The Chap movement

[LordBest]

No, though I find this is a common misconception. There are a few good interviews with Gustav Temple where he explains it in some detail:
http://www.zyworld.com/albionmagazineonline/society2.htm
http://www.3ammagazine.com/litarchives/2004/oct/interview_gustav_temple.html

What is the link between Chappism and situationism?

When we tried to "Civilise the City" in 2001, that was a form of situationism, in that it was a public performance of an aesthetic ideal

At the risk of puncturing the mystique of it all, I would say both the magazine and its readers strike a humorous, tongue-in-cheek pose to make a serious stand against what they perceive as the banality and homogenisation of popular culture and fashion. By celebrating the English eccentric gent and exaggerating him somewhat, the result is a radical counterculture figure that flies in the face of bland teenage fashions whose purpose seems to be for everyone to look the same. Nowadays, middle-aged men with handlebar moustaches and tweed suits, smoking pipes, cause more of a sensation on urban streets than the, non-peacocking, youth.

I always thought the Chap magazine was a group of Situationist who were making fun of the old Young Fogey movement.

 

[byronic]

Chap Manifesto

I have been reading 'The Chap' for a couple of years or so now, but mainly only online of late, due to being abroad so often. I do particularly like their manifesto, which is a sort of 10 Commandments, I am sure all loungers abide by these already, but here's a link for your amusement:
http://www.thechap.net/content/section_manifesto/index.html

 

[AntonAAK]

I wrote this article on bartitsu for The Chap a couple of years ago...

The Olympiad is definitely worth a visit, as was their recent 10th Anniversary party. Looking forward to the next one.

A

 

[Godfrey]

The Olympiad is definitely worth a visit, as was their recent 10th Anniversary party. Looking forward to the next one.

A

I've always hoped for a Colonial section for those Commonwealth events. Love the Chap - I bought a subscription for work just to broaden some dull lives! I often see it being read by all sorts so hopefully some new Anarcho-dandyists being born.

 

[vwdolly]

I love The Chap magazine and advertise in it frequently, as well as on the website. They had incorporated the Chapette into it this month, but I received confirmation that they have decided to keep it a chaps mag only. I agree with that decision, after all it isnt called "The Chap" for nothing
Denise

 

[BinkieBaumont]

Oh I received the same telegram on my Breakfast Tray, today (Thursday)


Chaps, Chapettes,


Further to my earlier missive about whether+stop+ to continue with the Chapette
section in our +stop+humble organ, we have reached a decision here at the editorial
board. The +stop+response was overwhelmingly, and rather infuriatingly, equally split
between those +stop+for and those against. It must be said that those against a
perpetual ladies’ section+stop+ were more vociferous than those for (and the latter
were not drawn purely from +stop+the ranks of lady readers).
In short, we have decided not to continue publishing a fully-fledged ladies
section in what is, after all, a +stop+gentleman’s magazine. However, it would be
downright rude simply to pretend the+stop+ ladies do not occasionally glance into our
pages. So we are going to publish the occasional article by a lady, on a subject
that will hopefully appeal to Chaps as well – a feature on ladies’
underwear, for example.
Then at Christmas we will publish an entirely separate supplement, called The
Chapette, which will be given away free with the December edition. This will
contain all the articles published for the ladies over the year, plus some new
features and photo stories specially commissioned by whoever we get to edit it
(probably a lady, or+stop+ at the very least a woman, but certainly a Chapette).
I do hope this keeps everyone+stop+ happy, and prevents the few grumblers from
cancelling their subscriptions. For your information+stop+, the June issue of The Chap
veers firmly back into vintage Chap territory, with the Fitting Room section
reinstated and subject matter ranging from cricket clothing, Japanese whisky,
Brazilian voodoo and the Duke of Windsor.

Cordial wishes,

STOP
Gustav Temple

 

[Bustercat]

What these chaps have (and what most Americans lack) is a well-honed sense of irony. They are laughing at themselves even as they go about their chappy 'crusade'.

Wearing dead people's rags and thinking any era to have been 'golden' -- what's not to laugh at? Especially when we're so deadly earnest about it.

How long have you been in LA?
Youth culture has been in ironic overdrive for way too long. Cheeky t-shirts, fake mustaches, ironic hipster mullets, tatoos of food and running shoes...

what if you're a Bloke? Where's the website dedicated to preserving the sartorial splendor of your average 8 panel cap wearing, pint of lager drinking, dart playing Bloke? The working Bloke of today could stand to learn a thing or too about how to dress for the job. No hoodies and sideways ball-caps allowed on this work site if you please

Yah. Working class pride (at least around here) is so focused on old values, but all about the shiniest new carbon fiber, streamlined, space age gimmicky crap. If anyone should love retro.. would your daddy have worn a tshirt, rainbow colored oakleys and a nascar cap to the tree farm?
I used to bring an old timey lunchpail and vintage thermos to a landscaping job, much to the amusement of the buncha knuckleheads I worked with lol

 

[Fletch]

Working class pride (at least around here) is so focused on old values, but all about the shiniest new carbon fiber, streamlined, space age gimmicky crap.

The blue-collar man doesn't have the luxury of ignoring technology or progress. These things make his job a lot easier, and it makes sense to him that they will do likewise for his life.

There's also his identity as a consumer to consider, which matters at least as much to him as his identity as a worker. Making common and popular consumer choices helps him feel humble and lacking in pretension. At the same time, embracing technology outside of his work life reinforces his feeling of mastery over that technology, which has to feel threatening to him considering that (OT1H) high-tech careers possess so much more social status and (OTOH) most entry-level information workers are women.

 

[Chainsaw]

It depends what class of people your working with. Landscaping is usually the dregs of society, and colledge students. When you get into higher trades and skill sets you might find that the workers are gentlmen, and dress accordingly.

 

[Bustercat]

The blue-collar man doesn't have the luxury of ignoring technology or progress. These things make his job a lot easier, and it makes sense to him that they will do likewise for his life.

The blue collar men I know make more than many of my white collar friends, and with better hours. They spend their money on nice high end things ($800 barbeques, paint jobs, rifles, vacations, top of the line camping stuff, kitchens, etc.
They have the money for plenty of panel hats, vintage leather gloves, boots, what have you. It doesn't appeal to them.
Retro doesn't necessarily mean you don't use halogen worklights or laser levels.
Maybe they're out there, but I havent' seen retro working class the way I've seen retro affected working class. S'mypoint.

It depends what class of people your working with. Landscaping is usually the dregs of society, and colledge students. When you get into higher trades and skill sets you might find that the workers are gentlmen, and dress accordingly.

This was a family business. The dad was in the 82nd, his son was going to take over. Both were vlntr firefighters. Their crew were locals and took it seriously. No college kids on their summer jobs except for me, and I almost stayed. I use knuckleheads with respect, they are stand up guys.

I have friends who are full time contractors who love the sound of their own voices . Do you really need a year-old hammer to drive a nail, while bitching endlessly that nothing is made here anymore, and how nothing is made like it used to be? There is an armsrace mentality alot of guys have. The newest, shiniest truck, etc.

The only guys I've ever seen by me who use old tools, and are 'old school,' are much older, usually electricians and plumbers with heads of white hair.

Guess I've just never personally seen a young working guy who's into the whole retro thing, and that surprises me.
I'm in a totally different career route now, so take my views as you will.

 

[BinkieBaumont]

"One used to be able to purchase "The Chap" at Ariels Book Shop in Paddington (Sydney, Australia) but for some silly reason they don't stock it anymore so i have been missing "The Chap" I'm going to be forced to hang around Ebay trying to pick up back numbers"

 

[Fletch]

The blue collar men I know make more than many of my white collar friends, and with better hours. They spend their money on nice high end things ($800 barbeques, paint jobs, rifles, vacations, top of the line camping stuff, kitchens, etc.
They have the money for plenty of panel hats, vintage leather gloves, boots, what have you. It doesn't appeal to them.

It's not authentic to their experience or their circle. Authenticity looks a lot different depending on where you are. So, by the way, does success. The blue-collar man still has a need for display - it just has to be carefully channeled in masculine, practical ways.

Maybe they're out there, but I havent' seen retro working class the way I've seen retro affected working class. S'mypoint.

Not sure what you mean by retro affected, as opposed to retro.

There is an armsrace mentality alot of guys have. The newest, shiniest truck, etc.

The only guys I've ever seen by me who use old tools, and are 'old school,' are much older, usually electricians and plumbers with heads of white hair.

Guess I've just never personally seen a young working guy who's into the whole retro thing, and that surprises me.

It comes back to the unity of maleness, I think. You need a group of men to make sense of yourself as a man, the same way you need an occupation.

Also - crucially I think - there is very little room for irony in blue-collar masculinity. It's the wrong context for it: you have to at least simulate authenticity and sincerity. Retroness almost requires that you perform, or appreciate, irony.

 

[LordBest]

I've not found anywhere I can buy it locally so I just subscribe via the website.

"One used to be able to purchase "The Chap" at Ariels Book Shop in Paddington (Sydney, Australia) but for some silly reason they don't stock it anymore so i have been missing "The Chap" I'm going to be forced to hang around Ebay trying to pick up back numbers"

 

[Bustercat]

It's not authentic to their experience or their circle. Authenticity looks a lot different depending on where you are. So, by the way, does success. The blue-collar man still has a need for display - it just has to be carefully channeled in masculine, practical ways.

I'm not sure you can generalize about blue collar mentality any more than about white collar. What about guys driving around in gold trim lexus sedans and convertibles, bluetooth in ears, who read robb report and used to shop at sharper image when it was exclusive?
Plenty of need for display there, and codes of authenticity all their own.

And I don't think it gets more masculine than this:

Why is it authentic for a lawyer to wear suspenders and cufflinks, smoke cigars, and sit at a mahogany desk, but not for a road crew to wear a big apple when the hard hat comes off?

Not sure what you mean by retro affected, as opposed to retro.

not retro affected, retro affected working class. Look at the way great functional working man's designs trickle down (up?) to other classes. Flip through an apparel catalog and see all the direct links between today's 'work and play' clothes and yesterdays 'utility' clothes. Still perfectly functional. Beyond the blue jeans, all those "old style" boot styles, gloves, working shirt cuts, etc.
Infact, dandy and upperclass fashions of the past seem to be alot less resilient than working guy wear through the years. Which makes it more puzzling that it gets left by the working class and picked up by everyone else.

It comes back to the unity of maleness, I think. You need a group of men to make sense of yourself as a man, the same way you need an occupation.

Also - crucially I think - there is very little room for irony in blue-collar masculinity. It's the wrong context for it: you have to at least simulate authenticity and sincerity. Retroness almost requires that you perform, or appreciate, irony.

Irony? Why not an appreciation of what has always worked, what your forbears wore and how they did it... a working tradition of style and materials... pride through preservation... the equivalent of the businessman's ageless suit and tie?
Instead all that stuff gets appropriated by other classes and fashion houses in a bid to sell authenticity to people in airconditioned offices.

Anyway, this is getting off topic, sorry to jack the thread. Maybe this deserves a post of its own.

 

[Dalesman]

Strange to be bumping this thread after a two-and-a-half-year lapse, but it is how I found the lounge!

It seems I have been a 'chap' for several years without realising my predilection for tweeds, hats and waistcoats even had a name (my friends just think I'm somewhat eccentric!).

Are 'chaps' I wonder, rather like what our American friends might call 'trads'?

 

[esteban68]

Been buying it since issue 20 or so and still love it's quirky mix of fact and tongue in cheek humour.