Pretty Gentlemen

Macaroni Men and the Eighteenth-Century Fashion World

By: Peter McNeil

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Hardcover | 20 March 2018 | Edition Number 1

At a Glance

Hardcover
256 Pages

Dimensions(cm)
25.5 x 19 x 3

Hardcover

RRP $77.95

$61.75

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An exploration of British male fashion of the late eighteenth century

“A brilliant account of a controversial moment in men’s self-fashioning.”—Valerie Steele, director and chief curator, Museum at the Fashion Institute of Technology

The term “macaroni” was once as familiar a label as “punk” or “hipster” is today. In this handsomely illustrated book devoted to notable eighteenth-century British male fashion, award-winning author and fashion historian Peter McNeil brings together dress, biography, and historical events with the broader visual and material culture of the late eighteenth century.

For thirty years, “macaroni” was a highly topical word, yielding a complex set of social, sexual, and cultural associations. Pretty Gentlemen is grounded in surviving dress, archival documents, and art spanning hierarchies and genres, from scurrilous caricature to respectful portrait painting. Celebrities hailed and mocked as macaroni include politician Charles James Fox, painter Richard Cosway, freed slave Julius “Soubise,” and criminal parson Reverend Dodd. The style also rapidly spread to neighboring countries in cross-cultural exchange, while Horace Walpole, George III, and Queen Charlotte were active critics and observers of these foppish men.

Industry Reviews

"Entertaining and illuminating."-Marina Warner, Times Literary Supplement, "Books of the Year 2018"

"[McNeil] creates an in-depth understanding of the macaroni world. . . . Both interesting and enjoyable for an insight into aspects of late eighteenth century society."-Alison Fairhurst, Journal of Dress History

"[A] beautifully illustrated and richly informative book."-Norma Clark, Times Literary Supplement

"[A] work of real academic merit."-Gareth Wyn Davies, World of Interiors

Long listed for the Historians of British Art Book Prize

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