Feature Friday: Dandy Wellington
Entertainer. Musician. Style activist. This month’s feature is one of the most fashionable and talented people in the vintage community and beyond. Bandleader Dandy Wellington is known for both his jazz music and his colorful and classic wardrobe.
Image courtesy Anne Hugus Photography
Image courtesy Nina Galicheva
But while he may be vintage style icon, he champions the motto “Vintage Style Not Vintage Values,” saying:
“Though my clothes and my style may be old time-y, my perspective on social issues are not. It’s to say that I am against racism, against bigotry, that I respect the bodies of LGBTQIA+ and women. It’s that I honor the original custodians of the land on which I’m standing, that though we appreciate what’s happening in the past, we are firmly in the now. My now is about inclusion, is about understanding our history for what it is and building on it in a more respectful, inclusive and honest way so that we can all move forward.”
To spread this message far and wide, his store features some fantastic merch in the Style and Substance Collection, including a just-released tote and several enamel pins.
Through his YouTube channel and Patreon, Dandy offers education and inspiration to build your own sustainable wardrobe and develop your personal style. His channel has some great videos on vintage style, including how-tos, guidance, and brand reviews. Unsurprisingly, the channel also features original music videos and videos exploring jazz and music history.
Through all his content, he works to challenge traditional ideas of blackness and masculinity. To that end, he started the Black Apparel Arts Challenge on Instagram, which encourages “artists to envision Black people in apparel arts and fashion plate illustrations” to foster representation and diversity in these traditional reference mediums. The hashtag is a wealth of inspiration, from vintage to historical costume, and we highly recommend a browse!
If you want to dive even further into creating your own personalized vintage wardrobe, he also offers a Dandy Class program outside of his YouTube channel, which includes a five-part class called Maximizing Your Wardrobe and one-on-one sessions to help you refine your individual style.
You can find out more about Dandy Wellington on his website: dandywellington.com
You can support his work on Patreon: patreon.com/dandywellington
And you can find him on social media at:
Instagram — @dandywellington
YouTube — youtube.com/c/DandyWellington/