ISSUE 106
WINTER 2020
EXPAND YOUR MIND, REFINE YOUR WARDROBE
Sir Ranulph Fiennes “I thought I’d have a go at Everest to sort my vertigo out. But then I got a heart attack at 28,500 feet, which is a bad time to have a heart attack”
ASTON MARTIN
James Bond stunt driver Ben Collins on crashing Astons for a living
DIANA RIGG
A tribute to the late lamented Mrs Emma Peel
CHAMPAGNE CHARLIE The fizz-swilling bon vivant on his career in showbusiness 06>
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ISSUE 106
£6.99
THE CHAP MANIFESTO 1 THOU SHALT ALWAYS WEAR TWEED. No other fabric says so defiantly: I am a man of panache, savoir-faire and devil-may-care, and I will not be served Continental lager beer under any circumstances. 2 THOU SHALT NEVER NOT SMOKE. Health and Safety “executives” and jobsworth medical practitioners keep trying to convince us that smoking is bad for the lungs/heart/skin/eyebrows, but we all know that smoking a bent apple billiard full of rich Cavendish tobacco raises one’s general sense of well-being to levels unimaginable by the aforementioned spoilsports. 3 THOU SHALT ALWAYS BE COURTEOUS TO THE LADIES. A gentleman is never truly seated on an omnibus or railway carriage: he is merely keeping the seat warm for when a lady might need it. Those who take offence at being offered a seat are not really Ladies. 4 THOU SHALT NEVER, EVER, WEAR PANTALOONS DE NIMES. When you have progressed beyond fondling girls in the back seats of cinemas, you can stop wearing jeans.
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5 THOU SHALT ALWAYS DOFF ONE’S HAT. Alright, so you own a couple of trilbies. Good for you - but it’s hardly going to change the world. Once you start actually lifting them off your head when greeting passers-by, then the revolution will really begin. 6 THOU SHALT NEVER FASTEN THE LOWEST BUTTON ON THY WAISTCOAT. Look, we don’t make the rules, we simply try to keep them going. This one dates back to Edward VII, sufficient reason in itself to observe it. 7 THOU SHALT ALWAYS SPEAK PROPERLY. It’s really quite simple: instead of saying “Yo, wassup?”, say “How do you do?” 8 THOU SHALT NEVER WEAR PLIMSOLLS WHEN NOT DOING SPORT. Nor even when doing sport. Which you shouldn’t be doing anyway. Except cricket. 9 THOU SHALT ALWAYS WORSHIP AT THE TROUSER PRESS. At the end of each day, your trousers should be placed in one of Mr. Corby’s magical contraptions, and by the next morning your creases will be so sharp that they will start a riot on the high street. 10 THOU SHALT CULTIVATE INTERESTING FACIAL HAIR. By interesting we mean moustaches, or beards with a moustache attached.
CONTENTS 8 AM I CHAP?
Readers submit themselves to the ultimate sartorial assessment
10 THE SEMIOTICS OF FACE MASKS
What does your choice of face covering convey to the world?
12 EXTREME BUTLING
Mr. Gimpley-Spankworth on sartorial and etiquette matters
16 THE CHAP TAROT
The third installment of Pandora Harrison’s guide to help readers gain insight, wisdom and enlightenment
FEATURES 22 SIR RANULPH FIENNES INTERVIEW
Gustav Temple meets the world’s greatest explorer, as defined by the Guinness Book of Records
32 D IANA RIGG
Sunday Swift provides a worthy tribute to the late lamented Mrs Peel
38 M OTORING
n interview with James Bond stunt driver and Aston Martin A aficionado Ben Collins
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WINTER 2020
22 SARTORIAL FEATURES 44 TWA FLIGHT CENTER
Egyptologists John and Colleen Darnell explore Eero Saarinen’s iconic building in JKF International Airport
60 JOHN SIMONS
Liam Jefferies on the man whose eponymous store in Marylebone has become a one-stop shop for the thinking man’s mod
64 T WEED SKI SUIT
A British tailor solves the conundrum of how to look the slightest bit elegant on the slopes
68 B LAKESBY HATS
Australian hat maker Blake ‘Blakesby’ Canham-Bennett has expanded the colour and shape of men’s headwear
76 GREY FOX COLUMN
David Evans advises on what to wear when setting off on great expeditions
LONGER FEATURES 84 CHAMPAGNE CHARLIE
Gustav Temple meets the dapper chanteur, host of the Candlelight Club and fan of vintage fizz
94 SIR RICHARD BURTON
Chris Sullivan on the 19th century roguish explorer who also made the first translation of the Kama Sutra
102 B RITISH RUM
Rums that don’t come from where they used to come from, because they are either made or refined right here on these craggy shores
106 COOKING FOR CHAPS
Nicole Drysdale shares her roasting tips from a sheaf of recipes bequeathed by her grandmother
111 H OTEL REVIEW
Strand Palace Hotel provides a welcome billet from a spookily empty pandemic London
115 T IME TO TANGO
The dance described as ‘a sad thought that is danced’ provides the perfect antidote to being cooped up at home
120 T ON UP BOYS
The 1960s youth cult that congregated on their motorcycles around one café in North London
REVIEWS 128 A UTHOR INTERVIEW
Alexander Larman meets David Nicholls, best-selling author of One Day, screenwriter on the recent television production of his novel Us and author of four further novels
132 BOOK REVIEWS
The Crown in Crisis and Ben Schott’s new PG Wodehouse homage Jeeves and the Leap of Faith
135 NIGHT AND DAY
Torquil Arbuthnot leafs through an anthology of the short-lived magazine published by Graham Greene for six months of 1937
138 JEAN LORRAIN
Darcy Sullivan on the fin-de-siècle decadent who is making an unexpected comeback in the literary world
144 RESTAURANT REVIEW
Alexander Larman and Gustav Temple take a Tier 2 repast at Benares in Mayfair
148 GROOMING
A step-by-step guide to growing a moustache, not necessarily aided by a bout of coronavirus
152 CAPTAIN’S LIP WEASEL
The results of our moustache growing competition, judged by Captain Fawcett’s right hand man
157 ANTIQUES
The world of rare and antiquarian books
162 CROSSWORD
Cover photo: © Chris Winter/Shutterstock
ISSUE 106
Interview
S IR RAN UL P H F IE NN ES Gustav Temple meets the man declared by the Guinness Book of Records as the world’s greatest living explorer, to discuss climbing Everest and the Eiger while suffering from vertigo, discovering the Lost City of Ubar, being kicked out of the SAS for blowing up civilian property and using a sextant to navigate at the South Pole
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I couldn’t go to the Navy, so I went to the Special Air Service headquarters near Sloane Square. So for seven years, the SAS were nominally the bosses of our biggest expedition. We were able to park there and use MoD communication systems, on condition that they appointed a brigadier nominally
he Royal Navy used to have a tradition of handing out a daily tot of rum to every crew member. Do you follow in this tradition on your polar expeditions? Alcohol in extreme cold conditions is not a good idea and we tried to avoid it, but every now and then we really needed it. Although you don’t really take even a toothbrush sometimes, because of the weight; even all the chocolate wrappers are taken off. Britain’s polar achievements, despite the Norwegians, have been great, and we were always supported by the Royal Navy. But when we wanted to do the first ever journey around Earth, vertically through both poles, on the Transglobe expedition, we were not supported by the Royal Navy; we had to find some other government body that would support us for the seven-year expedition, and allow us to have a London barracks, otherwise we’d never have got 1,900 sponsors for one expedition.
“20th Century Fox were ruining the village in order to make a film called Doctor Doolittle. They dammed the lovely trout stream to make a lake. So I agreed, to do my friend a favour, to blow up the dam, on the night that filming was due to start” 22
Photograph: Liz Sca
© Jim Smeal/Shutterstock
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Dandizette
Diana Rigg Sunday Swift offers a fitting tribute to Dame Diana Rigg, 1938-2020, highlighting some of the lesser-known roles she embraced with as much brio and talent as Mrs Peel and Mrs Bond
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he first time I met Dame Diana Rigg was in 2017 at the 90th anniversary commemorations of Elstree Studios at Sound Stage 9. At 80, she was striking – those eyes, those cheekbones, that mischievous smile, her outfit understated but smart. A glance at the audience confirmed that I was not the only one who was quite in love with her. When discussing her life and career, one word Rigg mentioned repeatedly during this event was “luck.” Was it really just luck that formed and drove her career and cemented her success? Was it purely through luck that she beat 500 other women for the role of Emma Peel? She seemed to think so. “All of us had to do a fight with the stunt man. And [he] was clouted over the head with a handbag five
“All of us had to do a fight with the stunt man, and he was clouted over the head with a handbag 500 times. When it got to my turn he was absolutely punchdrunk and fell to the floor. They obviously thought, ‘Well, she’s the strongest,’ and gave me the part” 33
SEAN CONNERY
© Danjaq/Eon/Ua/Kobal/Shutterstock
25th August 1930 - 31st October 2020
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Motoring
ASTON MARTIN Gustav Temple meets Ben Collins, stunt driver in every James Bond film since Quantum of Solace, including the forthcoming No Time to Die, and a ‘Stig’ on Top Gear, to discuss his book on the history of Aston Martin
“A good car chase puts the audience on the edge of the driving seat and the Bond movies are especially immersive because they don’t use CGI. It’s always real stunts and as a viewer you end up believing you could actually just pull the ejector seat if things don’t go your way”
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he book reveals your own fascination with the early days of motoring and coach-building, particularly the eccentric, often moustachioed characters like Selwyn Edge that peopled them. Were they an inspiration for your own choice of career? Not exactly but then it’s hard to know how much history we absorb subliminally without realising it. The opening scenes of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang show a potted history of early Grand Prix Racing at the turn of the 20th century, with cars sliding around on wobbly wheels and driven by wild men wearing goggles and no seat belts. Researching this book has been a joy, because I’ve learned so much more about those early pioneers and I really felt a connection with previous generations of drivers.
How old were you when you first fired up a motor vehicle and what was it? My parents made the mistake of placing me on a sit-on lawn mower at the age of five. I found the accelerator much easier to operate than the brake pedal, let alone the clutch, which was as stiff as a board. I navigated an apple orchard pretty well until I reached terminal velocity and smashed into a chicken enclosure. Thankfully no live fowl were injured. You must have driven every sort of car under the sun. Does Aston Martin still rank the highest? Do you have any of your own? I treasure my experiences and am grateful to everyone who has helped me to make a career out of thrashing lovely cars. It makes choosing favourites almost impossible because there are different tools for different jobs. Aston Martin have
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Sartorial
TWA FLIGHT CENTER, NEW YORK John Darnell and Colleen Darnell take the opportunity offered by the Unpleasantness to cavort around the deserted TWA Flight Center, JFK International Airport, New York, and explain its curious architectural heritage Photographs: Nina Galicheva www.ninagalicheva.com Make-up: Michelle Coursey
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ero Saarinen’s marvellous TWA Flight Center, completed in 1962, was intended to be at once an image of a bird, an architectural image of the concept of flight, and an evocation of the aircraft that travellers would soon board. The result was one of the greatest monuments to Space Age design. Four concrete shells form the roof – one slants to a point in front, like the beak of a great bird, another slopes down to the back as though a tail. One shell rises upwards to each side, the two having the appearance of enormous wings, lifted up to expose the tall windows, through which those within would glimpse the sleek flying machines that would soon whisk them aloft into the great blue. As Egyptologists, of course, we see Saarinen’s flight center through the lens of ancient zoomorphic architecture, including a temple constructed over five millennia ago that took the form of an enormous bovid. That structure was intended to evoke the celestial cow as sky goddess, becoming a miniaturization of the vast cosmos she formed. The TWA Flight Center consists essentially of four segmental domes, with Y-shaped supports as buttresses, modern descendants of Justinian’s great dome at Hagia Sofia, and the once shockingly modern architecture of early Gothic cathedrals. The load-bearing elements of Saarinen’s structure indeed recede from view, concealed by their simplicity. The
junctures of the four major roof segments have openings for light, stressing to viewers seeking to understand why the building stands that the answer is not there. Saarinen’s TWA terminal is indeed a direct descendent of Gothic architecture, whose soaring columns and outer supports are decorative scaffolding to support the relatively thin walls, many of which are more window than stone. Unlike the vertical reach of Gothic, however, Saarinens’ structure trades a perpendicular style for ovals, curves, swooping and bending forms that recall the ubiquitous boomerang shapes of the populuxe age. These curves and the tube-like passageways leading off the main structure foreshadow for the traveller the hulls and curving portholes of the aircraft they will soon board. Tables and seating – like Eero Aarnio’s ball chairs – seem to blossom organically from stalk-like supports that taper in the middle. Others emerge as though part of the architecture. The soaring windows that fill the space between the rising wings to either side of the main construction, and beneath the tail, present a cinematic view of the aircraft that would be landing, taxiing, and taking off from the nearby runways – a simple trip by aircraft becomes a film into which the traveller will soon step. Visions of the future, like the TWA Flight Center, as they modernize existing activities and look forward beyond the concerns of the present,
movements. The trousers were fashioned on a classic suit trouser but with the addition of a very high fishtail back and storm cuffs to go around the boots. After the client took his outfit on the slopes, attracting much more attention than the standard ski wear all around him, Barrington Ayre received a number of calls from people who had seen their client flashing around the slopes, and they ended up making most of these customers tweed ski suits as well. They worked with another client to develop a second style of ski suit and now offer two designs: The Classic (above) and the Off Piste (left). The Off Piste has a high collar and zip front, allowing the collar to be zipped up over the nose. The slant pockets were changed into classic patch pockets with a zip fastening, and a zip pocket was added on the left sleeve, which allows for the wearer’s lift pass to be popped in, allowing them to access the lifts with a simple swipe of the arm. The ski suits have been made from a range of weights and patterns of tweeds, ranging from a 14oz Easter skiing weight to a proper 24oz battle-proof tweed, and all of the ski suits are made in England. A gentleman thus attired may now take to the slopes looking as dashing and elegant as he would for a country stroll in dear old Blighty. n www.barringtonayre.co.uk
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Photo: Holly-Jo Photography, Los Angeles
Photo: Morgan Sette
too used to cheap mass-produced department store trilbies, with stingy brims and low crowns). However, creatives, and especially musicians, very much gravitate towards these styles.
including many which once belonged to a hatter who made hats for Warner Bros. in the early 20th century. It’s definitely been a massive yet slow investment. You have made bowler (or ‘coke’ hats). Any plans to make a top hat? Indeed, I’ve made a handful in my time. Not many though, as few have requested it. I love a good bowler/derby/coke hat, but I prefer the vintage stiff and structured, yet thin and almost card-like felt of hundred-year-old-plus bowlers. Preferably unlined with a ventilated crown, and a sharp D’Orsay brim curl (that’s the kind of curl where the brim folds inwards at a 40° angle, rather than more contemporary curls, which have more of a curved angle and less of a sharp corner). I can, and have, made bowlers for those not quite as specific and picky as me! As for toppers, unfortunately they demand very specific crown blocks to make, and it would be an expensive investment for an unclear demand. I do have a single topper block which is only one size, very much a Lincoln style ‘stovepipe’ topper, and I’ve made one hat with it in a sandy coloured beaver felt with a slightly fuzzy finish, which serves as a bit of a flashy showpiece. I’d love to make more though, one day... n
Are the hats of southern Spain a big inspiration for you? The sombrero cordobés is one shape I’m quite fond of. It’s a wide-brimmed hat with a flat-topped crown – picture Zorro. I think of most hats I make as being traditionally men’s styles, but ultimately very unisex, but the sombrero cordobés is one I feel has a much stronger feminine accessibility. They often look nice in black felt with beautiful embroidered or woven trims, particularly with warm tones for contrast. Where did you source all the necessary equipment to make your hats? I’m incredibly fortunate to be less than a half-hour drive away from one of the world’s best block makers, Darryll Osborne of Hat Blocks Australia, so much of my standardised range and many of my specialised handtools have come from his workshop, and any repair or maintenance work is trusted to him. I’ve also sourced easily two-thirds of my collection through lots imported from the United States,
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Photo: Soulstealer Photography
she died, he married auntie Doris. When Bob died in the sixties, all of his first wife’s and his stuff was still in the house when Doris died. I was clearing it out and I found this bag hanging at the back of the wardrobe. It contained a full white tie and tails outfit, top hat, scarf, gloves, the works. And by some miracle it fits me like a glove. I didn’t have any of it altered at all. The top hat was in a box and the label said, Hope Brothers, Electric Avenue, Brixton. Who would have thought?
Have you seen a deal of gaiety throughout your noisy life? I have, and one of the things that this business allows for is lots of travel, seeing lots of different parts of the country and the world, meeting lots of wonderful people. What’s the farthest you’ve toured? What’s furthest, Germany or Norway? No idea. Is there a cabaret scene in those countries, like there is here? There are scenes, but not as big as here, even in Germany, where they practically invented it.
I think that in the twenties Brixton was rather a well-to-do area. Yes, in fact it was the first market street in London to have electric lights, hence the name. It was certainly a destination with lots of illuminations.
You’re wearing a rather splendid iteration of evening dress, Charlie. Is it all vintage? It is, and there’s a very nice story that goes with this outfit. We had an auntie who died some 25 years ago, and she lived in a huge, detached art deco house in Edgware, which her husband Bob had built for his first wife in the 1930s, and then when
How much do you know about this nonuncle whose clothes you’re now wearing? He was one of the secretaries for the T-T Motorcycle Races and that’s how he met Doris. Doris and my mother became very close friends, hence calling
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Photo: Soulstealer Photography