All things Fine and DANDY

  Anthony Andrews bestows exquisite majesty (from an erstwhile aperture) as Lord Sebastian Flyte. Evelyn Waugh's fanciful rebel shares sources of inspiration akin to those of Anthony Blanche – an infinitely camp creature. And secondary dandy to Sebastian among the author's idealised Oxford set. The Granada Television series (1981) fulfilled the 1920s decadence of Waugh's 1945 novel. And became an aesthetic masterpiece in its own realm. Even with the absence of Aloysius the teddy bear on this occasion 🧸

The dandy archetype is one of the most striking of plays and literature. When 'Lord Goring' and his ilk first amused theatregoers, comics had yet to transcend their Victorian status of Penny Dreadfuls. A century later, graphic storytelling would satisfy readers with distinct glimpses of Wildean wit.  While dandified script writers, like Alan Moore , would echo an element of Mr Wilde's creative yardstick.   In that such authors speak in sentences.  Saving talent for their work and genius for their lives. Alan Moore  in magician mode for his 'Fashion Beast' book signing in 2013 Caped Crusaders and Masked Marvels  It's fairly easy to spot why superheroes should captivate, and dominate so much of our entertainment. Aside from their overblown stature and invincible antics - an obvious aspect of superhero success is their super-slick costume designs.  With or without capes, superheroes comprise a deluge of Dandies: at least at a glance. And the same goes for th...