“The preparation, the lavish equipment for what should have been the serious business of life used up all his energy. How much mental effort had been expended simply in making the proper toilette. How much time and attention went to his supplies of cigarettes, soaps, and perfumes; how much occasion for making up his mind lay in that moment, recurring two or three times daily, when he had to select his cravat! And it was worth the effort. It was important. The blond-haired citizenry of the land might go about in elastic-sided boots and turn-over collars, heedless of the effect. But he- and most explicitly he-must be unassailable and blameless of exterior from head to foot.”
Thomas Mann, “The Blood of the Walsungs”, 1905
A Bird's Eye View of Fashion, Food, Travel, Culture, Beverage and Curiosity 