FINE & DANDY

Move over, hype-beast. Designers and celebrities alike are embracing big dandy energy this season.

- JEFFREY YAN

In this age of the softboy and the babygirl, the dandy might seem like a vanishing species. It doesn't help that like other fashionable qualities such as chicness or It-ness, dandyism is hard to pin down-though you will certainly know it once you see it. Being a dandy is different from being dapper; there is an added flair to it, a certain elan. As the saying goes, one needs to know the rules first in order to break them. A dandy's look is often rooted in classical tailoring, though the overall effect is much greater than the sum of its parts because of the dandy's laser-sharp attention to minute detail, colour, cut and finish. An unexpected jewel pinned to the lapel; a surprising flash of sock or bare ankle; a glimpse of skin in place of a shirt; a slight flare of the trousers or nip of the jacket; opting for mossy brown in a sea of blackthese are but some of the subtle twists a dandy might work into his outfit.