Back to Beau Nash - I never claimed he was the proto-Dandy purely because he wasn't. The were earlier Dandies... Nash fitted the pattern of the dressers and movers and shakers of his day. By the time of Nash the term 'Beau' was even then becoming tongue-in-cheek... (A little Kev Rowland joke in there!)
Agreed that that the coves in 'I Am Dandy' are most unlike Brummell - I think they follow the Wildean conception of Dandyism much more. But Nash and the other earlier others were different yet again. Nash and Wilde would also not have got on.
It's great that we're talking about Nash. Research him and you'll realise that he has nothing to do with I Am Dandy's specimens.
Last edited by formby (2013-10-24 17:07:41)
Last edited by Dudley Clarke (2013-10-24 18:18:56)
A dandy is a very unique sort of person. I don't think one photo can capture it because a dandy lives a lifestyle. I would imagine a dandy changes his clothes often. it would've been interesting if Brummel could've been photographed. i think it would have answered a lot of questions. Maybe the fact that Brummell is shrouded in some sort of mystery allows his legacy to carry a greater impact.
It would've also been intriguing to see if he stayed in favor whether he would've evolved his clothing choices.
I know that before i did much research on the word, the concept of a dandy meant someone who's style you couldn't quite figure out. Staring at a dandy was a bit like an unresolved curiosity stage. You expect everything to be good and well fitted. Clothes are combined in ways you'd never expect but both appreciate and recognize.
Two things i dont like about that photo book are that it seems like everyone put on their most striking outfits and that a woman is involved in it. I personally find a female over fascination with male dressing to be antithetical to the concept of dandyism. Womens' approach to clothing is almost entirely seductive. They can understand the concept of "peacocking" but the concept of dressing for power or hierarchy is somewhat alien to them.
Last edited by Dudley Clarke (2013-10-25 07:16:43)
Last edited by Goodyear welt (2013-10-25 11:38:58)
You know, we'd get on like a house on fire. When we used to chat on the phone we always did. Yes, I've got a funny voice but I'm not that posh. I was on a very jolly pub crawl yesterday ending with some Rugby fans picking me up and carrying me around the room. I'd lied and told them it was my birthday. Anything for a free drink.
Maybe that enough about me. My online profile doesn't need raising any higher and I only get mentioned now on here for stunts I pulled ages ago. It's not healthy. I don't actually do very much at all these days... My choice. I write a bit and potter around.
The Dandy conversation is far more interesting.
I thought the quote very much to the point. I didn't comment on it because I wanted it to stand as the truth on its own. Same with Dudley's comment 'Now were getting down to it' when I said, not for the first time, what my gig was here. All these things have always been the case. Some got it from day one, others took a while to twig. So bury it and move on. It happened and its over.
I'm busy thinking of female Dandies now... Looking at pictures and wondering if there is a Dandy spirit there... I always love a new idea to play with.
We need some pictures of proposed female Dandies to illustrate the possibility of their existence.