"How is the dandy of London dressed": the meaning of Pushkin's phrase

Since childhood and school times, we remember that Pushkin's hero Eugene Onegin was a fan of Adam Smith and pedantically cared about the beauty of his nails, but he also dressed as a real dandy. However, not everyone understands until now what the phrase "how dandy of London dressed" means. Why "dandy" was considered the standard of male beauty? What are these pedantic personalities? Let's move to the heart of England at the end of the eighteenth century and see who the dandy is.

Dandy of London - who is this?

Dandy is a historical term for describing a person who pays particular attention to their appearance. Dandy as a person, in many respects differs from other representatives of the society not only by his appearance but also by his habits: he has an elegant speech, he is engaged in some leisurely hobby, he has the pedant's manners, he likes to stand in front of a mirror, careless and self-confident. The course of dandyism was born in England in the late 18th century in response to the excessively lofty role in the society of wealthy classes (the bourgeoisie). Dandy of London - this is a representative of the middle class, which seeks to lead an aristocratic lifestyle.

What does dandyism mean?

One can understand from this that dandyism is pure political protest, which developed in the eighteenth century in Great Britain and became the forerunner of the "American Revolution" (political events in the British colonies of North America 1775-1779, which ended in the formation of the United States). Given these connotations, this kind of panache can be seen as an attempt to protest against the leveling of "egalitarian principles" with elements of nostalgic adherence to feudal and pre-industrial principles.

Started with improvisation

Tendencies of fashion so-called dandies were asked during the last decade of the 18th century. In history and literature, there are many amusing stories about how the fashion of dandy has been perfected. One of them is dedicated to the notorious dandy - Lord Spencer (representative of the largest British aristocratic family). Once, while relaxing in the institution, he accidentally burned the coats of his frock coat, coming close to the burning fire. Without thinking twice, the lord cut them off and continued to have fun. So there was a new kind of outerwear - a narrow coat without the floor "Spencer". For a time, men wore a "light spencer" under a blue dress coat or shirt, and it was considered fashionable. But soon this coat became popular among women, and they also began to wear it.

Dandy of London: who is this? How did you dress?

At the beginning of the XIX century, male dandyism began to develop at a rapid pace. "Dandy of London" dressed smartly and elegantly, in a word - "with a needle." The ideology of the dandy was that the appearance should not restrain it. Careless movements and grace immediately identified such an individual from the crowd. Men, it would seem, dressed moderately and elegantly, but their appearance required a lot of money. Dandy of London - this is the most fashionable representative of men's society!

Let us cite as an example and confirm one more excerpt from the novel in the poems "Eugene Onegin" of the Russian classic:

"... Here is my Onegin at large;
Shaved in the latest fashion;
How the dandy of London is dressed ... "

The image of this dandy now did not require the presence of various ornaments and variegated accessories. Now men are worried about the quality of cut, which should be ideal. Thrace and waistcoats became the main elements of the everyday men's wardrobe, they were sewed from high-quality cloth. The style of clothes was selected for simple reasons: in the evening men were wearing dark-colored dress coats (black or blue), and in the daytime - light (usually gray).

Only two details of the male image could be bright colors - it's a waistcoat and a tie, they were picked very carefully and reverently. The real dandies believed that one of the main objects of their image is the waistcoat, which must perfectly fit into the overall color range of the costume and have the most sophisticated design. Among the wealthy dandies it was decided to collect large collections of vests of different texture, cut and color (one of them was the famous English playwright and prose writer Oscar Wilde). The last step on the way to perfection of the ideal image was the choice of a tie (or neck scarf), which should be tied in the most picturesque way.

The tie was considered the main attribute of the image of the "dandy"

The art of tying ties was appreciated above all. This dandy (London) this and differed from an ordinary member of society. A creative and studious knot is assessed as a separate attribute of the image. The perfectly tied tie was distinguished by the light negligence of the knot and resembled a quick improvisation, however this was a considerable amount of time devoted to it. This occupation gained such popularity that at the beginning of the XIX century whole books were devoted to the question of how skillfully tying a tie or neck scarf. One of the authors was Honore de Balzac (French writer, founder of realism in European literature), who in 1830 wrote a whole textbook titled "Treatise on elegant life."

Rules and whims of representatives of "dandyism"

First-class dandies were overly capricious and picky personalities. The aristocratic approach to choosing clothes had many regularities and rules. True representatives of "dandyism" considered it a bad form to be dressed in a suit, the novelty of which is sharply noticeable. To avoid this, they let their servants and waistcoats wear their servants, so that the outfit, after a while, became a bit worn and worn. Sometimes clothes are specially wiped off with objects with an abrasive surface - sandpaper or rough glass. Dandy of London, a photo with images of which is presented below, always cared about his appearance.

Particular attention was paid to personal hygiene. Clothes should always be clean and smelling good. Shirts and gloves required the most careful and quivering care. The real dandy had an unspoken rule: for a week a man should change about twenty shirts, thirty handkerchiefs, fifteen kinds of trousers, more than thirty ties and an endless array of socks and vests.