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The Dandy: Difference between revisions
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[[File:dandy.jpg|link=Disgaea 3: Absence of Justice|frame|They don't get much dandier than Master Big Star. Yes, that's his real name.]]
{{quote|''A Dandy is a clothes-wearing Man, a Man whose trade, office and existence consists in the wearing of Clothes. Every faculty of his soul, spirit, purse, and person is heroically consecrated to this one object, the wearing of Clothes wisely and well: so that the others dress to live, he lives to dress ... 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.''
|'''Thomas Carlyle'''}}
The dandy is intensely concerned with his clothing and appearance; he's always well-groomed and generally avoids physical exertion, lest he become mussed. His main pursuit is his comfort and lots of pretty things. He will be obsessed with maintaining the condition of his body and his clothing but will not necessarily be particularly interested in the attentions of the opposite sex. Dandy-ism can be found in characters of any degree of good or evil, as it is a personality trait rather than an alignment trait.
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In comedic works, writers will saddle him with kid co-stars who don't buy his act at all or a gorgeous woman who happens to be incredibly cynical about men.
The modern use of the word "[[wikipedia:Dandy|Dandy]]" is somewhat [[Irony|ironic]], since the original dandies were rebelling against the fashion excesses of the [[wikipedia:Macaroni (fashion)|macaronis]], by choosing simpler,
Being male is not a requirement, especially for [[Bifauxnen]]. Very likely to overlap with [[Upper Class Wit]] or [[Upper Class Twit]]. Compare and contrast [[Sharp-Dressed Man]]. Many of these males may fall under [[In Touch with His Feminine Side]]. A common synonym is "[[Metrosexual]]".
A rough [[Distaff Counterpart]] would be [[The Fashionista]]. For the version of this that jumps at combat rather than running from it, see [[Agent Peacock]].
[[The Dandy (comics)|Not to be confused with the long running British comic of the same name.]]
{{examples}}▼
▲{{examples}}
== Anime and Manga ==
* Griffith from ''[[Berserk]]'' is an excellent example throughout the early volumes.
* Sanji from ''[[One Piece]]''. He is even called a pretty-boy at one point.
* The second set of ''[[Sakura Taisen]]'' [[OVA
* Among the more infamous examples of the 'annoying-but-not-evil'
* Lelouch in ''[[Code Geass]]''.
** Clovis even moreso. Actually, let's just put down the entire male royal family members. Makes sense, since their fashion is based on that particular period.
* Leonardo from ''[[Full Metal Panic!]]''.
* Ukyo in ''[[Samurai 7]]'' is definitely an evil variant, {{spoiler|and the [[Big Bad]] to boot.}}
*
* Sanson in ''[[Nadia: The Secret of Blue Water]]''.
* Kojiro/James of Team Rocket in the ''[[Pokémon (anime)|Pokémon]]'' anime.
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* Pegasus from ''[[Yu-Gi-Oh!]]''. Or at least in ''[[Yu-Gi-Oh!: The Abridged Series|Yu-Gi-Oh the Abridged Series]]''.
* Sandman from ''[[Gravion]]''.
* Mr. Dandy the vampire from ''[[Shanghai Youma Kikai]]''.
* [[Axis Powers Hetalia|France]] admitted to be "The dandiest among the dandies"
* Fay D. Flourite from [[Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicle]]
* Both Hotohori ''and'' Nuriko from ''[[Fushigi Yuugi]]''.
==
* The title character of [[Grant Morrison
{{quote|"
* In the ''[[Shazam]]'' comics, Mr. Tawky Tawny is a humanoid tiger who looks very nice with his human clothes, typically a tweed business suit and bow tie.
== Film ==
* In ''[[All About Eve]]'': Addison DeWitt. He's got the posh British accent, the haughty disdain, and the pristine tux.
* In ''[[The Legend of the Titanic|In search of the Titanic]]'', there's Pingo, a fish toy with a spring. He tries to look as "fabulous" as possible.
* In ''[[Gangs of New York]]'' one of the gangs of the five points is described as "A right lot of dandies".
* Rick Moranis in ''[[Streets of Fire]]'', though his suits are actually quite ridiculous.
* Ken in ''[[Toy Story (franchise)|Toy Story]] 3''.
* The silent movie classic ''[[The Golem]]'' has Knight Florian, an effeminate fop that wears a ridiculous hat and is constantly twirling a rose.
== Literature ==
* From ''[[Harry Potter
* Percy Blakeney's [[Rich Idiot With No Day Job]] [[Obfuscating Stupidity]] personality in ''[[The Scarlet Pimpernel (novel)|The Scarlet Pimpernel]]''. The real Percy is nothing like that.
** The same with Don Diego Vega aka ''[[Zorro]]''.
** These men being the model for [[Batman]]'s lifestyle.
* In ''[[Wild Cards]]'', Dr. Tachyon comes from a ''[[Planet of Hats|planet of Dandies]]''.
* [[Les Misérables|Montparnasse]]. Part of Thenardier's gang, he kills for nice clothing and sounds practically [[Bishonen]]-level pretty.
* Mr. Turveydrop in ''[[Bleak House]]'' - he has no job skills to speak of, but dresses very stylishly and is well-known in the neighborhood for his Deportment. Unfortunately, he's not independently wealthy, and his family members have to support him in his elegant idleness.
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** Calcifer predicted that the day Howl forgot to do his hair and face, he might believe he was really in love.
* [[The Picture of Dorian Gray|Dorian Gray]] and Lord Henry Wotton are classic examples. Unsurprisingly, they were created by Master Dandy, Oscar Wilde.
* [[Tall, Dark and Handsome|William Marsh]] in the Victorian-set fantasy ''[[Darkness Visible]]'' is a very snappy dresser. He doesn't really fit the "avoids physical confrontation" part (luckily for [[Blue Blood|Lewis]], who is only five feet tall, and never learned not to pick fights with people twice his weight). Marsh is an ardent admirer of [[Oscar Wilde]], and his mode of dress reflects his philosophical beliefs.
* To the general public, Danilo Thann from Elain Cunningham's ''[[Forgotten Realms]]'' novels fits this trope to a T, though it's really just a part of his [[Obfuscating Stupidity]] act.
* The title character of the ''Julian Kestrel'' series is a dandy who [[They Fight Crime|solves murder mysteries]].
* ''[[Dragonlance]]'': Dalamar. Described as well clad and very good looking and certainly has the behaviour down to a t. He ''is'' supposedly hardworking and obsessed with his magical studies as any ambitious mage, but we hear more about his womanizing, his fine china collection (!), his fondness of quality wine and how he fills the formerly proper and self-respecting dark tower with ''floral displays''.
* In [[Robert E. Howard]]'s [[Conan the Barbarian]] story "[[Rogues in the House]]", Murilo. Though we are immediately alerted:
{{quote|''But Murilo, for all his scented black curls and foppish apparel [[Hidden Depths|was no weakling to bend his neck to the knife without a struggle]]. ''}}
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* ''[[The Three Musketeers (novel)|The Three Musketeers]]'': Aramis is another who subverts "avoids physical confrontations".
* In ''[[Cerberon]]'', George and Aladavan both observe this trope. George plays the part of a dandy when he can idly mooch off a wealthy widow, but when he has to travel, he's practical enough to wear his older, worn dragoon uniform, to prevent his better clothes from becoming dirty or damaged. Aladavan is considerably more vain, wearing top style at all times and cleaning/mending his clothes as soon as possible when they become dirty/damaged. Neither of them are averse to physical confrontation, but Aladavan is more likely to get someone else to do real work for him.
* Leonard Stecyk in ''[[The Pale King]]'' wears a stylish carpenter's apron for his high school wood shop class. {{spoiler|It keeps his clothes from getting covered in his teacher's blood during an accident with a machine. It also carries his metric-conversion ruler, which he uses to create a perfectly-tied tourniquet.}}
* Fashion is one of [[Jeeves and Wooster (novel)|Bertie Wooster]]'s loves. If he and [[The Jeeves|Jeeves]] ever have a falling-out, it's usually because he's insisting on wearing some utterly ridiculous article of clothing that Jeeves doesn't approve of. In one episode, he goes through a period of depression because he can't think his way out of Aunt Agatha's latest plan for his future; he cheers himself up by [[Funny Moments|wearing a cummerbund]].
* The Jonathan Green-written branch of Abaddon Books' Pax Britannia series features the character of Ulysses Quicksilver, an agent of Magna Britannia working for the 160-year-old Queen Victoria, who is regularly described as a "dandy adventurer".
* [[Lord Peter Wimsey]], as part of his [[Rich Idiot With No Day Job]] persona.
== Live Action TV ==
* ''[[Firefly]]'': Simon Tam. Rather odd considering [[Bloodier and Gorier|some aspects]] of [[The Medic|his profession]]. In his case he is more serious minded and much of it is a deliberate [[Stiff Upper Lip|maintenance of standards]] in [[Honor Before Reason|defiance of reality]].
** Actually not so odd. A doctor has good practical reasons to be a fanatic about cleanliness in any case. And a rich doctor would have means to express said tendency even in normal life - and silk is very hygienic, after all...
*** Also, being respectable is ''useful'' in the circles he's now traveling in. Even if he could stand to part with another part of his identity, this time for no real reason, it's not sensible to neglect an asset.
** A more villainous example of this trope is Atherton Wing,
* Barney Stinson on ''[[How I Met Your Mother]]'' is a womanizing, lecherous sex fiend who obsesses over his personal appearance (especially his suits). In other words, a modern day foppish dandy.
* The Third Doctor in ''[[Doctor Who]]'', with his velvet smoking jackets, ruffled shirts, capes, and gloves.
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* Neal Caffrey from [[White Collar]] is always impeccably dressed in 1950's era suits, and his hair is perfectly coiffed at all times. It's too early in the series to tell if this is to cover up something from his past, but the look does finish off his "charming rogue" persona nicely.
* Richard [[Castle]] is something like one of these, having been called a 'metrosexual' by numerous people in the past. He once spent the entire time during a crime scene investigation gushing over the decorative tastes of the owners. Another time, the investigation was briefly sidelined while he introduced [[Those Two Guys]] Ryan and Esposito to the victim's range of heated male body products, particularly the shaving cream.
* Vince Noir of ''[[The Mighty Boosh]]'', especially in the third season. His hair is always dyed, teased and styled, he wears capes, gloves, low-cut jumpsuits, stack-heeled platform boots, feather boas, and most of his wardrobe is shiny and/or skin-tight. On the one occasion he shows up dressed in a normal, conservative outfit with plain hair, Howard faints.
* Monty Pippin from ''[[Keen Eddie]]''.
* Frasier and Niles Crane from ''[[Frasier]]'', particularly the latter, who is rarely seen not [[Sharp-Dressed Man|dressed to the nines in Armani suits.]]
* ''[[Bewitched]]'' had an episode where Endora cast a 'vanity spell' on Darrin, having him dress in a series of increasingly baroque outfits, looking like a 'mod' Louis XIV.
== Music ==
* The "Carnabetian Army"<ref>That is, from Carnaby Street</ref> is mocked in [[The Kinks]]' 'Dedicated Follower of Fashion'.
{{quote|''This pleasure-seeking individual always looks his best
''<nowiki>'</nowiki>Cause he's a [[Title Drop|dedicated follower of fashion]]'' }}
** The Kinks also did a song called "Dandy". However, its womanizing title character doesn't really appear to be one of these.
* Adam Ant, as [[Hang A Lampshade On It|lampshaded]] in 'Stand and Deliver':
{{quote|''I'm the dandy highwayman so sick of easy fashion
''The clumsy boots, peek-a-boo roots that people think so dashing
''So what's the point of robbery when nothing is worth taking?
''It's kind of tough to tell a scruff the big mistake he's making'' }}
* In the [[Bette Midler]] song "Big Socks", from her album ''[[Guy-On-Guy Is Hot|Bathhouse]] Betty''. It's a [[Break Up Song]] about dumping a [[Narcissist
{{quote|''Don't brag about [[Impossibly Tacky Clothes|the diamond rings or the expensive clothes you wear]]
''<nowiki>'</nowiki>Cause I could care less for what you possess, and [[Jerkass|your attitude needs repair]]
''Don't [[Narcissist|brag about your body]] baby, and say that [[Bigger Is Better in Bed|you're packing a lot]]
''{{'}}Cause all that I see, besides your big feet, is that you've got [[Title Drop|big socks]]'' }}
* A prominent element of [[Mr. B The Gentleman Rhymer]]'s personal style ''and'' flavor of [[Chap-Hop]].
== Theatre ==
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** Lord Goring from ''An Ideal Husband''
** Lord Illingworth from ''A Woman of No Importance''
== Video Games ==
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* Flea from ''[[Chrono Trigger]]'', taking it so far that the party think he's a woman.
* The self-proclaimed "Beautiful Demon Lord" in ''[[Half Minute Hero]]'''s "Hero 30" and "Evil Lord 30" modes.
* ''[[Valkyrie Profile: Covenant of the Plume
* ''[[Kingdom Hearts
== Webcomics ==▼
* Conrad from [[Hanna Is Not a Boy's Name]] dresses better than the rest of the cast and is easily the most useless when it comes to actual fights. The author herself even described him as 'metrosexual.'▼
▲* Conrad from ''[[Hanna Is Not a Boy's Name]]'' dresses better than the rest of the cast and is easily the most useless when it comes to actual fights. The author herself even described him as 'metrosexual.'
== Western Animation ==
* ''[[My Little Pony:
** Prince Blueblood from
** Also [[Fan Nickname|"Steven Magnet"]], the water dragon from the second episode "Elements Of Harmony" easily qualifies for this.
* Tahno in ''[[The Legend of Korra]]'' is this, as well as [[The Rival]]. Just ''look'' at that hair. And the guyliner...and the way he cocks his hip.
* Sunstreak in ''[[Transformers Generation 1]]'' who obsesses over his appearance and paint scheme.
** Knock Out in ''[[Transformers Prime]]'' shows similar traits. Starscream once punishes him by scratching his paint job.
== Real Life ==
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* Poet Charles Baudelaire was a self-proclaimed dandy, spending tons of money on clothes despite being in debt most of his life.
* British comedian [[Russell Brand]].
* Huge numbers of men in the 17th to 19th centuries would have fit this trope, since it was the style of the time. Notable dandies include Beau Brummell (the common name for this trope in the 19th century), King George IV, and [[Samuel Pepys]], who once fretted for days about whether his lace cuffs should be trimmed with silver or gold. Note that there was little [[Ho Yay]] to this, since
** You can add Giamondo Casanova to the list; he made a point of out-fopping every other male in the general region where he was staying at any given time.
* Louis XIV of France was a dandy who subverted the trope in order to better control the French nobility. He made his most senior noblemen attend him at all times, and instead of giving them money or titles allowed them privileges such as being allowed to help him dress, undress, or eat dinner. (It took about 200 men and an hour and a half to help Louis get dressed most mornings.) The point was to keep them at Versailles doing pointless and stupid things, which he hoped would prevent them from raising peasant armies against him. To paraphrase Will Cuppy: if you think society's bad now, be glad you don't have to get up at seven in the morning to watch Louis XIV put on his pants.
* Maxmilien Robespierre, being a French lawyer living in the 18th century. Due to the whole "French Revolution" thing going on, the excesses of the French nobility were obviously falling out of fashion for his social circle, but he never stopped caring about dressing fastidiously neatly.
* The late Don Meredith, something of [[The Pete Best]] to Roger Staubach's Ringo as quarterback of the Dallas Cowboys, was nicknamed "Dandy Don."
* Fashion writer Patrick McDonald; full stop. Seriously,
{{reflist}}
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[[Category:Characters]]
[[Category:Personal Appearance Tropes]]
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dandy, The}}
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