What does the superior man — Julius Evola’s aristocrat of the soul, or man of Tradition — do in an age of mediocrity and machines, […]
Category: Theory
Heroism In Times Of Decadence
Baudelaire’s 1863 essay on dandyism, after characterizing the tradition as a “strange sort of spirituality,” declares it “the last stroke of heroism in times of […]
Opposition & Revolt
The Dandy From “The Painter of Modern Life,” 1863 By Charles Baudelaire Translation by P.E. Charvet The wealthy man, who, blasé though he may be, […]
Treatise On Elegant Living
Every era has its particular expression of elegance. But while that expression is forever in flux, the principles that govern it are fixed and eternal. […]
Dandyism & Decadence
From “The Idea of Decadence in French Literature” By AE Carter, 1958 Dandy and decadent are fused in Baudelaire’s work and life. He affected an […]
Wit & Wisdom
“Style is the dress of thought.” — Lord Chesterfield “A dandy does nothing. Can you imagine a dandy addressing the common herd except to make […]
The Canon
This list of canonical texts has not been updated since the belle epoque of Dandyism.net circa 2006, but perhaps it will be someday. Principal Texts […]
Beerbohm’s “Dandies & Dandies,” 1896
Dandies and Dandies By Max Beerbohm, 1896 Image: detail of a portrait by William Rothenstein, via Merton College How very delightful Grego’s drawings are! For […]
Born A Dandy
From “The Autocrat of the Breakfast-Table,” 1858 By Oliver Wendell Holmes Image: Sir Philip Sassoon by John Singer Sargent Dandies are not good for much, […]
On Dress And Deportment
On Dress and Deportment From “Idle Thoughts of an Idle Fellow,” 1886 By Jerome K. Jerome They say — people who ought to be ashamed […]
The Art Of Wearing Clothes
The Art of Wearing Clothes: The history of this rare masculine art and of the men who practice it supremely well By George Frazier Esquire, […]
Pelham’s Maxims
From “Pelham: Or the Adventures of a Gentleman” By Edward Bulwer-Lytton, 1828 1) Do not require your dress so much to fit, as to adorn […]
Letters To A Young Dandy
My Dear Palmieri: It is a rare and wonderful gift for a curmudgeon such as myself to receive the praise of youth. It’s nice […]
Social & Literary Dandyism
Social and Literary Dandyism Littell’s Living Age, 1880 Article unsigned Dandies, like saints, are never much beloved by their fellow-creatures. Like saints, they have an […]
Proud Independence
From “Memoirs From Beyond the Grave” By Francois-Rene de Chateaubriand, 1848 Image: 1890 engraving of Almack’s Club in 1815 There was no longer any question […]
Microbian Dandyism
Perhaps because of our Proustian and Balzacian education, we have been convinced for years that dandyism as we know it from literature and history has […]
Urbane Stylishness
Philosopher Kuki Shuzo (1888-1941) was the first Japanese scholar to use Western aesthetic theory in the interpretation of his native culture. A colleague of Bergson […]