You cannot miss Boisdale of Belgravia. The strawberry-red frontage stands out like a Highland hunting lodge amid the upmarket estate agents (a set at Albany for £4.3 million, anyone?) and the fly-by-night delicatessens that look like reckless gifts from hedge-fund managers to their trophy wives. En route to our lunch appointment we paused to pay… … Keep Reading
On this day in 1990, Terry-Thomas died at Busbridge Hall Nursing Home in Godalming, Surrey. Something of a Chap icon, in fact more of a spiritual godhead, Terry-Thomas personified the upper-class Englishman with a strong caddish streak. He was born Thomas Terry Hoar Stevens in 1911, changing his stage name to Terry-Thomas in the 1930s,… … Keep Reading
Paul French, author of City of Devils, takes us on a walking tour of Old Shanghai, recounting the tales of decadence, opium and freebooting of the 1930s and what remains of that era in modern Shanghai In its heyday, Shanghai was the real deal when it came to anonymity – a chap could walk down… … Keep Reading
By now, Hawksmoor Borough has delighted and beguiled a vast number of carnivorous types. Excitement can be seen writ large on the faces of each meat-eater at the magnificent treats that lie in store. ‘The finest meats, exceptional wines and cocktails and a wonderful setting – what could possibly be better?’ The answer, you will… … Keep Reading
Kentucky is regarded as the first of the Southern states, sitting south of the Ohio River on the eastern side of the United States. It is a green and pleasant land, literally. There are miles of gently rolling hills, clean air and plentiful amounts of fine pure mineral water. All these elements play a large… … Keep Reading
I am seated in a dimly lit room on a comfortable white leather cushion, wearing a pair of headphones. There are five other people in the same position in the room, and a seventh leather cushion against the rear wall – but this one is red. Into the headphones a soothing voice tells us to… … Keep Reading
Autobiographies often mark a turning point in the author’s life; the end of their creative output and time to reflect on a career; the opportunity to put scurrilous rumours to rest with the truth; the need to cash in on the dwindling fame of a reality TV show. The purpose of an autobiography to mark… … Keep Reading
The Chap Winter 18 is available directly from here and in digital form from issuu.com Crammed to the gunwales with a broad variety of content, our main interview is with dandy actor and fashion designer John Malkovich. We also meet other remarkable men, including Nicholas Parsons, Craig Brown and a man who crossed the Alps… … Keep Reading
It’s all very well donning one’s ancient, broken tweeds for manual labour, but how much more focused on the task one would be, when approaching some artisanal project of a shed-bound Sunday, clothed in suitable attire? The outfit should reflect the task to hand, but contemporary tradesmen’s styling (tracksuit bottoms, hoodie and the unsheathed backside)… … Keep Reading
On the tenth anniversary of the first episode of Peaky Blinders being broadcast on the BBC, we recall a meeting with Loz Schiavo, who styled all the hair and make-up on Seasons 1-4 of Peaky Blinders, for which she received a BAFTA nomination in 2015. You have done the hair styling and make-up for all… … Keep Reading
There are few items of clothing more in line with the ideology of Chappishness than the blazer. A three-piece tweed whistle will always serve as a winter staple, but for a single garment that denotes both a sense of old-world savoir-faire and go-to-hell exuberance, only a blazer will suffice. The origins of the blazer lie… … Keep Reading
“Wondered if you’d ‘ave the time to assess the sartorial credentials of this dandy in the underworld,” writes London Boy Lou. “What could be more indicative of one’s immense chapability than writing about oneself in the third person, eh?” A decent command of the English language? However, we are actually impressed both by Mr. Boy… … Keep Reading