Steve has several mantras by which he lives his life and runs his business, and the purpose of the Win Business app is to share these gems of wit and wisdom with the world. Whether you’re starting out as a sole trader or tasked with heading up a multi-national conglomerate, let Steve’s sage epithets guide you through the maze of business and the adventure to come.
Firstly, though, we’d better make sure you’re dressed for the occasion!
One of Steve’s heroes is the Regency era fashionista Beau Brummell, and it is in keeping with this love of splendour and eye-catching aesthetics that the first of his 30 Things advises you to dress for a party every day. Brummell reportedly spent five hours at a time completing his “toilet,” had three hairdressers (one for his sideburns, one for his forelock, and one for the back of his head), and insisted that his boots be shined with champagne – he was a man ready for a party at any moment!
A style visionary and a flamboyant rule breaker, Brummell developed friendships with aristocrats like the Prince Regent (later, King George IV). However, instead of blending in with his rich pals and following their ornate styles – which he couldn’t afford, as he wasn’t an aristocrat himself – he developed his own, focusing on good quality, well-cut clothing that complemented the male physique rather than swamping it; soon, the aristocrats were following suit, quite literally!
The billowing tunics and stockings of his rich contemporaries were replaced by an early iteration of what we now recognise as the classic suit. However, there were some noticeable differences; for example, the trousers and jackets sported by Brummell were of complementary colours and prints. The matching suit did not become popular until the 19th and 20th century, but Brummell is often credited as the father of modern menswear for his take on the early suit. He also introduced the intricately knotted cravat as a must-have accessory.
Later, Oscar Wilde became another celebrated dandy, proclaiming things like “fashion is what one wears oneself. What is unfashionable is what other people wear” and posing for photographs in luxurious velvet attire. A famed satirist and playwright, Wilde’s carefully constructed witticisms won him acclaim and admirers, but less well-known is his 1885 prose essay The Philosophy of Dress in which he railed against the Victorian fashions for corsets, bows, and exaggerated decoration on dresses. Wilde was certainly a dandy and a fashion lover, but, like Brummell, he favoured practical aesthetics rather than needless embellishment. Wherever Wilde went, you could be sure a party would follow!
He embraced dandyism as an artistic statement, turning fashion into something playful. This attitude is epitomised in a stunt he pulled during the opening night of Lady Windemere’s Fan. He arranged for a number of men in the audience to wear a green carnation in their buttonhole and added the same flower to the costume worn by the play’s male lead. The audience, of course, noticed the multiple green carnations and wondered what it all meant; the joke was that they meant nothing at all, and all the wearers were in on a meaningless prank.
While the professional dandy of the 19th century lived a life of leisure, beauty, and extensive personal grooming, channelling dandyism in the contemporary business world doesn’t have to be at odds with a solid work ethic and professional attitude. In fact, dandyism and professional success can go hand in hand. In an era of the personal brand, characterised by the rise of Instagram influencers, street style photographers, and self-made YouTube style vloggers, Brummell’s and Wilde’s obsession with self-image has arguably never been more relevant! Indeed, when you take a glance down the Wikipedia page for Dandyism, the entry for Hipster is right there, nestled among the suggested further reading. Channelling the aesthetic philosophy of the dandy means creating your own art, being confident in yourself, and starting your own party. Life is short, and clothes are fun. Embrace their possibilities!