Why classic menswear got boring: understatement

Welcome everyone. Today I want to discuss with you the concept of understatement in classic menswear or, how Beau Brommel put it, being conspicuously inconspicuous. Stay tuned for some deep style philosophical thoughts, but first, you know the drill, dramatic intro. You might be asking yourself, why the fancy outfit? This video is supposed to be about understatement. Well, this is an early 19th century Beau Brommel inspired outfit and still a work in progress. We can take a closer look at the end of the video. However, I'm wearing it because nobody coined the concept of understatement in classic menswear like Beau Brommel in the early 19th century. But who is Beau Brommel? Well, George Brian Brommel came from a middle-class family in London, but his father William, a politician, had bigger plans for him. Beau Brommel was raised to be a gentleman. He didn't become a very gentle character, but that's another story. He was educated in Eton and Oxford before he joined the military, where he quickly moved up the ranks, too quickly for most of the long-serving officers. He met the Prince Regent and later King George IV there, who was pretty impressed by Brommel. Beau basically acted as an influencer and created fashion gimmicks that last until today. The problem is, his lifestyle was pretty expensive and he liked to gamble, but he didn't earn that much. In the end, he had to flee to France to avoid debtor's prison and died there in 1840, flat broke. In case you want another perspective on this Brommel persona, make sure to check out my friend Demetrio's video on this Regency-style icon. Now, back to the main topic. Understatement in classic menswear. I already mentioned Brommel's notion of understatement. Conspicuous inconspicuousness. What does that mean? Well, in Brommel's time, menswear is dominated by noblemen that permanently want to outperform each other in terms of fanciness. Brommel didn't participate in this. He basically changed the game. Of course, his friendship with the Prince Regent as well as his tremendous self-confidence helped a lot. Brommel established some things in classic menswear that we today take for granted. For example, long-legged trousers instead of breeches, the use of dark colors, especially for formal occasions, and the use of the cravat as a predecessor of the necktie and bow tie we know today. Beau wanted men to dress more inconspicuously. However, that doesn't mean that Brommel and other men didn't crave for recognition. So, how do you subtly stand out? The answer is details. The way you tie your cravat, the engravings on your pocket watch, your fob, your shoe polish, and your artful lignette and spying glasses. These glasses not only carry elaborate details, they are used to take a closer look at the details of others and so the circle is complete. Therefore, in the context of understatement, these might be the most important accessories of a true dandy. Another aspect of the whole concept is that you often need a trained eye to spot these details. If you're not an expert, you don't know when a tie knot is particularly well done, or you really don't see it because you are not used to taking a closer look. On the other hand, if you attract too much attention, it's no understatement anymore. Brommel put it this way. If John Bull turns around to look at you, you're not well dressed, but either too stiff, too tight, or too fashionable. And John Bull is your average Joe here. Think about it. If you attract the attention of a fashion illiterate, or a muggle if you want to put it that way, then it's no understatement anymore. Savvy? Now, the big question is, what happens when we transfer this concept to today? Well, first of all, understatement means dressing for the occasion. And this works both ways. If nobody wears a suit, don't wear a suit. If everybody wears a suit, wear a suit. Everything else might be observed as dogmatism or disrespect. So much for the obvious. Second, get your details right. These are still applicable one-to-one. Care for a nice tie knot, get a good shoe shine, pick an elegant pocket square. But also, don't overdo it. You don't want the muggles to spot you. And by the way, the fit and the quality of your suit are not details, but mere basics. Maybe you should get those in order first. Of course, I thought about how much I comply with this concept of understatement with the way I dress, and I have to admit, I'm not a disciple of the pure doctrine. I think it's super important to adapt my personal style to the occasion. I don't wear a suit when nobody else does. However, to be really inconspicuous in the crowd nowadays, I would need to alter my style beyond recognition, and I don't want to do that. The good thing with our modern society is that people do become more and more diverse, so it's easier to kind of blend in with a very distinct personal style. As soon as everybody embraces their individuality, you don't stand out that much anymore embracing yours. So please don't take this video as a plea for strict understatement, but just an explanation of the concept, including of course some useless historical facts and maybe some ideas to help you on your personal style journey, of course. Before I'm finished, let me show you my outfit. I'm wearing a puffy 18th, 19th century white linen shirt with a high collar I made myself. If you want to make something similar, have a look at Bernadette Banner's pirate shirt video. On top I have a white cravat tied as a bowtie. The cravat is basically a 45 by 180 cm piece of penjé silk, and this is an early 19th century waistcoat I also made myself using dark green viscose brocade and dark brown cotton. I'm still working on a pair of wool white diamond twill pantaloons, and after that I will make a proper early 19th century tailcoat, and I will probably make another video about the whole outfit as soon as it's finished. Thanks for watching, please subscribe to my channel, follow me on Instagram and see you next time. Bye!