In an excerpt from CHAP Spring 24, Torquil Arbuthnot provides a chronology of the publication from 1999 to 2012. 1999 A chance meeting in the Portobello Road leads to the founding of The Chap magazine, when penniless artist Vic Darkwood chances upon boulevardier Gustav Temple’s market stall. Temple is selling “genuine” pieces of celebrity masonry,…
The Chap marks 25 years of publication with a special commemorative issue. This year – 2024 – will be the 25th year of publication for our humble organ. To mark this momentous occasion, we are publishing a special silver jubilee edition. Gracing the front cover is uber-Chap, suave gadabout and all-round-good egg David Niven, who…
Titillating tidings of a new collaboration between silk maestro Geoff Stocker and this publication. Eastbourne Pier and fine silk headscarves are not bedfellows that immediately spring to mind. Yet on one damp day that purported to be during the English Springtime, this publication turned the salty slats of the wooden pier into the Silk Road…
After a two-year hiatus, the most aimless walk of the century is back, with a party at the end of it. In July 2019, a large group of well-dressed dandies, flaneurs, boulevardiers and quaintrelles set forth from the statue of Beau Brummell on Jermyn Street, London, on a long walk with no destination whatsoever. This…
Let us make one thing crystal clear: we are not speaking of the contemporary hipster. While jazz-jumpin’ chaps from the mid-twentieth century were sometimes referred to as ‘hipsters’, we are going to use the term ‘hep cat’ to distinguish this stylish breed from their bearded millennial counterparts. Chaps who favour the forties may be perfectly…
Hot on the heels of Flaneur comes a new gentlemanly scent that is more appropriate for night mischief Last year The Chap released its first fragrance for men, Flaneur, which was designed to be worn during daytime strolls about town in flannels and straw boater. Now comes a brand-new scent to be worn by gentlemen…
It has come to our attention that many good folk will be confined to barracks during the coronavirus epidemic, and to while away the long hours in one’s homestead we are offering self-isolating chaps a completely free digital edition of The Chap. The risks even of popping out to one’s local newsagent are such that…
‘Never Brown in Town’ goes the golden sartorial rule, but as we all know, ‘Town’ only refers to London, leaving vast swathes of the country, and indeed other countries, in which to wear the clothing of the country is entirely appropriate. If there is not at least one garment made of tweed in your outfit,…
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…
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…
Sunday 16th June is the Day of the Dad, when fathers across the land emerge from whatever wooden building they spend the rest of the year hiding in, to be showered with gifts from their offspring. We’ve all seen that look on pater’s face when he unwraps the hoe you bought him from the garden…
On 17th May 2019 The Chap publishes its 100th edition. This landmark special anniversary issue features all-time Chap icon Terry-Thomas on the front cover, with an in-depth look at the actor and bounder’s life and career, with some never-seen family photographs kindly provided by T-T’s niece. Our main interview is with another bounder/actor Leslie Phillips,…
