the wardrobe and explores the dandy as a global phenomenon.
With texts as witty as the subjects are stylish, the book pokes between the folds to let us know these exceptional individuals. For them, their dandy fashion is more than a trend or a phase, it is who they are, the outer expression of their inner selves.
Photographs and profiles paired with clever histories reveal what it takes to look your best around the world. “We are Dandy” unfolds with a foreword by the illustrious Dita Von Teese, that conveys the authenticity of these aesthetes, their passions, and their bravely curated philosophies.
It explores the importance of men’s elegance through the vibrant attire, environments, and personal histories of 56 men across four continents; this first of its kind international survey features not only the cultural capitols of Paris, New York, and Tokyo, but also Birmingham, Johannesburg, and Windhoek, Namibia.
