#though like the second response is wrong that brummell didn't have part in toning down men's fashion

[dresshistorynerd]

The main reason for the change from elaborate Rococo styles to the toned down Regency styles was the French Revolution in 1789 (and the mounting discontent with the aristocracy before it), not Beau Brummell who became London socialite around 1799. Regency fashion was mainly influenced by antiquity, especially Rome, and countryside middle class fashion, because the republicans wanted to distinguish themselves from the aristocracy. Antiquity, because of militarism, nationalism and it being seen as the birth of democracy, and countryside because of Romanticism and also nationalism. The tree piece suit too comes from late 1600s, and has it's roots in Orientalism and colonialism. The Rococo men's fashion was also direct ancestor of modern men's suit. The reasons for why there was this massive change in men's fashion in late 1700s and the bigger change it's part of that was happening for couple of centuries before it are much more interesting and complex than "a guy did it". I wrote a much longer response to this thread here, where I go deeper into the reasons behind the change.

I guess it's easy to look at a problem and find a person you can blame, but it won't help us understand the problem and certainly not solve it. I think it's quite damaging to view history through individual influential people, and it leads to extremely wrong ideas about history like this.

Also Beau Brummel got in terrible debt and had to flee the country, and died in Paris, of syphilis. So there’s that.