News Archives - The Chap

28th January 2020 News

An Interview with Nicholas Parsons

As a nonagenarian, Nicholas Parsons radiates polite yet firm resolve on matters of neckwear: “I think the cravat is a very elegant form of dress, a colourful and sophisticated accessory. I own at least 30. What I don’t understand is, people wear an open neck shirt with a beautifully tailored jacket. This goes against the grain with me. A tie, or better still, a cravat, complements a jacket. I always wear cravats for my one man show.” Our conversation takes place in the secluded Buckinghamshire barn conversion where Nicholas resides with his adoring wife Annie. Exposed beams, brick open fireplace… Keep Reading

28th January 2020 News

Debonair Moustache Wax

Upon receiving an invitation to visit the famed Captain Fawcett factory of all things hirsute in Norfolk, my first concerns were sartorial. Would such a visit require the donning of white coats, plastic sunglasses and special safety equipment and, most importantly, would I be permitted to smoke my pipe? I buried these deep concerns for the 3-hour drive from Chap HQ, having secured a billet at the Dragonfly Hotel, situated a stone’s throw from Fawcett HQ in King’s Lynn. This was my first ever visit to the mediaeval city known for its prime role in the Hanseatic League of Ports… Keep Reading

31st December 2019 News

RIP Neil Innes

Neil Innes died unexpectedly of a heart attack on the night of 29th December at his home in Toulouse, France. Innes was one of the founding members of the Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band, writing and performing the group’s biggest hit, I’m the Urban Spaceman, which reached the Top 10 on the British charts in 1968. He is the third member of the Bonzos to pass, along with Sam Spoons in 2018 and Vivian Stanshall in 1995. “We found the sort of songs we wanted to learn from old 78 Gramophone records,” Innes said in 2004, “the breakable ones, which… Keep Reading

29th December 2019 News

A Good Year For The Chaps

2019 was a significant year for The Chap, with the celebration of 20 years of anarcho-dandyism and publication of our 100th edition in May. This special centenary edition featured the greatest chap of all time, Terry-Thomas, on the front cover and an interview with the greatest living chap Leslie Phillips. We also marked this momentous anniversary with publication of Best of The Chap, a collection of the finest articles from the last 100 editions in a splendid 300-page hardback volume. This was also the year we launched our very own eau de cologne, Flâneur, as well as its accompanying range… Keep Reading

13th November 2019 News

Chap Winter 19 Out Now

Issue 102 of The Chap celebrates the mad, the eccentric and the maverick artiste, commencing with a surreal conversation between actor Tony Pitts and comedian Vic Reeves. We also meet Dexys frontman Kevin Rowland, who discusses his long musical career and allows us a glimpse into his immense personal wardrobe. Maverick icons featured include Marilyn Monroe, Errol Flynn and David Niven’s army chum Michael Trubshawe, who received a name check in every one of Niven’s films. Sartorial features include a visit to Mason & Sons, the menswear maker and bespoke tailor housed in John Lennon’s old flat in Marylebone, where… Keep Reading

24th October 2019 News

Peaky Blinders Soundtrack

UMC (Universal Music Catalogue) is releasing the first-ever official soundtrack to the series Peaky Blinders, in a two-CD set spanning all five series, which will also be available as a 3-record vinyl release. Since the opening credits of the first series, using Nick Cave’s menacing Red Right Hand to set the sinister tone, music has been integral to the narrative and style of Peaky Blinders. A new version of Red Right Hand by PJ Harvey, only available on this release, has been specially recorded for the series, now available to stream from here. Also exclusive to the new soundtrack album… Keep Reading

19th September 2019 News

Revolution in the Bathroom

Men’s grooming brand Urban Jack declares itself to be on a mission to improve men’s skincare. “Every day,” they tell us, “mens’ skin goes into battle with environmental factors, from exhaust fumes to the unpredictable British weather. Throw in a gym session, a park run and one too many late nights, and it’s little wonder about the state men’s skin is in.” There’s nothing Chaps can do about environmental factors and the British weather, and too many late nights are always worth paying any price for, though naturally we can give gymnasia and park runs a wide berth. And then… Keep Reading

11th September 2019 News

Chap Olympiad at Goodwood Revival

This year sees the return of the legendary Chap Olympiad at Britain’s foremost vintage motorcar race meeting. Taking place over the weekend of 13th-15th September at Goodwood Motor Circuit, this year looks set to have decent weather, for once. As well as the roar of petrol engines in vintage Maseratis, Bugattis and Lamborghinis, flypasts in Spitfires and Hurricanes, a vintage fashion show and endless sideshow entertainment, visitors may take part in the Chap Olympiad thrice daily in the Over the Road area, at 11m, 2pm and 5pm on all three days of the festival. This will be The Chap’s fifth… Keep Reading

5th September 2019 News

Best of The Chap

For 20 years, satirical gentlemen’s quarterly The Chap has been providing chaps all over the world with crucial advice on sartorial rectitude and anarcho-dandyist etiquette. Best of The Chap brings together in one volume all the features from the last 100 issues that have defined the publication’s manifesto. Best of The Chap includes features from the earliest editions, when The Chap was a slim pamphlet taken by a discreet handful of dissolute dandies, such as The Semiotics of Smoking, Gentlemanly Ailments and Trouser Semaphore. As the popularity of the publication grew, so did the breadth of its content, with features… Keep Reading

14th August 2019 News

Chap Autumn 19 Edition

The Chap gallops into its second century, hot on the heels of publication of our 100th edition this May, with issue 101. Helen McCrory reveals the dark secrets of creating the role of Aunt Polly in Peaky Blinders, and we also meet Alison McCosh, who created all the male and female costumes on the series. We report on the Grand Flaneur Walk, with photographic documentation of the three global chapters in London, Dusseldorf and Los Angeles, with an accompanying tract on the history of the flaneur. Sartorial features include the British Shoe Company, Yarmouth Oilskins, Workwear Jackets and Frahm Clothing.… Keep Reading

13th August 2019 News

The Chap Olympiad 2019

The 2019 Chap Olympiad took place on Sunday 11th August at Firle Vintage Fair, the original date of Saturday 11th having been wiped out by a thoroughly unexpected Sussex storm. The Olympiad revelled in its new country location, on a beautifully manicured croquet lawn in the grounds of Firle Place, a Georgian country pile in the Sussex Downs, as part of a three-day festival celebrating vintage life in all its glory, with dozens of vintage clothes (including The Chap and Bobby and Dandy) and homeware stalls, a Victorian funfair, dancing girls in sequinned costumes, a classic car show and live… Keep Reading

5th August 2019 News

The 2019 Chap Olympiad

This year the legendary Chap Olympiad, instead of taking place in London, moves to a country location. At 1pm on Saturday 10th August, the Tournament of Tomfoolery will occur at Firle Vintage Fair in East Sussex. This year’s repertoire includes classic favourites Umbrella Jousting, Cucumber Sandwich Discus, Tug of Hair and Tea Pursuit, as well as a brand new event Picnic Vaulting. All the events at The Chap Olympiad have been designed to test the chappish mettle of contestants, rewarding them for the skills they naturally possess rather than any form of sporting ability. Umbrella Jousting requires precise co-ordination betwixt… Keep Reading