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April 21, 2006
New English Dandy
"Dandyism is the last vestige of a sartorial spirituality. It is a secular monastery, but with essential accessories."
- Robert Dutt
Alice Cicolini considers a well-groomed, Flea-ish masculinity in The New English Dandy. This is not entirely new ground for Cicolini. Her research on British underwear for the British Council revealed a country "paradoxically liberated by its boundaries." Cicolini claims England's uniforms and conformity are offset by "subtle subversion" as a hallmark of the nation's dress sense. Her work on English dandies takes the observation in a new direction. She argues the underlying motive for subversion is on the way out.
Cicolini's dandy classification owes a debt to her earlier work with the Victoria & Albert's Christopher Breward. 21st Century Dandy broke masculinity into six major categories: The Gentleman, Hoxton Dandy, Terrace Casual, Neo-Modernist, Celebrity Tailor and New British. The New English Dandy mixes and matches into six slightly new and improved categories.
2 'Terrace Casual' positions country and leisure style in the urban environment;
3 'Celebrity Tailor' focuses on the art of cut and the mastery of individual tailors;
4 'East End Flaneur' is rooted in a flamboyant urban camouflage and is the ultimate expression of street style;
5 'The Gentleman' shows an apparent effortlessness of dress and attention to detail;
6 'New Briton' re-evaluates what a British look really means.
In the absence of a celebrity tailor I am working on 'Annex Flaneur.' The Flea: So far from Bond Street. So close to Winners.
Posted by Ghost of a flea at April 21, 2006 08:07 AM
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