The realization hit me on a rainy Saturday afternoon. Not at the Polo Shop in Georgetown where earlier I had purchased a rather dapper bowtie, but in Oxon Hill, Maryland, in the middle of a store called Big Boys Toys and surrounded by a dozen men ogling racks of shiny chrome wheels.
The realization? Men who customize their cars and trucks are the new 21st Century dandies. It's true, and it's not about bow ties or Persian rugs. It's about the bling.
Stylish chrome wheels and customized leather interiors cost several thousand dollars. Decorative painting, lighting, running boards, floor mats, and entertainment are popular enhancements. Hip hop artists call it “bling,” and the Oxford English dictionary defines it as diamonds, jewelry, and all showy style. After purchase auto modification is now a $31 million industry and everyone wants to accessorize and personalize his car. Hollywood looks not only at what you wear to the Oscars, but what you drive up in.
Consider this. The traditional definition of dandy is a man who places particular importance upon physical appearance and the cultivation of leisurely hobbies. In England and in the U.S. at the turn of the century, auto driving was a pursuit of the wealthy. In France, dandies were often self-created men who consciously designed their own personalities and enjoyed decadent lifestyles.
I'm moving carefully in customizing my truck, seeking the bling that Alfred Dunhill would approve of.
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