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The Dandy : A People's History of Sartorial Splendour

Andersson, Peter K. LU (2025)
Abstract

The Dandy: A People’s History of Sartorial Splendour challenges the traditional notion of dandyism as an upper-class phenomenon, expanding it to include working-class figures like clerks, shop assistants, and labourers. The text reveals how dandyism becomes a widespread cultural movement, one that Beau Brummell sparks in the early nineteenth century and that continues through the 1960s mod culture. He uncovers lesser-known subcultures such as the mashers, knuts, Paris gandins, and Berlin transgender dandies, alongside more familiar figures like zoot suiters, teddy boys, and New Romantics. These groups show how men from the lower social strata increasingly shape fashion, style, and identity, democratizing cultural tastes. Ultimately, it... (More)

The Dandy: A People’s History of Sartorial Splendour challenges the traditional notion of dandyism as an upper-class phenomenon, expanding it to include working-class figures like clerks, shop assistants, and labourers. The text reveals how dandyism becomes a widespread cultural movement, one that Beau Brummell sparks in the early nineteenth century and that continues through the 1960s mod culture. He uncovers lesser-known subcultures such as the mashers, knuts, Paris gandins, and Berlin transgender dandies, alongside more familiar figures like zoot suiters, teddy boys, and New Romantics. These groups show how men from the lower social strata increasingly shape fashion, style, and identity, democratizing cultural tastes. Ultimately, it highlights the enduring struggle of young men to forge identities, a journey often marked by tragic consequences.

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Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
organization
publishing date
type
Book/Report
publication status
published
subject
keywords
Beau Brummell, cultural movement, cultural tastes, dandyism, knuts, masher, mod culture, new romantics, teddy boys, zoot suiters
pages
337 pages
publisher
Oxford University Press
external identifiers
  • scopus:105010136357
ISBN
9780191991370
9780198882435
DOI
10.1093/oso/9780198882435.001.0001
language
English
LU publication?
yes
additional info
Publisher Copyright: © Peter K. Andersson 2025.
id
821e2923-8a58-4de4-b6fe-e45bb0f5fdf9
date added to LUP
2025-12-19 13:24:28
date last changed
2025-12-19 13:25:27
@book{821e2923-8a58-4de4-b6fe-e45bb0f5fdf9,
  abstract     = {{<p>The Dandy: A People’s History of Sartorial Splendour challenges the traditional notion of dandyism as an upper-class phenomenon, expanding it to include working-class figures like clerks, shop assistants, and labourers. The text reveals how dandyism becomes a widespread cultural movement, one that Beau Brummell sparks in the early nineteenth century and that continues through the 1960s mod culture. He uncovers lesser-known subcultures such as the mashers, knuts, Paris gandins, and Berlin transgender dandies, alongside more familiar figures like zoot suiters, teddy boys, and New Romantics. These groups show how men from the lower social strata increasingly shape fashion, style, and identity, democratizing cultural tastes. Ultimately, it highlights the enduring struggle of young men to forge identities, a journey often marked by tragic consequences.</p>}},
  author       = {{Andersson, Peter K.}},
  isbn         = {{9780191991370}},
  keywords     = {{Beau Brummell; cultural movement; cultural tastes; dandyism; knuts; masher; mod culture; new romantics; teddy boys; zoot suiters}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  month        = {{01}},
  publisher    = {{Oxford University Press}},
  title        = {{The Dandy : A People's History of Sartorial Splendour}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/oso/9780198882435.001.0001}},
  doi          = {{10.1093/oso/9780198882435.001.0001}},
  year         = {{2025}},
}