Artist/Rebel/Dandy

Artist/Rebel/Dandy celebrates the pleasures of the sharp-dressed man from the discreet sophistication of the consummately elegant George Bryan "Beau" Brummell in the early 19th century to the diverse, highly personal flair of the tastemakers who color the landscape of menswear today. Since the word "dandy" came into vogue in London in 1813, it has at times been used to describe someone superficial, flamboyant, and self-indulgent. Instead, the dandy is here shown to employ profound thought and imagination in his self-presentation, fashioning an image that often the challenges status quo and transcends the ordinary.

A series of fascinating essays traces often the contradictory definitions and images of the dandy, the history of young men and their clothes in the long 19th century, the exquisite fabrics and tailoring play that an important role in dandy style, and the relationship of black dandyism and hip-hop.