I mean, I get it, but the unintentional homo-eroticism can't quite get me to overlook the many, many things about this that aged like unpasteurized milk at a germ convention.
"You know, for years, I couldn't stand the sight of you. Cos of your - your rings and your perfumes and your fancy way of dressing. D'you have to be such a cursed dandy?"
"A dandy is not a mere clothes horse. To be a true dandy is to be self-disciplined, detached, even spiritual. It is also a gesture of individuality and a mask, behind which the sneers of the world cannot reach."
"Well, maybe you needed something to hide behind once but... hang it, that's why some of the others still distrust you. They expect their leading statesmen to look the part. Not like some Italian dancing master, what?"