Charming, aesthetic, elegant flower of luxurious life, a little spoiled, internally contradictory, exquisitely eccentric. With these epithets, one can probably determine the fashion trend of the beginning of the 19th century under the name Dendism.
Who is a dandy?
The heyday of dendism falls on the end of the XVIII beginning of the XIX century. England is considered the birthplace of this cultural movement. Dandy is not just a fashionista who knows how to dress beautifully, it is something mysterious, incomprehensible, unsolved. This is a game in which many bright minds of that time were involved:
- George Brammell is the legislator of Dendism and the character of works, feature films, plays and treatises.
- Oscar Wilde is a London philosopher, writer, esthetician and poet.
- George Gordon Byron or simply Lord Byron is an English poet who praised joyless egoism.
- Aubrey Vincent Beardsley is a British artist, poet and esthetician.
- Pushkin Alexander Sergeevich - the founder of the literary Russian language, poet, historian, critic and publicist.
- Lermontov Mikhail Yurievich - Russian playwright, poet and artist.
- Charles Baudelaire - French founder of decadence, poet, essayist, critic.
- Sergei Pavlovich Diaghilev - ballet producer and theater figure.
But it is George Brammel who is considered the arbiter, legislator, commander, called the “Prime Minister of Grace”, on whom all the followers of this phenomenon were equated.
Dendism itself develops its own special disdainful rules of behavior in society, a life position of superiority over others and a unique style of dress, combining impeccable taste and somewhat spontaneous appearance.
The three components of dendism
Dandy is a secular lion, artist, snob, intellectual and fashion leader. It is not enough just to dress fashionably, although tailcoat cut out according to ideal patterns, curled curls, and impeccable freshness of shirts, scarves and socks are required. The adherent of dendism should be calm and elegant, elegant and ironic, his motto is three notorious rules:
- not be surprised at anything;
- maintaining composure stunned by unpredictability;
- on time to leave, impressing.
Dendist portrait
Who is a dandy? How does he look like? The British critic and essayist William Hazlitt in his 1821 work On the look of a gentleman gives a rather comprehensive definition of the physical appearance of a dandy, implying that the gentleman's body is his tool, whose possession should be laid-back and virtuoso. All movements are honed, but free, and completely subordinate to the will of the mod, who controls him with an impassive look. According to Hazlitt, the dandy is a more sophisticated version of a gentleman who is characterized by clarity of movement and brilliance of spectacular manners. For a true dandy, it is important not only to dress exquisitely, but also to be able to present yourself gallantly and with enthusiasm.
Dandy: history and modernity
There were many mods in history. All of them were united by a passion for fashion and something else, something ephemeral, elusive.
The first famous mod of antiquity can be considered Alcaviades of Athens, whose name was mentioned by Lord Byron, considering him the most charming hero of antiquity. Baudelaire called the Greek commander and speaker the forerunner of dendism, while Arsene Usse compared Alcibiades, an orgy lover, with the insatiable seducer Don Juan. The ancient Greek hero was distinguished by magical beauty, conquering contemporaries of both sexes. The name Alcibiades has become a brand of androgynous style in modern fashion.
Mentioned the name Alcibiades in his writings and the student of Socrates, the ancient philosopher Plato, who describes one episode of a feast of a conversation between a favorite of the public and those present. Alcibiades told in detail the story of the failure of his love affairs to Socrates, who rejected his beauty and blossoming youth, and laughed at him. Only a person with amazing self-control and self-confidence can tell outsiders about their own failure.
The definition of "what is a dandy" and in the modern world has remained the same as in the time of Alcibiades:
- a self-confident, charismatic person who consciously goes into conflict;
- a style judge whose amendments are not discussed, but accepted as truth, even if they are rather caustic;
- welcome visitor in any salon, club, feast - everywhere.
The environment of modern parties, which implies an androgynous appearance, bisexuality in erotic relationships, strongly reminds you of ancient times, the times of the birth of dendism.
Dendist Charter
What forms a sophisticated mod? What is the charter and what does dandy mean?
- Firstly, material independence. Any dandy is contemptuous of professionals, cultivating in his character an amateurish attitude to any occupation. Everything that makes a dandy should be pleasing to him personally - collecting, studying history or exotic languages, diverse hobbies. All this needs money, but not a single true dandy could afford to think and think about it.
- Secondly, the code of honor. The word given by such a mod was not questioned. Bail in other cases was the patronage of senior officials. What is characteristic of dendism is that the requirements of honor were applied only to people of an equal class. Failure to fulfill obligations with respect to the shopkeeper was not considered something unacceptable, but was even welcomed and regarded as bravado.
- Thirdly, the ability to endure bodily discomforts that true dandies acquired by constantly hardening the body, living in barely heated rooms and for hours practicing physical endurance of the body with special exercises. The Code implied that a dandy is a person who does not feel cold or heat, does not feel thirst and hunger, never gets tired or tired.
- Fourth, pleasure is the ultimate goal of life. Therefore, often dandies in life are players who tend to break the rules, having fun at the expense of their neighbor.
- Fifth, the ability to dress elegantly, emphasized elegantly. The suit should be perfectly cut, and the tie tied with such negligence, which rehearsed for hours at the mirror.
Dendism is the cause of financial collapse
If you trace the life history of the most famous dandies of the beginning of the XIX century, you can see a certain pattern. Many mods, falling under the meaning of the word dandy, ended up living in poverty and disease.
- George Brian Brammel - died in a psychiatric hospital as a beggar.
- Oscar Wilde - Died in exile, humiliating poverty, a patient with meningitis, speechless.
- Charles-Pierre Baudelaire - died in a clinic for the insane, with a diagnosis of syphilis.
- George Gordon Byron - Died of Fever in Greece.
It is possible that the indifferent attitude to prosperity prescribed by the Dendist code led to the bankruptcy of many illustrious dandies.
Dandy style in clothes
Appearance clearer than all definitions gives an idea of what a dandy is. Fashionista clothes should be modest only at first glance. Impeccable tailoring, providing freedom of movement, must be distinguished by grace and elegance. Bright flashy colors have been supplanted from fashion. The tone of the suit is now restrained, calm - brown, sulfur or green. From jewelry: tie, pin, watch and boutonniere - which are allowed to be bright. Slight negligence in tying a tie was achieved by long hours of exercise in front of the mirror. Wearing a new suit was considered bad form. He gave himself to the servant for a while to give an image of negligence. Gloves, shirts, shawls and socks were changed several times a day.
