Corsets and Codpieces: A History of Outrageous Fashion, from Roman Times to the Modern Era

by Karen Bowman

Essentially what was to become known as a dandy, his love of dressing well and personal cleanliness became legend with him setting the trend for other Regency gentlemen. Being a dandy was much admired, though the term has become derogatory today, and his style turned the tide against what had up until now seen men overdressed, over made-up, effeminate, powdered and be-wigged. In short, a ‘fop’. Such men in the years leading up to Brummell’ s introduction into society were loath to relinquish their eighteenth-century shirt, very much visible and adorned with lace, especially at the wrist which necessitated large sometimes overblown hand gestures to keep the fabric out of the way and keep it clean. A fop’s whole body language had evolved to cater for the outmoded form of dress and rendered him an object of ridicule in the face of Brummel’s clean-cut elegance.