RECOVERIST CULTURE FIX: Read our blog from the Dandy Style Exhibition
Past Project
It’s daunting dealing with the fact that you’re a problem drinker and/or an alcoholic. The thought of becoming sober (especially at 32), losing friends, having a boring or non-existent social life and FOMO plagued me as I started my sober journey...
On Saturday 29th April 2023, we launched our first official Recoverist Culture Fix event. In collaboration with Sober Gay Socials, PORe organised a free specially guided tour of Dandy Style, an exhibition at The Manchester Art Gallery.
RECOVERIST CULTURE FIX: Richard's personal experience
My standard Saturday morning would usually consist of me waking up, hungover, wondering what I had done the night before, experiencing black outs of events, and feeling guilt, anxiety, and shame.
I recently started my sobriety journey in October 2022 after coming out of rehab. I remember entering the doors of multiple different LGBTQI+ friendly sobriety meetings. It’s daunting dealing with the fact that you’re a problem drinker and/or an alcoholic. The thought of becoming sober (especially at 32), losing friends, having a boring or non-existent social life and FOMO plagued me as I started my sober journey. After a few LGBTQI+ sobriety meetings, social events, and talking to fellow sober LGBTQI+ members, I eventually realised that there was potential for a great life, and social events I could attend. Stopping drinking and focusing on recovery actually opens up a lot more doors and opportunities, as well as not waking up with foggy, sore, sad eyes each morning or a belly full of beer fear and Sunday scaries. Building new strong foundations, support, a sober LGBTQI+ network, and friends is extremely important to me in order to make this a success.
My Saturday morning LGBTQI+ friendly sober meeting friend suggested that we meet up with the “Sober Gay Socials” group who were attending the “Dandy style exhibition” at the Manchester Art Gallery for a private guided tour. Meeting any type of new social meetup group can be daunting and is a strange concept to most people. However, as soon as I met the group lead, Stephen, and other members, I immediately felt welcomed and received warm introductions.
We were then met by our beautiful, glamorous, stylish, sassy, and unique quaintrelle* private tour guide, Stephanie. Stephanie was dressed in big red and black tartan Vivienne Westwood glasses, an asian style skirt and a slick white big collared shirt with red interior trimmings and big cuffs; she was a powerhouse I fell in love with immediately. This exhibit celebrated hundreds of years of the dandy style. The style of the dandy era is elegant, but bold—dedicated to the perfection of taste. This meticulously choreographed look has a vibrant history; the legacy of Beau Brummell, the original dandy of Regency England, can be traced in the clothing of urban dandies today.
We started our tour with the tailors; the creatives who drove the dandy fashion industry forward in the early dandy style days & inspired this unique point in time for fashion that would ultimately shape how we dress today, and be the starting point for the suits and styles people wear today with adoration, class and sophistication. We can see this fashion and style still to this day in what even trickles down to the high street stores, and eventually charity stores.
We learnt about how clothing was developed from this early time, how clothing displayed socioeconomic status, power, and even aspects of their intelligence, expert specialism in industry, and their educated backgrounds of those depicted in portraits, paintings, and garments. We explored unique hand woven fabrics, and these garments wouldn’t have been a quick, simple, cheap, or an easy task without the machinery and crafting tools we have at our disposal today. The clothing was specifically commissioned and worn by the “gods of stealth wealth”.
As you walk around the exhibition you can see fabrics, garments, paintings and imagery of how the dandy fashion took England, Europe & Africa by storm. We can even see how the typical dandy style inspires fashion today in grime artists like JME and even to football gods like David Beckham, and pop stars like Zane Malick at Hollywood red carpet events. Each garment tells a story and something unique about the person wearing them and the creatives behind the concept/style. The typical person to peacock with the dandy look is someone of impeccable taste, obsessed with perfection and being dressed to not just impress, but to dazzle on lookers.
The gallery also had students view the dandy exhibition before it opened and then commissioned the 5 students to create a garment of their own dandy inspired dream outfit and vision from the inspiring history/art, which blew us all away. The exhibition is a must if you have an interest in portraits, fashion, and unique artefacts that take you through a journey in time of dandy fashion.
Meeting the “Sober Gay Social'' leaders and members was a great experience for our LGBTQI+ sobriety group, and we plan to collaborate again in the near future to inspire us intellectually and help each other on our own sobriety journeys.
*A female dandy
The Dandy Style exhibition takes the historical figure of the dandy as the focus of this new show. Vivienne Westwood and Alexander McQueen clothes are shown alongside heavily embroidered, floral court fashion from the 18th Century - as well as paintings by artists including David Hockney, Thomas Gainsborough and Lubaina Himid.
This blog was kindly written by a member of the group.
RECOVERIST CULTURE FIX is our new programme of regular, specially curated cultural events. Members will be invited to free or low-cost visits to exhibitions, shows & film screenings in Greater Manchester. If you'd like to get involved or find out more about our Recoverist Culture Fix events, sign up to be part of our member database (and select Recoverist Culture Fix as an interest in the drop down menu). This Recoverist Culture Fix event is part of Portraits of Recovery's commitment to increasing access and engagement with the arts for people and communities in recovery.
