Alcebíades: an analysis of the sartorial modern man from Machado de Assis’s point of view

Abstract

Machado de Assis strong sense of observation is noted in his short story Uma visita de Alcebiades, where he critics the ninety’s eighty’s fashion. By using this story we can do a short historical analysis about ninety’s century men’s fashion considering his positioning social strategy and the expression of a burgeoise identity based on attributes of sobriety, simplicity and professionalism. The text is constructed with Machado’s settings, opposing the greek aesthetic on clothes impregnated with philosophical values connected to the expression of the self, to the modern burgueois sartorial imaginary.