Courtesy of Wikipedia PAUL FARMER / White’s Club St James’s Street /
From the ground floor bow window of White’s Genteman’s club (an exclusive club known for its royal and aristocratic members) sat Beau Brummel who during the early 1800’s was the main arbiter of fashion in London.
Throughout history, the rich had used dazzling clothing to denote their status but the French revolution changed that. French Gentlemen now preferred to look like men of action, men of resolve, and adopted a more practical military for of dress. In England, Beau Brumell became the main leader of this movement, realising that the fashion had much in common with English values of modesty and self-restraint. Brummel was famous for taking 5 hours to groom himself and the Prince of Wales would purportedly come and watch him dress. It was said Brummel washed his boots in champagne.
Such was Brummel’s sartorial reputation, that he was allowed to sit in White’s window so people walking past could see what he was wearing. He was also well known for his cutting wit and would comment derisively on what people were wearing to admirers sitting alongside him.