News - page 7

The U.S. Presidential election became a two-horse race, and eventually it was the two candidates’ approach to wearing white tie that swung the contest in Barack Obama’s favour. He and Mitt Romney were speeding neck and neck towards the finishing line, when one small but essential detail helped voters decide whom they wanted in the… … Keep Reading

A cocktail maker has claimed to have set a new record for the most expensive cocktail in the world. Mixologist Salvatore Calabrese says “Salvatore’s Legacy”, made using ingredients dating back to before American independence and the French Revolution, will set you back a cool £5,500 per glass. Guinness World Records said it is investigating the… … Keep Reading

The nation’s finest facial fuzz was displayed in Brighton last weekend. More than 200 hirsute competitors took part in the first British Beard and Moustache Championships in Brighton on Saturday 16th September. The day began with a parade through the city towards Brighton Dome, where the judges presided over 11 categories of furry-faced individuals, who… … Keep Reading

On the morning of St George’s Day, April 23rd, swathes of immaculately dressed chaps and chapettes gathered outside No. 3 Savile Row to demonstrate peacefully – but firmly – against Abercrombie & Fitch’s proposed plans to open a children’s store there. The protest began in earnest at 10:15am, when chumrades in arms marched around the… … Keep Reading

It is a sad day indeed when a chap cannot recline post-stroll on a weather-wood bench and strike up his loyal briar. So when Mr. Gaute Hauglid-Formo from Norway alerted Chap HQ to this provocative sign banning pipe smoking in a scenic park on the island of Sipan – just off the Dubrovnik coast of… … Keep Reading

Every November, normal men all over the world get the chance to take the first step towards Chapdom by cultivating a moustache for charity. The aim of the campaign is to raise funds and awareness for men’s health, specifically prostate cancer and other cancers that affect men. From 1st November, men can register at Movember.com… … Keep Reading

A British wax sculptor working for an American waxwork museum on a waxwork of cowboy legend John Wayne was in need of the right kind of stetson for the deceased Hollywood actor’s formidable bonce. Mike Wade, world-renowned Bridport wax sculptor, contacted Roger Snook of Bridport Hatters to seek advice. Mr. Wade was trying to locate… … Keep Reading

Neil Ridley, esteemed and, surprisingly, occasionally sober beverage editor for The Chap, has seized the opportunity to release his very first single cask Scotch Whisky, cutting out the middle man betwixt he and the tempting barrels of whisky in the Scottish Highlands. The bottling, labelled ‘Cask Strength And Carry On’, is a 1998 vintage single… … Keep Reading

The foremost purveyors of the genre of music known as “Chap-hop” have allowed their personal differences to escalate into a full-blown turf war. Mr. B The Gentleman Rhymer, well known to readers of the Chap and always a favourite at our annual shindigs, has been issued a terse challenge by his arch-rival, Professor Elemental, in… … Keep Reading

The Bloomsbury Ballroom Bloomsbury Square London WC1B 4DA Saturday 4th December 2010 8pm-2am The Chap’s legendary “Night of a Thousand Waistcoats” returned for its second incarnation after last year’s tenth anniversary party. Moving the location to the much larger and grander Bloomsbury Ballroom, London’s only remaining original Art-deco ballroom, this year’s extravaganza set the precedent… … Keep Reading

Sales in Harris Tweed, one of Britain’s last remaining cottage industries, are soaring. This year, more than 630 thousand metres of tweed have been sold, compared with 450 thousand last year. Harris Tweed has had its brush with the doldrums in recent years but, despite the recession, the Hebridean island industry forecasts a healthy future,… … Keep Reading