It’s all fine and dandy again
Five years ago, the world was introduced to the
metrosexual. Now, his dapper big brother - the
dandy is stealing the spotlight, with a contemporary
twist.
Hilary Board reports
FIRST spotted in London town during the late 1700s, dandies have always been a conspicuous bunch from the "more is more" mindset.
Getting creative with cravats was something of a dandy trademark in the 18th century, along with contrasting the colours of one's jacket and pants. The latter has continued to be favoured by famous Yankee Doodle dandies Tommy Hilfiger and Ralph Lauren, season after season.
For spring/summer 2009, Italian designers D&G and Dsquared2 also jumped on the dandy bandwagon, with bow ties, rounded spectacles and jackets with contrasting lapels featuring in both.
After parading exquisitely cut three-piece suits with fob chains, Dsquared2 took their dandy to a hiphop concert - throwing a baseball cap, red shorts, bright sneakers, striped "gym socks" and a chunky gold neck chain into the mix.
These quirky modern twists breathed new life into the traditional dandy look and undoubtedly struck a chord with style-savvy young gents everywhere.
Brisbane footwear designer Chris McCallum also responded to the trend at his Vein Wear boutique in bustling Fortitude Valley recently, naming a new shoe the Dandy Loafer.
"Traditionally, a dandy was a self made man imitating aristocrats, who expressed his fine intellect by manifesting his appearance and wearing beautiful, refined clothing and shoes," McCallum says.
"I think men have come back to appreciating fine fashion as an expression of intellect, breeding, stature and masculinity - and thus the Dandy Loafer was born.
"Essentially, however, we are not really aristocrats - it's a charade – and the cracks inevitably show through. This is why I opted to use a cracked patent leather."
Vein Wear's collection includes other dandy classics with contemporary twists, such as the tartan Low Cut Lounge Slipper and the two-tone Brogue with metallic highlights and unorthodox brogue lines.
"I imagined the young aristocrat retiring to the cigar room for brandies and talk of politics wearing tartan slippers . . . so I designed the luxe Lounge Slipper with that in mind, but substituted the fabric for a new printed leather."
Fellow Brisbane boutique The Cloakroom announced it had "increased quality across the board" in May this year. The tailor-made men's clothing and accessories specialist has further improved the level of finish and construction in its trousers, and now hand-fasten the shirt buttons in their Pistols at Dawn label.
Since opening in Brisbane two years ago, owners Andrew Byrne and Josh McPherson have "been very fortunate to have had the support and patronage of many" and the polished duo recently opened a second Cloakroom store in Sydney's Surry Hills despite the gloomy economic climate. But the fashion industry hasn't been the only one to cash in on the dandy, with MTV introducing the reality show From G's to Gents in July last year.
Produced by actor/singer Jamie Foxx, the show chronicles 14 gangsters (G's) on their journey towards becoming proper gentlemen (and vying for the grand prize of $ll4,000).
The final episode of the first season drew 3.9 million viewers - making the show No.1 in its time slot and transforming its host, Fonzworth Bentley, into an instant dandy icon.
Bentley (real name Derrick Watkins) grew up in Atlanta with Outkast singer and bona fide dandy Andre 3000. Inspired by the letter sweaters, varsity jackets and riding breeches worn by college kids in the 1930s, Andre launched his own dandified label - Benjamin Bixby - early last year.
"You had rough guys who played football, but they were always impeccably dressed:' Andre has says. "Now, if a guy wants to wash his face, they call him a 'metrosexual'. We need to get away from thinking that being well-dressed means that you're gay. Looking and feeling good is no indication of your sexuality. I wanted to create clothes that represented my and others' style."
Like Dsquared2 and Vein Wear, Benjamin Bixby offers quirky re-workings of traditional looks that are what have made this trend so engaging once again.
With talented designers such as Byrne, McPherson and McCallum about town, we can rest assured every modern dandy will have his day.
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