In praise of … the dandy

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2013/jan/09/in-praise-of-the-dandy

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Britain invented the dandy, but it has never trusted him. Beau Brummell's fame was "based on nothing at all", carped an observer. Hair powder was taxed to pay for the Napoleonic wars. And by wearing a cello-shaped coat to a gallery, Oscar Wilde both stole the show and incurred widespread disapproval (which would have been the point, of course). Yet a new spirit of dandyism is abroad in the UK. It is not only the London men's fashion week, once an extra day tacked onto the end of the women's shows, but now into its second year. It's also apparent in the shops, with men's fashion sales up 3.2% in 2011 alone to nearly £10bn. And it can certainly be seen in the care that many men (of all ages) feel licensed to take in their outfits. Not so much straws in the wind, these, as an entire well-cut hay bale. Put it down to the influence of Mad Men, or the increase in sexual equality: it is surely to be welcomed. Let a thousand socks pop.