He was the first dandy - city goer and celebrity known for being famous. Beau Brummell, known as "The Beauty", led a shocking lifestyle and revolutionized men's fashion forever.
George "Beau" Brummell was way ahead of his time. He regularly took care of hygiene, which may not shock anyone today, but in those days it was a phenomenon. What's more - "I'm drinking Kniś "took his baths with the assistance of a large audience! Surprisingly, in the era of an overabundance of form, he carried himself rather modestly. He received a thorough education and quickly found himself in elite circles, making a career based on this undefined "something" that he found to have. He was a true celebrity of his era. Przemysław Bociąga writes about the times in which he lived in his book “Impeccable. A biography of the male image ” :
Born in 1778, he entered adulthood in the era of the French and industrial revolution, the beheading of kings, the adoption of constitutions, continental-scale war coalitions, the modernization of both Great Affairs - the army, science and politics - and everyday life.
Hygiene above the standard
Although at the turn of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, bathing was not a complete novelty - because sometimes houses were washed and very often bathed in the sea, few celebrated the daily bathing. Brummell, for his time, took too much care of himself and devoted a lot of time to his body. It is possible that it was his approach that revolutionized the way we think about it. "Beauty" was distinguished by the fact that all these activities were performed with the assistance of a large, selected, male audience. From these sessions, colorful descriptions of sophisticated treatments have survived to this day:
After bathing, Brummell scrubbed with a stiff horsehair brush, shaved himself with soap and a razor, brushed his teeth and nails, combed with a comb, used tweezers and a mirror to remove unwanted facial hair.
Thanks to Brummell's sessions, many of our hero's guests had the opportunity to learn how to take care of themselves. An important element of the "spectacle" was also learning how to tie a tie, which then became very fashionable. The history of this element of men's clothing, however, constitutes material for a separate story.
Przemysław Baciąga comments:
In fact - as contemporaries pointed out - his hygienic procedures, an expression of extraordinary vanity, were at the same time draconian, Spartan or ascetic. (...) He wrapped his torso warmed by the bath with fresh linen of his shirt, and after a while he tightened the knot of his tie under his neck.
It was Brummell who created the classic male image
"Holy" from the tailors
Undoubtedly, the style of "Beauty" must have amazed at first. The end of the 18th century brought fashion back to ancient trends. However, the street was glamorous and patterned, it quickly picked up on all, even absurd, trends:
If someone at that time offered tunics and togas to the nobility, it would probably end up in an interesting, short-lived fashion.
Meanwhile, Brummell was distinguished by modesty in dress. At a time when powdered wigs, motley and ostentatious outfits were still in vogue, Beau opted for modest, figure-fitting clothing. It emphasized the ease and nonchalance, returning to classic patterns. It is to him that we owe the so-called a classic image of a man, contrary to what we associate today with the word dandy.
Men's attire was to reflect a naked, well-built body. Beau has reduced the color palette:black, white, navy blue, buff - these are the favorite colors of "Beauty" . He took care to fit the outfit to the figure and put it on simplicity. Thanks to specially tailored jackets, the male silhouette has acquired a characteristic, athletic shape, in which the shoulders are wider than the belly. Who remembers today that it is to this man that we owe the well-known basic men's outfit, consisting of a jacket, shirt and long trousers?
At that time, several tailoring novelties appeared - darts and additional seams were invented. Thanks to these tricks, the clothes became more fitted to the body, which allowed the silhouette to achieve the desired V shape.
Beau was very confident, so he didn't need any ostentatious elements in his outfit:furs, jewels, and colorful fabrics.
Difficult friendship with the prince
Brummell was extremely popular in London society. He had an "easy" attitude towards spending, he was gambling, and his high-ranking friends kept getting more credits.
He was friends with the prince regent, the future George IV, and for a long time he drew tangible profits from this relationship. By the time. As befits a celebrity, he was sometimes arrogant and too self-confident, although he had an extraordinary gift of getting out of difficult situations, as evidenced by the famous London anecdote.
Once upon a time, "The Beauty" upset the Prince Regent so much that he poured wine on his head. Our imperturbable Brummell immediately emptied his glass over the head of another neighbor at the table and with a smile and his characteristic eloquence emerged from the oppression:"Pass the prince's toast on," he commanded boldly.
Although many quarrels with the prince ended without any consequences for him, the deepening addiction to gambling, numerous debts and extreme insolence eventually led to a spectacular breakup. It happened at the famous masquerade ball organized by "Beauty", to which the prince was not invited. The prince responded to the affront by appearing there anyway, and completely ignored his host all evening. When he had barely walked two steps, Brummell theatrically addressed the companion the prince greeted: "Who is your fat friend?" With this affront, "Beautiful" sealed his fate.
The offended prince stopped using Brummell's credits, and he himself had to flee in disgrace to France, where he died of syphilis - as it was believed at the time - a disease of high society.
This colorful figure is still a fashion icon and is remembered by London tailors.
Source:
Trivia is the essence of our website. Short materials devoted to interesting anecdotes, surprising details from the past, strange news from the old press. Reading that will take you no more than 3 minutes, based on single sources. This particular material is based on the book:
- Przemysław Baciąga “Impeccable. A biography of the male image ” , Agora Publishing House 2019.