Last night I skipped my evening constitutional to instead attend a forum on one of this country's truly pressing topics--dandyism. Hosted by Lord Whimsy (author of The Affected Provincial's Companion), the event included speakers Alex Wilcox (owner of one of our favorite men's stores, Lord Willy's), Ellen Colon-Lugo (owner of Ellen Christine Millinery), and fashion journalist and man-about-town Cator Sparks. The crowd at the Housing Works Used Book Cafe, adorned with feathers, bows and various other nostalgic accoutrements, seemed dressed for a far more genteel era.

A few of the things I learned:

• The father of dandyism, Beau Brummel (1778-1840), would have certainly jumped on the skinny jeans trend, as he abandoned breeches for snugly-tailored dark pantaloons.

• Oscar Wilde is probably the most well-known dandy, but French poet Charles Baudelaire was also a staunch proponent of dandyism, once stating "Contrary to what a lot of thoughtless people seem to believe, dandyism is not even an excessive delight in clothes and material elegance. For the perfect dandy, these things are no more than the symbol of the aristocratic superiority of his mind."