We're Inspired By Dandy Style With an Edge

Alittle bit preppy, a lot punk rock, the dandy is subversive self-fashioning at its finest—think Marlene Dietrich’s top hat and tuxedo, Oscar Wilde’s cheeky knee-breeches, prince’s fastidious cravats. From opera buffa to surrealism and beyond, this arch and knowing mode of gender-bending—prim yet provocative, flamboyantly restrained—has inspired artists across time, and remains a radical invitation open to anyone who cares to delight in its pleasures.

DECORATE

Buttoned-up stripes and graphic motifs get a Mad Hatter–worthy makeover in bold, unexpected hues. A common color thread and liberal doses of pitch black keeps the circus-like palette in check; the simple brown Parsons console brings eclectic antiques back down to earth.

Antique painting and Gustavian stools from Dienst + Dotter. Hanford table lamp by Vaughan, vaughndesigns.com. Papier-Mâché Floral Urn by Mark Gagnon, $2,600, krbnyc.com. Larivey Stripe fabric (on wall and black-striped hat), Clermont Épinglé fabric (on chair), King Épinglé fabric (on briefcase), and Mariga fabric (on plaid hat) by Schumacher. Carioca fabric by Margo Selby (on pink-striped hat) and Regency Stripe wallpaper (on green-striped hat), both Osborne & Little. 001 Rhythmic Stripe fabric (on bottom hat) by Paul Smith for Maharam.

STYLED BY OLGA NAIMAN; PHOTOGRAPHED BY KEVIN KERR

SHOP

When it comes to bringing their swinging sensibility into the home, the domestic dandy turns the volume down a notch by injecting stripes and plaids in small doses or neutralizing bright colors with drab backgrounds. Bonus points for motifs that wink at the dilettante’s favorite vices—cards, anyone?

TURNED ON

Handpainted Lampshade 2332 by Alvaro Picardo, $256, svenskttenn.com
HEART BURN

Queen of Hearts Matchbox by Archivist, £8, updowninteriors.co.uk
SERVING LOOKS

Medium Stripe Tray by Collagerie x The Conran Shop, $44, conranshop.co.uk
CHECK MATE

Large Check Throw by Johnstons of Elgin for Pentreath & Hall, $434, pentreath-hall.com
TURN OF PHRASE

20” Pillow in Robert Burns fabric by Johnson Hartig/Libertine for Schumacher, $465, perigold.com
SIDE PIECES

Colorful Stripe Side Plates by Rockett St George, £74 for a set of four, rockettstgeorge.co.uk
STIR IT UP

Glass Spoon by Hay, $55 for a set of three, us.hay.com
GOT THE BLUES

Octagonal Striped Carafe by Campbell-Rey, $347, 1stdibs.com
SCARLET LETTER

Alphabet Brush Pot by Bridie Hall, $50, pentreath-hall.com
POWER GRID

Notebook/Journal by Eremo Studio, $25, positionalus.shop
MOST VALUABLE PLAYER

Cocktail Game Cards napkins by La Gallina Matta, $125 for a set of four, artemest.com
DRINK UP

Madras Goblet by Marie Daâge, $189, mariedaage.com
PAINT PALETTE

Milagro Lamp by Veronica Ortuño, €1,024, oblist.com
IN THE MAIL

Top Hat greeting card by James Brown, £3, pressedandfolded.com
SUNNY SIDE UP

Zig Zag Cushion by Fine Cell Work for Pentreath & Hall, $109, pentreath-hall.com
STRIPE TEASE

Berlingot Table Coasters by Léa Zana, $96 for a set of four, libertylondon.com

STAY

For more than 50 years, dapper gents and ladies have flocked to Paul Smith for his oh-so-British spin on classic tailoring with a dash of groovy style. This year, he adds his signature stripes to a new canvas with the debut of the Sir Paul Smith Suite at Brown’s Hotel in London, decorated in collaboration with Rocco Forte Hotels’ Director of Design, Olga Polizzi. We like to think that onetime Brown’s resident Oscar Wilde would very much approve.

With quirky details like banana-shaped door handles and handpicked artwork, the Sir Paul Smith Suite at Brown’s Hotel in London is an exuberant homage to the iconic designer’s signature aesthetic. From $6,800 per night, roccofortehotels.com.

Courtesy of Paul Smith

WEAR

From New York to London to Milan, designers are reimagining classic menswear staples—tailored suits and outerwear, checks and stripes—on the womenswear runways with eye-catching colors and bold, oversize silhouettes. Think Savile Row with the volume turned way, way up.

Argyle sweater, $1,790, plaid kilt, $1,890, handbag, and shearling boots, $1,550 by Burberry, prices upon request, us.burberry.com.
Lickety Split long jacket, $5,900; Fawn Slim Keith tie blouse, $1,950; Houndstooth pleated pants, $2,250; all by Libertine, ilovelibertine.com.

Velvet Falmouth Vest, $580; Flounce Blouse, $690; Alumni Stripe Pajama Pants, $590; all by Bode, bode.com.
Carver Coat Persimmon Mega Plaid,$1,195

Oversize Yellow Checked Suit and Jacquard Cotton Shirt, prices upon request; both by Marni, marni.com.
Felt Check Patchwork coat by The Elder Statesman.

ACCESSORIZE

Unisex—or simply unilaterally pleasing? The geometric graphics of these covetable leather goods, jumpers, slippers, and more traverse the style spectrum, ranging from conservative to flamboyant while always maintaining a 100 percent rating in the classics department.

FOOT LOOSE

Blue Cotton and Nylon Socks with Multicolour Stripes by Marni, $110, farfetch.com
WHY KNOT

Silk Bow Tie by Sid Mashburn, $78, shopmashburn.com
A BIT OF BIAS

Drop Shoulder Sweater by Clare V., $345, clarev.com
BETTING ODDS

Kings Formal cufflink set by Fine and Dandy, $59, fineanddandyshop.com
SMOKING HOT

Stripes Marine slippers by Stubbs & Wootton, $575, stubbsandwootton.com
COLOR THEORY

Croquet Stripe Tie by Rowing Blazers, $95, rowingblazers.com
SLEEP TIGHT

Men’s Classic Fit Pajamas, $189, derek-rose.com
BUILDING BLOCKS

Multicolour Check Scarf by Jo Gordon, $381, store.moma.org
SCENT OF SUCCESS

Sartorial Eau de Toilette, $170, penhaligons.com
RAINBOW CONNECTION

Ribbon Tote by Clare V., $185, garmentory.com
MONETARY UNIT

Signature Stripe Zip Wallet by Paul Smith, $250, paulsmith.com
TUCKED AWAY

Pocket Square With Three-Dimensional Design, €70, petronius1926.com

HALL OF FAME

When Charles Baudelaire decreed in 1863 that dandyism “is first and foremost the burning need to create for oneself a personal originality, bounded only by the limits of the proprieties,” he traced this “cult of the self” back to Caesar. Here, a roundup of our favorite envelope-pushing tastemakers from past and present.

PETER SCHLESINGER

Art-world legends Cecil Beaton and David Hockney make it look easy.

Courtesy of Corey Damen Jenkins & Associates

Sockless in a suit, interior designer Corey Damen Jenkins shows how it’s done.
Napolean Sarony / Library of Congress

Oscar Wilde, über-aesthete.
Melanie Acevedo

Every day is a black-tie affair for decorator Miles Redd.
Dominique Charriau

On Tilda Swinton, a hot-pink suit leans subversive, not Barbie.
Wikkie Hermkens

Brit design darling Luke Edward Hall does disheveled debonair.
Stephen Shames/Polaris

James Baldwin’s personal style rivaled his prose.
Eugene Robert Richee/Getty Images

Marlene Dietrich brought a gender-bending aesthetic to Hollywood in Morocco.
Marcy Swingle

World of Interiors editor in chief Hamish Bowles perfects the triple-check.
Norman Jean Roy / Trunk Archive

House of Waris founder Waris Ahluwalia is a Wes Anderson favorite.
Evening Standard / Getty Images

David Bowie’s rock-and-roll androgyny spurred a worldwide sensation.
Courtesy of Maximilian Hurd

Creative director Maximilian Hurd’s flamboyant style is the talk of the town.
Pictorial Press Ltd / Alamy Stock Photo

Author and rebel Radclyffe Hall’s disregard for traditional gender roles paved the way for many.