THE DANDY IS ALIVE AND WELL

Dandies add to the gaiety of life, bring colour – or not – to the world. There are not enough of them about. Seeing Bunny Rogers or Sebastian Horsley saunter through Soho or Mayfair reaffirmed the enduring appeal of the English eccentric, and the triumph of style over conformity. Where are their replacements?

Well, it seems there are plenty. A new book shows that they are by no means in danger of extinction and captures them in all their eccentric, show-off, old-fogeyish, foppish glory, in a veritable cornucopia of style and wit.

Rose Callahan, the photographer, and Nathaniel Adams, writer, collaborated on producing this lavihsly illustrated tome, the result of considerable research and much travelling.

It presents 57 examples of the species alive and well, and records their views and some explanations of their motivations. Many are American (as are Callahan and Adams), the English are well represented, and there’s a sprinkling of other Europeans. This by no means points to a dearth of dandies elsewhere, simply to limitations of time and travel on the part of the presenters.

Right, the splendid Michael 'Atters' Attree of London and Brighton, who lists his occupation as 'Reality Escapologist'. Below, the more restrained Gay Talese of New York, journalist and writer. He comes from a long line of tailors, and believes writing is about dressing too -"dressing up the prose".

There’s a feast of quotes here, dating from Beau Brummel onward to these modern-day dandy philosophers.  Brummel’s quote “If people turn to look at you on the street you are not well dressed” would surely rule out quite a number of the individuals here from his view of stylish. Contrary to much popular conception, he was of course restrained in his clothes but immaculate.

The one common factor is that most of these men have absolutely nothing in common other than their love of clothes - and in not being common.

They range from the idle rich – idleness is good for dandyism – through designers, artists, shopkeepers, lawyers, doctors, musicians, entertainers, writers and other ne’er- do-wells. Quite a few do agree on inspirations for their addiction, citing the Duke of Windsor, Cary Grant and Fred Astaire, and also  one for Bertie Wooster as played by Hugh Laurie. This illustrates the favouring of old-style elegance evident in the photographs of quite a few of these dandies.

It is a celebration of individual style and the courage of the iconoclast. Long may such gentleman continue.

A must for any man who yearns to be stylish, the book is available from Gestalten UK, good bookshops, and Steve Hitchcock. www.gestalten.com, ISBN 978-3-89955-484-7, price £36.99. All photographs by Rose Callahan, copyright Gestalten.