Minerva Miller steps out into the Tuscan sun with a gaggle of Italian, British and French devotees to dandyism.
On a visit to Rome in April of this year, the Queen joked that she and the King enjoyed ‘any excuse to be in Italy’, and after a visit to Tuscany you can see her point. Of course, British toffs have been scarpering off to Italy for centuries; in fact, you can roundly blame the Italians for the emergence of Dandyism in London. Young wealthy men returning to the grey skies of England in the 1760s with a taste for pasta and the bright colours and brio of Italy formed the Macaroni club in London’s St James’s. You can even see Beau Brummell’s later rejection of flamboyant excess in favour of artful elegance as confluent with another Italian attitude towards style and appearance – sprezzatura, defined in the Oxford English Dictionary as ‘studied carelessness.’
The fact that vivid flamboyance and studied nonchalance are both still to be found in Italy was evidenced at our particular excuse to be there: ‘Dandy Days’, a festival held on a weekend at the end of May in Arezzo, Tuscany. The event was established several years ago by Alessio Genestrini and Stefania Severi, local barbers who wanted to find a way to promote the City and its smaller businesses. It also raises money for Casa Thevenin, a refuge for children and single parent families in need which is based in the City .
“Every year we strive to renew ourselves while staying true to our identity: celebrating style and elegance with a retro flair, in a spirit of solidarity and inclusion. The public’s response moved us deeply and confirms that Arezzo is the perfect setting for this event.”
Alessio Genestrini
It is an idyllic location, an hour by train from Florence and worth a few days of anyone’s time even without a gaggle of dandies, flaneurs, chaps and their dogs to keep you entertained. In addition to the usual panoramic vistas, picturesque town square and atmospheric churches (one with frescos by Piero della Francesca), Arezzo is also the hometown of both Petrarch and Vasari. Dandy Days is held to coincide with a famous antiques fair, putting temptation in the path of Dandy Day attendees who have to resist an array of cufflinks, pocket watches and canes.
The weekend kicked off with a car show organised by the Automobile Club Arezzo. Some of us were able to jump in for a ride. I travelled with Enzo in his Fiat X1/9 and was amused by his approach to air conditioning, which was to keep the driver’s door open whilst travelling. I later moved on to a white Alfa Romeo Giulietta Spider, which some readers may recall Edward Fox driving in The Day of the Jackal. The weekend also included a vintage bicycle show and a swarm of Vespas roaring through the city streets, much to the amusement of the locals. If the presence of so much classic Italian design did not remind us just how stylish the nation is, a programme of cultural events was also provided.
The festival provided an opportunity to meet a wider range of people sharing common interests, but also to observe the differences. The British contingent did what the British traditionally do in Italy, taking their lead from decades of habit and Merchant Ivory films. An assortment of linen crumpled and crisp, cravats, buttonholes and Panama hats guided by a phalanx of parasols descended on the City. A few outliers donned the odd louche blazer and, in a nod to British eccentricity, one of our number spent the Sunday perspiring in a wool three-piece suit – pinstripe of course.
Our Italian hosts were more contemporary in style and arguably more flamboyant. Flashes of vivid colour, embroidered man bags and a maximalist approach to accessories were prominent, along with some superb facial hair. We saw Proustian precision, relaxed classic lightweight Italian tailoring and West Coast Ivy league inspired dressing. The largely Italian presence was enhanced by the attendance of an elegant group of French attendees. It was a valuable reminder that, no matter which provincial corner you may find yourself in, you are not alone. There is someone else out there who thinks that the correct flower for a buttonhole is a matter of great importance.
There is, however, one Italian habit that was much observed, and I suspect will never be understood by domestic readers of this magazine: a distinct lack of socks with shoes; even, on occasion, with evening dress. This coolness around the ankles was more than compensated for by the warmth of our hosts. The whole weekend was punctuated by umpteen aperitivo gatherings, at which we were plied with snacks, wine, and cocktails. Jokes were shared, hats compared, and friendships and memories made.
The first evening ended in a cocktail bar, and the sight of a row of impeccably dressed gentlemen disco dancing to Sabrina Salerno singing Boys, Boys, Boys is hard to forget, although it could, I think, be adopted as a Chappist anthem. A gala charity event was arranged on the second evening, a glamorous formal event held under the stars at which a monster truffle was raffled (provided by a genial man known as The Lord of the Truffles), copious cigars were smoked and, even when the tunes stopped, the cocktail bar continued to pour free negronis into the morning.
One of the defining aspects of Dandyism is an air of individuality, difference and perhaps also rebellion. It may be strange, after a weekend spent surrounded by beautiful views and visually arresting attendees, to feel slightly thoughtful. This was a weekend organised by those who stand out from their fellows to help those who find themselves outside society, and to help promote small craftspeople and designers. I recalled the words of that great observer of the British in Italy, E. M. Forster: “Love and understand the Italians, for the people are more marvellous than the land.”
