Beau Brummell and the Dandys
A look at proto-coolness in the time of wigs, stockings, and lace.
Friends, I’m working on a new series on nerdiness. As it comes together, I am adding a bit more color to the idea of coolness in history.
I want you to be a part of this project. Please consider liking a post, leaving a comment, or replying to an email. Let’s talk!
When you imagine a “cool” person today, you might imagine a mustachioed hipster, a tattoed fashionista, or a street-wise b-boy.
Whether you view them with honor or disdain, you know the archetype.
We can ask: what do they have in common? What makes them feel similar? Is this a human quality or something new?
Let’s assume these people have a few things in common. Their curated style suggests they are part of a subculture and oppose mainstream tastes. They are early adopters who are aware of the latest cultural movements and love to talk about them. They have an air of detachment that borders on cynicism. They are nonchalant about most things and appear composed. They are keen observers of other people’s tastes and enjoy being noticed for their own.
Of course, they would never admit to these things. For some, it’s a natural setting that has always been with them. When it’s authentic, it can be effortless and attractive.
A Snapshot
Whatever is “cool” today (or any other timeframe) is often a snapshot that represents the bleeding edge of contemporary tastes. What is cool today may will be lame tomorrow. These ebbs and flows drive fashion and popular culture and are often influenced by influential people who can read and react to changes in culture.
If this quality is timeless, we should be able to find examples in history.
Meet Beau Brummell
George “Beau” Brummell, born in 1778, changed men’s fashion forever. He was a star influencer of the era and a man who practiced a version of cool that serves as a prototype today.
Before Brummell’s time, men’s fashion was influenced by the French court and had a feminine flair. It included colorful silks, fine embroidery, breeches, and stockings, as well as lace, wigs, and heels.
Brummell was known for caring about his appearance and was among the first to reject the ornate silks and stockings of the aristocracy. He sensed that culture was changing and developed a new, more masculine look with linen shirts, dark coats, and trousers. This disrupted the fashion of the day and kick-started a trend that led directly to the men’s suits we see today.
Despite being middle class, Brummell became close to the English royal family and used this position to enter high society. His curated appearance, effortless charm, and cutting wit led to him becoming famous for being famous.
The Dandys
Brummell was a powerful example of a British Dandy, which represents a kind of proto-coolness. A Dandy, at the time, was a man who cared deeply about appearance, grooming, refined language, and leisure. Dandys were a cultural force in Europe in the early 1800s.
Poets and philosophers of the time can help us understand the perception of Dandys.
French poet Charles Baudelaire described the dandy as a reproach to the conformity of middle-class men. He wrote:
They have no other status, but that of cultivating the idea of beauty in their own persons, of satisfying their passions, of feeling and thinking.
He continues:
…dandyism is not even an excessive delight in clothes and material elegance…these material things are no more than the symbol of the aristocratic superiority of mind.
In the essay L'Homme révolté (1951), Albert Camus wrote:
The dandy is, by occupation, always in opposition to society. He can only exist by defiance … The dandy, therefore, is always compelled to astonish. Perpetually incomplete, always on the fringe of things, he compels others to create him, while denying their values.
Brummell and the Dandy influence reached France, where it became a symbol. Roman Meinhold:
French Dandys were celebrated as social revolutionaries who were self-created men possessed of a consciously designed personality, men whose way of being broke with inflexible tradition that limited the social progress of greater French society…the French dandies conveyed their moral superiority to and political contempt for the conformist bourgeoisie.
Think again about the cool hipster, fashionista, and b-boy I mentioned at the top. Think about jazz musicians and flappers of the 1920s. Are they Dandys by another name?
The Qualities
I believe Beau Brummel and the Dandys were practicing an early form of coolness. Let’s apply the qualities that I outlined in the Roots of Cool series:
Composure: Brummel and the Dandys practiced effortless presentation and style. They navigated high society with confident detachment.
Awareness: They reflected a changing culture and the opportunity to rethink fashion, style, and presence. They were hip.
Rebellion: They were non-conformists who sought to disrupt traditional society and expectations. They were animated by opposition to norms.
Authenticity: Their expression of attitude, fashion, and behavior was likely authentic and deeply held.
The Sad Ending
Beau Brummell’s life of celebrity and flamboyance eventually caught up with him. His gambling and leisure were supported by the Royal family… until they weren’t. Over time he developed severe debt, was ostracized by his peers, and moved to France to avoid debtor’s prison. He died in 1861, penniless and demented from syphilis.
The sad ending to Brummell’s life reflects the complicated nature of coolness. Its qualities are social and cultural and, therefore, ephemeral. Being “cool” is not a reliable path to wealth or traditional forms of success. In fact, it opposes many of society’s traditional norms.
The power and influence of coolness, even throughout the ages, are mysterious and complicated. Coolness is not rational and cannot be measured. It exists in the irrational social realm of intuition and emotion. Yet, it has probably always influenced popular culture, regardless of the era.
Question: What are other people or movements in history that reflect the qualities we see in Dandys?
People who are "famous for being famous" almost always have boring life stories, imo. But Beau Brummel is actually pretty fascinating. Behind The Bastards did a couple of episodes on him that are worth a listen.
https://www.iheart.com/podcast/105-behind-the-bastards-29236323/episode/part-one-beau-brummell-the-first-196142682/
We still use the phrase …..jim dandy to describe a fellow