Portrait of George Brummell (1778 -1840), known as Beau Brummell • WIKIMEDIA COMMONS In London in 1815, two events caused a sensation:the British victory at Waterloo and the eccentric ties of George Brummell. As Virginia Woolf writes, empires like Napoleon's could rise and fall; Beau Brummell, unfazed, was “trying on new scarf knots or criticizing the fit of a coat.” Shortly before dying poor and exiled, Brummell would declare that this supposed frivolity was worth it, for his own name would live on forever. He was right. Because it was under his influence that men began to wear dark jackets, white shirts and trousers. The “patron saint” of dandies This sartorial influence is indisputable, as much as the literary immortality of Brummell. A posterity that he won without ever having written a single book:this pioneering spirit, embodying the dandy who "only maintains himself in the face of challenge", according to Albert Camus, was quite enough. It is for this reason that all the dandies have raised him to the rank of patron saint. And that everyone has tried to imitate their model, from Byron to Barbey d'Aurevilly. Brummell's eccentricities are well known:polishing his boots with champagne, for example, or using a silver spittoon, because he could not conceive of spitting on the ground. His grooming ritual could take up much of the morning, as he would spend hours trying out different tie knots just to make it look like he had tied it in a jiffy. King George IV, Brummell's protector for a time, had attended this morning ritual of London's "Petronius". An already elegant schoolboy Brummell would have said that, without being luxurious, a man's wardrobe required a budget equivalent to at least 150,000 current euros. A sum including some costumes from the best tailors of Savile Row, the street of London's haute couture. Never deviating from this logic, Brummell was continually burdened with debt. He had already squandered the family inheritance, the amount of which was certainly not gigantic, but which had enabled him to pursue an education in such prestigious establishments as Eton and Oxford. This is precisely where he begins to stand out, as an elegant schoolboy who embellishes his uniform tie with jewels. The revelation comes a few years later, when Brummell, delicate and refractory to any physical exercise, becomes the emperor of elegance by entering the service of the Prince of Wales, in the regiment of hussars that he commands. Brummell's indifference to military life did not prevent the prince, fascinated, from helping him to make a career quickly in the army, and especially in society. Then, the London fame of Brummell progresses at the turn of the century. His influence was so strong that Chateaubriand, referring to the costume changes demanded in London at that time, said he would have "preferred the galleys a hundred times over". The secret of the pace What was Brummell's secret? How could a man who – according to what they said – was not excessively tall, was handsome without being sublime, seduce to such an extent? Brummell himself provides a lead by stating that "if you are turned on in the street, you are badly dressed". The eminent dandy abandoned the colorful clothes, characteristic of the Ancien Régime, to adopt more sober and more discreet hues, in accordance with another of his advice:“Put the most extraordinary luxury at the service of the most subtle ostentation. » Elegance had to be based on fit rather than color, and on the quality of fabrics and textiles. A masculine naturalness that Brummell boasted about when he said he didn't need any perfume, because he was always freshly shaved and bathed, as Lord Byron, another exceptional dandy, observed. If the colors were less bright, the cut of the clothes had to be impeccable; it's no wonder, then, that to meet Brummell's demands, Savile Row has become the world's temple of couture. Dazzle rather than please If Brummell dressed with discretion, his elegance was sometimes manifested with impudence:in order not to alter his elaborate bearing, he refused to raise his hat to salute in the street. It is characteristic of a dandy to choose to dazzle rather than please. Because if Brummell had the reputation of being the poet of the costume, his inventiveness, his taunts and his presumptuousness were inseparable from his toilet. He interrupts a party by complaining that there is no hot water in the bathroom. During another evening, he asks for cider, because the champagne of his host does not suit him. He does not hesitate to tell that he caught cold one day for having slept in the same room as a stranger whose body was wet. And he manages to lose interest in a young girl when he sees her take back some soup. Also read The corset:the tyranny of the wasp waist This worldly attitude made him a reference in the London society of clubs and the Opera, and his influence almost turned into tyranny in this epicurean life. However, this same casualness which had served him as a social elevator was going to plunge him into disgrace. According to some accounts, it seems that he abused the trust of his protector George IV, when the latter was still a prince. Wanting the servants to bring him champagne, he allegedly ordered the prince:“George, ring the bell. The Prince of Wales rang, but instructed the servants to prepare Brummell's carriage. Over time, Brummell fine-tuned his revenge. And he knew how to hit the future king in the sensitive spot. One afternoon, walking with a lord of his friends, the two come across the prince, who ignores Brummell. When the friends part ways, Brummell asks his companion in a voice loud enough for princely ears to hear his comment:“And tell me, who is this fat man? » Imaginary parties As Barbey d'Aurevilly seemed to foresee, who said that there was no happy dandy, Brummell's last years were marked by misery. To escape his creditors, he fled to Caen, where he obtained a consul post. He spends much of his time writing letters to his old friends asking for charity. Without finding the same way of life as before, he nevertheless managed to scandalize his neighbors. In Caen, he thus got into the habit of receiving British travelers whom he duped in such a way that they were almost grateful to him when they gave him alms. But far from his worldly realm, Brummell descends into madness during these final moments. He who considered that drinking beer was horribly vulgar ends up confusing this drink with champagne. And in a final, pathetic gasp, he ends up throwing imaginary parties with equally imaginary guests – dukes, lords and grandees of the realm – until a servant announces that equally fanciful carriages are ready. , so that Brummell can then retire to rest. He had already lost his post as consul and, therefore, his diplomatic immunity. The French were quick to imprison him for debt. He will die in a little room paid for through the charity of distant friends. But Brummell now knows that his gift - knowing how to dress - will make him immortal. It is not surprising that his statue therefore sits enthroned today on Jermyn Street, not far from Savile Row and Burlington Arcade, this district of London frequented by the elegant. Find out more Dandyism and George Brummell, J. Barbey d'Aurevilly, Rivages, 2018.Beau Brummell and other essays, V. Woolf, Obsidian, 1996. Timeline 1778 George Bryan Brummell was born in London into a commoner family. His father becomes the secretary of a lord.1799 After the death of his father, he inherited a great fortune, and he began to become a reference in terms of style in London.1812 After an argument with the Prince of Wales, he falls into disgrace. He fled to France in 1816 to escape his creditors.1830 He was appointed British consul in Caen. In 1835, he was imprisoned for debt, but his friends paid for his release.1840 Interned in an asylum in Caen, George Brummell dies after sinking into poverty and madness. Standing out amid conformism George Brummell is considered the father of dandyism, a current born in the wake of the first romanticism, and which, throughout the 19 th century, will include the great names of Robert de Montesquiou, Boni de Castellane, Barbey d'Aurevilly and, of course, Oscar Wilde. The dandy gave less importance to his elegance than to his own originality. His objective was certainly to distinguish himself through costume, but it was also a question of asserting a rebellious and indomitable individuality in an increasingly conformist world. The modern suit George Brummell was probably the first commoner admitted into the royal circle. The sobriety specific to his style was certainly linked to the modesty of his origins:not being able to compete with jewelry and ornaments, he did so by the neat cut of his clothes. Thanks to Brummell, the outfit was born which, evolving over time, would give rise to the current costume, a tailor-made garment, not only flattering the body, but also involving the abandonment of tight-fitting breeches, stockings and tunics. Brummell devoted his ingenuity to the ancestor of the modern tie, a silk fabric that he knotted with great art on simple cut shirts. To get a perfect tie, Brummell could devote an entire morning to it. It is said that if he could not tie the tie as he wanted the first time, he would throw it away and start again with another. At the end, he looked at the pile of unusable ties and exclaimed with a sigh:“How many mistakes! »
