A while back, purely because I was very prominent during the 1980s and ran landmark clubs during the so called New Romantic era, some chump on that social media malarkey would not accept that, at that time, I was not wearing copious amounts of make-up. I, of course defended my corner as, being 6 foot…
The Chap Olympiad 2018 took place on Saturday 14th July in Bedford Square Gardens, Bloomsbury. Never in the field of human clothing was so much worn by so many; especially considering the 28-degree heatwave that swamped London that day. Ignoring details such as climactic conditions, Brown-in-Town, appropriate daywear for a civilised garden party, the guests…
At this year’s Chap Olympiad in July, Lady Eccentrik won our best-dressed female award and agreed to answer some questions for us Photograph by Soulstealer Photography What were you wearing on the day of the Chap Olympiad? Original 1940s dressing robe, printed in a vibrant pattern of bright cornflower blue daisies with maize yellow centres,…
Founded in 1829 by Joseph Tricker, R. E. Tricker Ltd is one of the longest established shoemakers in England. Having gained a reputation for producing footwear of superlative quality, in 1989 they were granted a Royal Warrant by HRH The Prince of Wales. Five generations later, Tricker’s is still a family-run operation. Each pair of…
Many have heard speak of the legend of Northampton. Historically the home of English shoe making since the 15th century, it is said that one may purchase footwear for a song from one of the eleven factory outlet stores. Four of us fired up Mick Hawksworth’s shooting brake and we set forth for the Midlands.…
Brazzaville, capital of the Republic of Congo, is host to the Sapeurs: a group of dandies approaching the seriousness of a cult. Brazzaville is poor, like most Central-African nations, and it went through a civil war several years ago, the evidence of which is still pockmarked on quite a few facades. This is the reason…
Hard-boiled language to go with hard-boiled plots. In fact, everything about Film Noir is pretty hard. Hard urban clutter in hard, rain-sodden mean streets. And the people who live on those streets are hard, too. The characters of film noir are not fulfilled, three-dimensional people. They are ciphers, stereotypes, interacting uneasily through confusing tales of…
For the capital city of a superpower nation, Washington is sadly insular, non-cosmopolitan and aesthetically conservative. The suits are gray or navy, the ties are red or blue. Not since the pith-helmeted and moustachioed Teddy Roosevelt has a president looked like anything other than a businessman. On top of this, the summer heat can be…
The Dilemma faced by a chap when deciding what to wear during the longish hottish British summer, or when sauntering through far-flung lands, can be a sticky one. When the season finally prevents the donning of 18oz tweed three-pieces, where does one turn to find sartorial solace on sunnier days? Many modern lightweights lack the…
Think of clothing in World War II and chances are you’ll imagine either RAF officers on bombing raids or victory-rolled Land Girls in breeches and beetroot lipstick. You probably won’t think of men’s fashion. There’s a good reason for that. A new exhibition at the Imperial War Museum, Fashion on the Ration, 1940s Street Style,…
We sent photographer Nick Mann and a clutch of handsome ladies to answer that age-old conundrum: why do so few ladies smoke pipes? Hopefully these photographs will encourage ladies across the land to pilfer their Chap’s briars and perfume their own boudoirs with the scent of Latakia. Originally published issue 68, Sept 2013 Photography Nick…
A discreet directory of shops and online emporia which, in the opinion of The Chap, offer a range of tastefully selected garments and accessories of a high manufacturing standard suitable for the discerning gentleman and, in some cases, his lady companion. T Snook. This charming shop in Bridport, Dorset, is principally a hatters, with every…
