Geeks, nerds, boffins, bookworms; there are a myriad of terms that describe people whose attentions tend to gravitate towards esoteric, intellectual pursuits; often at the expense of their sense of dressing. The image of the dishevelled scientist, with his erratic tie-knot, half-tucked shirt and poorly colour-coordinated clothes has been burned in our social consciousness. Yet this stereotype does not present a comprehensive picture of nerd fashion; a phrase I would like to believe is not as in vogue – pun intended – as it should be. As an avowed lifelong nerd, I can vouch that we too have our fashion idols, whose brainy bravado was matched by a slightly eccentric, but nevertheless stylish sense of couture. And in this list of fashion icons, one man’s name leads all the rest: Sherlock Holmes.
Every nerd goes through a phase in his life where Sherlock Holmes transcends being a fictional character and is instead the embodiment of everything they wish they could be. Holmes has the arrogance, penchant for drama, and bohemian lifestyle to be a nerd rockstar. He even has a cocaine habit! The image of Sherlock Holmes that usually comes to mind (deerstalker cap, magnifying glass, and Calabash pipe) is actually the creation of a 1939 movie adaptation starring Basil Rathborne. A more accurate version of Holmes, as envisioned by his creator Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, can be found in the Grenada TV series with Jeremy Brett playing the famous detective. Here we see Holmes dressed in elegant black tweed jackets, or occasionally Norfolk jackets when outdoors, alongside classy canes, top-hats that look more cool than silly, and a bowtie that’s largely covered up by a winged collar. Its appeal to the nerd emanates from the merging of steampunk and stylish, eccentric enough to stand out (which it was even for its time), yet with enough flair and sophistication as to not compromise one’s intellectual credentials.
Sherlock Holmes’ status as the ultimate thinking man’s model continues even today, in the form of the BAFTA-winning TV series Sherlock. A contemporary remake, in it we see Sherlock Holmes (brilliantly portrayed by Benedict Cumberbatch) in London in 2010 donning a sleek calf-length tweed coat and a scarf, or a tailored suit sans tie; thus creating an ideal blend of chic and savant. In fact, the influence of the modern-day Holmes extended beyond the grasp of mere boffins, as fashion retailers Debenhams and garment manufacturers Belstaff were flooded with requests for the same garments as seen in the show. Custom tailors in Saville Roy were also inundated by orders for attire inspired by Cumberbatch’s Holmes, leading to Irish designer Paul Costelloe offering a collection of custom-tailored jackets and scarves based on the TV series.
Sherlock Holmes’ status in the mind of the nerd is equivalent to that of Tendulkar in the mind of the Indian cricket fan. He is a God among men, and we aspire to emulate him our entire lives; whether that means developing an attitude of boorish indifference, or revelling in our own smartness, or even dressing up like a bohemian man in Victorian London. Through his fashions, it is possible to discern the true nature of the nerd as an individual who craves, above all else, the opportunity to flaunt his eccentricities and his status as an intellectual vagabond. It’s elementary, really!
Along with the clothes, naturally, comes the attitude. Sherlock is dramatic, intense, exceedingly intelligent, and yet capable of overlooking obvious facts known to every man. The clothes worn by Sherlock are part of the image, a representation of intelligence with a slightly skewed perspective; evidenced in his formal, yet not impeccably sharp choice of attire. Watching a Jeremy Brett or Benedict Cumberbatch play Sherlock Holmes, one is unaware of the oddities of their choice of clothing until it is compared to what a “proper” gentleman would wear. Thus, we see that while we might mistake Brett’s Victorian Holmes’ choice of clothes as being par for the course for the era during the early part of the episode, we notice that he abstains from the ceremonial ornamentations that usually adorned menswear during the late nineteenth century. Similarly Cumberbatch’s Holmes, set in 2010, walks around sans a tie, or cufflinks. His shirt, on closer observation is perhaps slightly wrinkled? Is he wearing a pair of socks of the same colour? We cannot tell. To make him completely scruffy would ruin the effect as much as making him perfectly dressed would.
Sherlock Holmes’ fashion is a reflection of what a nerd’s ideal social status would be. Different, daring, but yet not as off centre as, say, a Lady Gaga. In Sherlock Holmes clothes, we see more than markers that identify his characteristics; we the social aspirations of generations of smart, if socially inept, young boys and men.
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