Welcome back to the Gentleman's Gazette. In today's video, we'll introduce you to one of history's most
famous menswear figures, Beau Brummell, and answer the question of just why he was so stylish?
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When it comes to historical menswear, few names rank higher than that of George Bryan "Beau" Brummel,
the English dandy, gentleman of leisure, and, in a way, menswear influencer. We suspect that if it
had been around in 1810, Beau Brummell would have been all over Instagram and maybe even TikTok.
During his time, Brummell was a genuine tastemaker whose views on menswear would influence fashion
and whose style would resonate for years to come. Not only is he credited with popularizing many
of the conventions of classic menswear, but his fascinating life also provided ample material for
countless short stories, books, films, and TV shows - in particular a 1954 film adaptation starring
Stewart Granger and Elizabeth Taylor. And throughout the years, advertising has traded on his reputation
of cleanliness, fastidiousness, and modishness. Although, ironically, Beau Brummell himself probably
wouldn't have been a big fan of these particular ties. Beau Brummell may have lived over 175 years
ago, but his influence on menswear can still be felt today. After all, how many influencers do you
know who have a statue on London's Jermyn Street. To go deeper, though, it only makes sense to start
from the beginning, so let's dive into Brummell's early years. In keeping with our belief that a
gentleman is made by the choices of his life and not the circumstances of his birth, we should note
that Beau Brummell didn't come from a traditionally aristocratic background. Still Brummell's father,
William, was a private secretary to Lord Frederick North, member of the British Parliament and Prime
Minister of Great Britain from 1770 to 1782. Thanks to hard work and useful connections, the Brummell
family enjoyed a solidly middle-class lifestyle, but the family patriarch wanted more for young
Beau and his brother, also named William. He wanted them to be gentlemen and here we mean "gentlemen" in
its historic sense - entitled, wealthy men of privilege. Both Beau and William were educated at
Eton, an elite English boarding school, where Beau showed an early penchant for developing new takes
on fashion. For example, he took the white cravat traditionally worn by Eton students of the time
and accessorized it with a gold buckle. Brummell was a mediocre student, but he developed a flair for
wit and comedic timing, which made him a favorite of both his classmates and his teachers. Returning
to our social media analogy, then, Brummell's tweets probably would have gone viral most of the time. He
later attended the prestigious Oxford University, but he left after just one term. Just like a modern
influencer, Brummell wanted to focus on developing his personal brand, so he set his books aside and
ventured out into the real world. When Brummell's father died, then-16-year-old Beau inherited
a considerable fortune of between 20 and 30,000 pounds - equal to multiple millions of pounds today.
But, while this sum was impressive, it wasn't enough for Beau, who wanted to ascend to the very apex of
the social ladder, Le Bon Ton. This is a French phrase that literally means "well-mannered," but it
also referred, at the time, to the cream of English society. As you can see in this French caricature
of the period, the gentlemen of Le Bon Ton were noted for their exuberant style and foppish dress. So,
if Brummell, the son of a private secretary, was to flock with peacocks like these, he needed a friend
upon whom he could depend. And lucky for him, he found one of the most powerful friends in the land,
George Augustus Frederick, the Prince of Wales, future Prince Regent and, later, King George IV.
Shortly before his father's death, Brummell had the idea to enlist in the cavalry, specifically
the 10th Royal Hussars, the favored regiment of the Prince of Wales. Brummell hoped then that this
appointment would give him the opportunity to meet with the regiment's royal patron.
Brummell's greatest military exploit was getting kicked in the face by a horse, which broke his nose,
but he still did manage to make a good impression on the Prince of Wales through his wit and style.
Thus, he was able to secure a promotion from the lowest enlisted rank of cornet
to lieutenant. Sorry. For our viewers across the pond, I mean leftenant, and, later, to captain.
But, British regiments at this time rotated their garrisons from town to town and, when the 10th
Royal Hussars were sent to the relatively sleepy town of Manchester in 1797, Brummell decided to drop
out of the military and go to London instead. By resigning his commission like this, Brummell was
essentially doing the same thing as a modern influencer when they quit their job and moved
to Los Angeles. And it was here that his days as a style influencer truly began as, in London, Brummell
experienced the height of his popularity. And, again, due to his close friendship with the Prince of
Wales, Brummell was able to climb the social ladder even faster than he had risen in the British
Military. Thanks to his innate sense of style and mastery of the conventions of taste, Brummell was
able to devise new and innovative forms of fashion. And thanks to his powerful friendship, these new
forms of dress were soon adopted by English gentlemen across the country. Brummell is best
remembered today for his involvement in a fashion revolution known as the "Great Male Renunciation."
Previous to this movement, fashionable men's clothes were much more flamboyant, being heavily
influenced by the French Court. They often featured things like elaborate wigs, white
hair powder, perfume, ornate silks, and knee breeches with stockings. But, Brummell and other supporters of
the Great Male Renunciation believed in renouncing this ostentation. Instead, they wore looks featuring
natural unadorned hair, long trousers worn with boots, and coats that didn't feature
much ornamentation. In doing so, Brummell rejected the showy and decadent ensembles that obscured
or exaggerated the male physique and illustrated the value of simple but elegant garments that
complemented and enhanced the masculine figure. Brummell was famous for ensembles that combined
simple and flattering cuts and exquisite tailoring with impeccable craftsmanship and high quality - but
not gaudy - materials. The previously popular flowing silk or velvet coats with gold and pearl buttons
and ribbons or lace, heavily embroidered waistcoats, neck roughs and jabots, and culottes gave way to
more sedate jackets in fine wool cut closer to the body with plain shirts, waistcoats, and cravats, full
trousers, and boots or evening shoes. On that note then, here's a breakdown of Brummell's most common
looks. His standard day attire consisted of a blue coat known as "Bath coating" - often wool - with
a buff waistcoat, off-white linen shirt with a white cravat, buckskin trousers, and dark riding boots. In
the evening, he often wore a blue coat as well with a white or black waistcoat, black trousers that
ended at the ankle, striped silk socks, and black slippers. As a bit of background here, the vogue for
continental styles, especially from France, that had gripped England for decades had been broken by the
violence of the French Revolution and by English wars against Napoleon Bonaparte. Meanwhile,
Brummell was assembling a home-grown, British fashion movement, in which he adapted and perfected many
of the already existing forms of British dress. The boots, buckskin trousers, and use of wool all evoked
country wear, which remains an important part of British tailoring even to this day. Brummell's
variation on the tail coat - and especially its use of brass buttons - was popularly worn at Eton.
The classic menswear pairing of blue and buff was already commonly known as the colors of the
Whig political party. And a cravat worn high on the neck had been popularized in France after
the Revolution as the more ostentatious ruff and jabots had fallen out of favor as the necks that
wore them were subjected to the guillotine. Even the streamlined silhouette and muted colors of
Brummell's style were meant to echo the subtle dynamism of statuary from classical Greece,
which was in vogue at the time because of the enlightenment's renewed interest in neoclassicism
and Hellenism. So, consider how the hybrid menswear looks we see today like an English glen check
pattern in an unstructured Italian-style jacket with an American-style denim shirt represent a
continuation of Brummell's style by taking the best aspects of different cultural approaches to
menswear and making of them a global synthesis. Brummel understood the timeless versatility of
clothing that represented an understated elegance and had a disdain for anything that was over the
top. This was partly achieved by establishing a limited range of appropriate colors and the color
theory for combining them through contrast as we still do when pairing the colors of blue, brown,
and gray in various combinations today. Brummell's styling would influence the historical development
of the modern suit, but it would even more directly influence the sport coat and trouser combination
as Brummell preferred not to match his coat with his trousers. Brummell also emphasized neckwear as the
ornamental center of attention in an outfit, which continues with bow ties and neckties today. His
efforts help to enshrine high-contrast black and white as the colors of evening formal wear that
we still observe; while formal morning dress with its long morning coat and contrasting trousers,
along with a lightly-colored waistcoat, most directly follows the regency attire that Brummell
himself actually wore. Many of the behaviors and conventions of the menswear connoisseurs of today
also directly follow on from Beau Brummell. He utilized bespoke clothing to get the exact details
that he desired and he employed the services of multiple tailors for different garments in
which they specialized. He also artfully sought to carefully arrange every last detail of his outfit
to, ironically, give it a nonchalant appearance. For example, it was commonly said that Brummell would
spend hours arranging his neckwear just to make it look as though he had casually tied it at a
moment's notice. This, of course, is very similar to the ways in which modern gentlemen do things like
spending considerable amount of time getting their pocket square in their breast pocket to make it
look as though it was only placed there casually. Thus, Brummell was actually a forerunner of what is
today known as "sprezzatura," in other words, spending a great deal of effort to make it look as though
no effort was put in at all. I wonder what the YouTube algorithm would make of Beau Brummell's
3-hour long "How to Tie a Cravat" video? Luckily for you, our version comes in at just under seven
minutes, which, we hope, is much more manageable. And returning to the notion of Brummell's tweets,
his musings and maxims on menswear were actually collected by his followers and were sometimes
known as "Brummellisms." One, in particular, is actually still repeated as advice even in the present day:
"If John Bull turns around to look at you, you are not well dressed, but either too stiff, too tight, or
too fashionable." This has been taken as a warning against dressing too ostentatiously in a way that
is only meant to be noticed by others. Although, Brummell's own fame ironically depended on the fact
that his mode of dress would be noticed - along with his wit, of course.
[scene from "Beau Brummell"] Brummell: "Well, I failed to create a king."
Brummell: "But, I did teach society to wash its hair and wear clean linen."
Brummell: "Not at all sure which is the most important."
And unfortunately, just like any number of modern menswear gatekeepers or internet trolls,
Brummell was able to maintain his prominent position, at least somewhat, by insulting others.
He did this from his post at the ground floor Bow Window of White's Club in London,
which would later become known as the "Beau Window." From here, Brummell would cruelly pass judgment on
the attire of men walking by. Essentially, a more traditional, but no more refined version
of scrolling through Instagram and leaving mean comments. It was even said that, in the summer of
1813, Brummell was finally "canceled" after he made a joke about the weight of the former Prince of
Wales, then the Prince Regent, after he failed to acknowledge Brummell at a party. It's probably more
true, though, that the estrangement between the two men can be traced to political differences
over time. Meanwhile, Brummell's metaphorical decline in fortunes can be traced to his literal decline
in fortune. His extravagant spending and reckless gambling habits caused him to accrue, allegedly,
over 600,000 pounds of debt. To put that number in perspective, a middle-class family of the time
could comfortably live on 300 pounds a year. In 1816, Brummell escaped his debtors by fleeing to
France, where he quickly accrued even more debt, despite his English friends' attempts to help him.
Brummell spent a few months in a French prison in 1835 and, by this time, the syphilis that he
had contracted earlier in life had really begun to take a toll on his mental health. Finally, in
1840, Beau Brummel, one of the greatest influencers and tastemakers of his day, died penniless, insane,
and forgotten in a French sanitarium. And you thought social media influencers today
had drastic falls from grace. Of course, Brummell wasn't completely forgotten and, on that note, we
hope that you've enjoyed this introduction we've presented today and learned a few things about his
importance in the development of modern menswear. And while we don't agree with his views on
gentlemanly privilege or snobbery, we do agree that his perspectives on understated elegance,
the importance of fit, and attention to detail remained just as relevant today as they were in
his time. So, did we do a good job highlighting how Beau Brummell's life and career mirrored that of a
modern influencer? And if so, would you like, comment, and subscribe to him? Let us know in the comments
section below. In today's video, I'm wearing an outfit that is inspired by some of the most
popular illustrations of Beau Brummell and what he commonly wore. Of course, it's centered around the
colors of blue, brown, and white and, accordingly, my double-breasted blazer is in navy blue and
features gold buttons. My shirt is plain white and, into its French cuffs, I've got inserted our yellow
gold plated sterling silver monkeys fist knot cufflinks to harmonize directly with the blazer
buttons. My trousers are in a light khaki or buff color, and my shoes aren't black, as I thought that
would be a bit extreme, but, instead, a very dark brown. They're Adelaide-styled, cap-toed Oxfords with
broguing from the Swedish brand Skolyx. All of my remaining accessories are also from Fort Belvedere,
and I'll start here with my ascot in buff, which features a Macclesfield Neats pattern in blue,
orange, and red. This, of course, is a bit different from the style of ascot that Beau Brummell, himself,
wore. But, I figured it was appropriate to include here. Meanwhile, my two-tone, shadow-striped socks
are in navy blue and yellow. My pocket square is in plain white linen and features a "P" monogram and
my boutonniere is our yellow exotic Caribbean. My only hope is that Brummell would be complimentary
of my outfit if I were to pass by the Beau Window today. And because of the styles championed by
Brummell and his contemporaries, I've decided not to put any product in my hair today and go for
a more natural style. And, of course, you can find all of the Fort Belvedere accessories I'm wearing
in today's outfit, including my socks, cufflinks, pocket square, boutonniere, and neckwear, as well
as a wide variety of other men's accessories by visiting the Fort Belvedere shop here.
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