Kani Kamil’s work identifies core questions around the identity, value and use of historic objects such as the embroidered fragment.

At one time, dandyism was comprised heavily of excessive styles: lots of velvet, lace, jewelry, and even wigs, as seen on the fashionable young Parisians and Londoners who helped launch dandy fashion. Over the years, however, dandy fashion has come to be associated less with over-the-top dressing, and is now typically used to mean any man who appreciates fashion and enjoys expressing himself through his sartorial choices. Some dandies dress to stand out from the crowd, while others opt for a more understated sort of elegance with muted colors and minimal ornamentation. Cult de soi-même, Charles Baudelaire, "Le Dandy", noted in Susann Schmid, "Byron and Wilde: The Dandy in the Public Sphere" in Julie Hibbard et al. , eds. The Importance of Reinventing Oscar: Versions of Wilde During the Last 100 Years 2002 Himid’s portraits were certainly highlights of the exhibition. The ‘Dandy’ and the ‘Tailor’ were selected from a collection of five life-sized portraits originally commissioned by the Gallery of Costume at Platt Hall. Photo: Michael Pollard @ Manchester Art Gallery Photo: Michael Pollard @ Manchester Art Gallery Dandyism is about more than your clothing; the dandy gentleman also pays careful attention to his grooming and is immaculate in appearance. A dandy gentleman would never be caught with unkempt hair or an untrimmed beard; he will maintain his hair cut, color and style as well as any facial hair. Beau Brummell ( George Bryan Brummell, 1778–1840) was the model British dandy since his days as an undergraduate at Oriel College, Oxford, and later as an associate of the Prince Regent (George IV) — all despite not being an aristocrat. Always bathed and shaved, always powdered and perfumed, always groomed and immaculately dressed in a dark-blue coat of plain style. [13] Sartorially, the look of Brummel's tailoring was perfectly fitted, clean, and displayed much linen; an elaborately knotted cravat completed the aesthetics of Brummell's suite of clothes. In the mid–1790s, handsome Beau Brummell was a personable man-about-town who was famous for being famous; a man celebrated "based on nothing at all" but personal charm and social connections. [14] [15]a b Brooks, Ann (15 July 2014). Popular Culture: Global Intercultural Perspectives. Macmillan International Higher Education. ISBN 9781137426727. Kelly, Ian (2006). Beau Brummell: The Ultimate Man of Style. New York: Free Press. ISBN 9780743270892. Dandy Style focuses on men’s fashion and image over the last 250 years. Drawing contrasts and comparisons between fashion, art and photography, and melding the historic with the contemporary, the provocative with the respectable, Dandy Style will consider key themes in the development of male style, image and identity. Simulacra and Simulations — XVIII: On Nihilism". Egs.edu. Archived from the original on 19 April 2013 . Retrieved 16 February 2013. The gallery mentions the ‘accidental’ and natural placement of the paint, as a result of Horsley’s artistic endeavours. However, it appears that the splodges of paint were predetermined meticulously and performatively to mimic an artist’s work outfit. Photo: Amelia Cole @ The Mancunion Red corded silk coat (1770-80)

As a teenager, having to grapple for the first time with the force of the white gaze, I’d ask myself this question: how do you live without fear or debilitating anger in a world where you’re constantly reminded that your body doesn’t belong to you? The answer, as proposed by the works in this show, is to demand to be seen on your own terms, via the style and attitude that announces your ambitions and desires, your sense of pride and inner belief. France is the fashion capital of the world and has a whole history when it comes to style and fashion. Dandyism entered the European state after the French Revolution. The style was initiated as a political statement of dressing in an aristocratic style to distinguish its members from the sans-culottes.Manchester Art Gallery is currently planning a long-projected substantial exhibition ( Dandy Style) focusing on men’s fashion and image over the last 250 years. It will feature selections from our outstanding menswear and portraiture collections. The show will inaugurate our new dedicated first floor Fashion Gallery whilst also incorporating another major gallery area on the second floor. Charles Pierre Baudelaire – A French Poet was deeply interested in Dandyism and various times he wrote about it. According to him, “no profession other than elegance… no other status, but that of cultivating the idea of beauty in their own persons… The dandy must aspire to be sublime without interruption; he must live and sleep before a mirror.” The counterpart to the dandy is the quaintrelle, a woman whose life is dedicated to the passionate expression of personal charm and style, to enjoying leisurely pastimes, and the dedicated cultivation of the pleasures of life. In the section devoted to the Tailored Dandy are several outfits from the WMA including a British Army Grenadier Guards Drummer Tunic made by Kashket & Partners Ltd in 1989 – Harry Styles wore a similar one in a photo for Another Magazine taken by Alasdair McLellan.

Its two sections – Tailored Dandy and Decorated Dandy – open with imposing imaginary portraits, Tailor and Dandy, by Turner Prize winning international artist, Lubaina Himid. Through annual exhibitions, the new Fashion Gallery explores and highlights the breadth of the costume and dress collection. Manchester Art Gallery has one of the largest British collections of fashion and clothing, dating from the early 17 th century to the present day. Particular strengths comprise 18th century women’s clothing and children’s costume, 19th century middle-class and ordinary dress, sportswear and occupational clothes. The collection has recently concentrated on acquiring Manchester-labelled clothing, recent top-end couture and menswear. Regarding the social function of the dandy in a stratified society, like the British writer Carlyle, in Sartor Resartus, the French poet Baudelaire said that dandies have "no profession other than elegance . . . no other [social] status, but that of cultivating the idea of beauty in their own persons. . . . The dandy must aspire to be sublime without interruption; he must live and sleep before a mirror." Likewise, French intellectuals investigated the sociology of the dandies ( flâneurs) who strolled Parisian boulevards; in the essay " On Dandyism and George Brummell" (1845) Jules Amédée Barbey d'Aurevilly analysed the personal and social career of Beau Brummell as a man-about-town who arbitrated what was fashionable and what was unfashionable in polite society. [21] And now, for all this perennial Martyrdom, and Poesy, and even Prophecy, what is it that the Dandy asks in return? Solely, we may say, that you would recognise his existence; would admit him to be a living object; or even failing this, a visual object, or thing that will reflect rays of light. [18] Some dandy gentlemen are heavily influences by historical dandy fashion, as seen in novels like The Picture of Dorian Grey or The Great Gatsby. However, some dapper gentlemen embrace a modern spin on the style, and you may spy a dandy dresser sporting an impressive (but well-groomed) beard, gauged earrings, or a tasteful and meaningful tattoo. This fusion of rebellion into classic style is yet another way the modern man may choose to stand out from the crowd, style-wise.The exhibition is split into two sections: Tailored Dandy and Decorated Dandy, and each one opens with artist Lubaina Himid’s creative portraits of stylish-looking male figures. Manchester Art Gallery. Courtesy Lubaina Himid. Photographer Michael Pollard. Manchester Art Gallery 2016. Not only part of the name of our store, Dandy is a term used to describe a man who pays great attention to how he dresses and who often dresses flamboyantly. Here are some of the most interesting finds of the Dandy Style Exhibition: Sky blue silk damask banyan (1760-70)