A male fashion plate. George Bryan Brummel, nicknamed “Beau,” was one of the best-known figures of Regency England of the late 18th to early 19th century. As unofficial fashion advisor to the Prince Regent, later King George IV, Brummel was the arbiter of taste, style, and etiquette; he popularized trousers (instead of knee breeches) with matching coats, as well as cravats that were the forerunners of neckties. The epithet Beau Brummel was applied to any man who was fastidious about his clothing, even if he wasn't a trendsetter.