The New English Dandy by Alice Cicolini (Thames & Hudson)
Six chapters offer six takes on the twenty-first-century dandy in Alice Cicolini's excellent book which is also meant to be a style bible of men's dressy style. Alex Roest reports.
With the arrival of the new millenium has also come a renewed interest in bespoke tailoring. That doesn't mean the streets of Britain are suddenly awash with well dressed men, but there seems to be a willingness to make an effort again. Or at least there are some influential people championing such a thought, which in itself must certainly be applauded I'd say.
It's an interesting idea ( be it not a new one obviously ) to draw some parallells between the dandy 'movement' of the early 19th century and the modern male peacock. Cicolini has worked this out very accurately nevertheless.
I haven't come across many books that present such a wide variety of styles that are visually spot on, sartorially informative and subculturally well informed at that. Paul Gorman's "The Look" springs to mind as does "Street Style" by Ted Polhemus of course. "The New English Dandy" is different though in that each thematic section features a stunning fashion shoot ( in many cases using found sitters ) to underline interviews with various designers, tailors, writers, artists, shopkeepers etc.
A few random quotes showing subcultural appeal :
"Neo Modernists are 'citizens of the world' united by a passion for music that has consistently defined Modernists' pared down razorsharp style in the past."
"Modernism was about always looking forward, although now it's misunderstood, interpreted in a retro way."
"My whole ethic is going to extremes within the boundaries of being classic."
"The reason behind the style of the Suedeheads and Smooths and that of the Casuals are exactly the same. Young working class men noticed similarities in other cultures that they could mix with what they were doing." ( i.e. adding symbols of the dominant, middle class city gent and subverting it. A very dandy trait indeed, albeit less of a political one this time around.)
"A dandy teaches something few will learn-by example alone."
The latter coming from the most interesting interviewee to have his say in the book, namely journalist/club owner Robert Dutt. And another quote of his :
"Dandyism is the last vestige of a sartorial spirituality. It is a secular monastery, but with essential accessories."
Stuff like this strikes a chord with me. I mean, the notion that every single garment as well as the footwear of one's everyday outfit is precisely in tune with the rest of it results in an inner calm no religion could possibly give.
If you only believe a tiny bit of that, go and buy this book.
[Published 1 November 2005]
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The Fashion of Football by Paolo Hewitt, Mark Baxter (Mainstream Publishing)
A must have book for those with a passion for sharp threads, the beautiful game and sweet soul music, according to Alex Roest
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| Mark GDU | jun 13 2006 7:19AM |
| http://www.genedraytonunit.com | |
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| It's a very nice book, but full of inaccuracies, including captioning Kevin Rowland's picture "Kevin Rollins", or something equally inexcusable. | |
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| Alex Roest | mar 7 2006 4:22PM |
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| For a totally different view I've taken the following from www.swinemagazine.co.uk I think it's only fair to do so, they have a right to be bitter about 'uncle Ted' after all don't they ? Comments are a bit sour indeed but anyway, here goes : Not so easy to shit through is Alice Cicolini’s ‘The New English Dandy.’ This is very well put together book with some superb photography. Unfortunately the subject matter ie the ‘New English Dandies’ of the title appear to be more in the author’s own imagination than walking along the streets of Bloomsbury, never mind Bury. OK, so there are a few ‘neo-dandies’ about rocking that mock Edwardian aesthete look (see Charles Rennie MacKintosh in our Fashion Icons piece in last month’s issue) but to devote a whole book to this (non) phenomena appears to be ludicrously self-indulgent, not only on the part of the author but also the publisher. Who knows maybe this kind of pseudo-academic tome sells well on the international market where fashionistas are only too willing to be convinced that there is a new wave of English dandy highwaymen out there standing and delivering. Not us though. Our only interest and perhaps a telling sign that the author ran into problems, is the inclusion of an entire section of the book to ahem, ‘terrace casuals.’ Now some of those depicted in the eerily isolated and admittedly fantastic photographs, could hardly be described as ‘terrace casuals’ even in its broadest sense. Our mate Kerso pops up and he’s neither new, English or a dandy (Old Scottish Techno Trendy would be a more accurate description) as well as various movers and shakers in the wacky world of the casual subculture (the lads from Oi Polloi are, for some strange reason, depicted as potential kiddy fiddlers, staring intensely at the camera on lonely lanes and next to polluted ponds in Chorlton and Ashton). Then there are the usual array of mod n’ boho types, professional stylists, singers (Cressa), soul boys (Cato is hardly a casual) and ne’erdowells. I realise this will sound like sour grapes as we weren’t invited to join the Dandy parade but its one thing to get the photos wrong (it’s 75% there) but then to regurgitate the same old myths, cliches and outright lies about ‘casual’ in the text is sloppy. You know, casuals appropriating the bourgeois trappings of Thatcherism and copying the ultra-smart appearance of Italian and French football fans in the early 80s (when they were all to a man skinheads). Ofcourse we don’t really expect either academics or fashionistas to get it right. As far back as the early 80s style press right through to self-proclaimed ‘fashion anthropologist’ Ted Polhemus’s laughable StreetStyle book, casual and terrace chic has been misunderstood, misrepresented and easily dismissed. Uncle Ted goes so far as to state that casuals were only creative when it came to violence and that the entire movement/culture was only interested in buying the most expensive labels. This beaut gets away with it because a) he looks like Andy Warhol’s less attractive sister and b) talks like Andy Warhol’s idiot half-brother. Never mind I’m sure there’s still a queue of gullible publishers and museum curators banging at his door. | |
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| Alex Roest | nov 5 2005 6:16AM |
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| IMHO everything sartorial should be viewed within its own context first and foremost and be judged on its own merits for that matter. Of course I wonder about some of the individuals and why they were included in the book in the first place, but that's besides the point. Tough, innit.....? | |
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| Daniel | nov 1 2005 11:38PM |
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| The New English Dandy is a rather good book, thorough in it's dissection of contemporary dandyist styles complete with delightful photo spreads (the detail shots are especially charming.) The one downside being it's inclusion of certain sartorial combinations that some might consider modern dandy, yet seem either mundane or beyond what tact might call eccentric - the most avant fashions don't necessarily mean the most stylish. The interviews with Gustav Temple (of The Chap) and Robin Dutt are a pleasure to read, and the fact that Alice Cicolini skillfully compiled such a variety of personaiities into this publication certainly makes it worth buying. | |
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| Marcus | nov 1 2005 2:51PM |
| http://www.dnagroove.it | |
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| I'm a believer, I'm a believer! Buying... Haha! Daniel on uppers!!! Nice pic. | |
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