...a school sports day where the children are very well dressed and rather drunk

 

These posts have become a bit out of chronological order, but I've gotten so far behind (sorry it's been almost a month since my last post) that I'm just going to write what springs to mind first!

 

I was looking back through my past posts and realised I've never actually written about the Chap Olympiad.  This year was the fifth time I had attended since 2008 and the third with The Vintage News.  I simply adore going to the Olympiad as it seems to be an excuse for all my favourite people from the vintage scene (many of whom I first met at previous olympiads) to get together, drink inordinate amounts of gin and lark about in ridiculous 'sporting' events.

Beach Volleybowler was awfully close to looking like a real sport

 In my official capacity, I was there to take photos and film but I spent most of my time catching up with old friends and eating (my gin and tonic cupcakes went down a treat!)  I spent a lot more time behind the camera than in front of it this year, but I did manage to get in a quick interview with Jeni and Fleur - it was ever so professional and there was much talk of lovely spreads and trinkets!

 

It was also the first year I've taken part in one of the events - Bread-Basketball.  No-one (including the umpires) knew what we were meant to be doing as it was one of the many new events, but it involved sitting at a dining table, trying to stop bread rolls being flung over our heads. Very Drones club, but with the waiters not the diners utilising the baked missiles.

My main thought when choosing my outfit was to pick something I wouldn't roast in (it was 30°C for much of the day).  I decided to go for a 1950s grey cotton dress with white embroidery which I teamed with a large straw hat that I had to decorate in the car because I ran out of time.  I also decorated a fan, which those of you that follow me on instagram may have seen.  If you would like to get your hands on your very own personalised fan, keep an eye on the blog (exciting news soon!) or email me at sadiedoherty@hotmail.co.uk.

 Two dear friends (Russell Nash and Zack Pinsent) were well-deserved winners of the gold and bronze cravats, respectively, although I think Sara should definitely won the best accessory!

  

I think you'd agree, there could be no accessory finer than this

 

If you want to see more wonderfully dressed people, some fairly vicious umbrella work and a bit of limbo (yes, really) there are many more photos on The Vintage News website.

For everyone's safety (apart from their own), Atters and
Young Laurie are matched together for the umbrella jousting 

 

* I was having some problems uploading some pictures, so more will be added when I have more time, thanks for looking at what's here!

Row, row, row your boat...

 For a fair few years, I have attended the Chap Olympiad (the last couple have been with work but just as much fun).  We'd always intended to do a pre-Olympiad "training" (if I can use the term in its loosest sense) video, in the style of the numerous programmes released in the lead-up to the London 2012 Olympics last year.  We finally managed to organise a get-together this year which coincided nicely with a photoshoot Time Out were doing for their 'Parks and Recreation' issue.

 

 

We met up in Victoria Park in East London - a beautiful park that I'd not been to before.  Our first scenario for the photographer (and one of the highlights)was a spot rowing.  After going backwards for a bit and getting one of my oars stuck in a bank, I discovered I had quite a hidden talent for it!

 

 The lovely Zack, who was subject to my sometimes maverick rowing style, looked like one of Waugh's dashing gentlemen, lounging in the boat with my umbrella.  After the lake based fun and a few rounds of croquet, it was on to the serious business of devouring a Fortnum and Mason picnic - champagne and all!

 


Kieren and Johnny Vercoutre
and our Fortnum and Mason hamper

After Time Out had got all the shots they needed, we set about getting the vox pops for our piece, with the lovely canal boats and pagoda playing backdrop - it even involved me interviewing myself...   

Zack, with the beautiful pagoda in the background

The lovely Jenny, founder of Frantic About Frances

It was a brilliant day and I just hope I remember to pick up a copy!

Betsy and Clyde

Sorry I've been a bit quiet on here (I hadn't realised it had been almost a month since I posted about Clara Bow).

Anyway, a couple of months ago, we lent out Betsy (and Kieren) for a Bonnie and Clyde styled photoshoot.  The shoot was a collaboration between the amazing model, Bethan Moyse and the equally brilliant photographer, MichelleGeorge.  

 

Some of you may recognise Bethan as she graced the cover of issue 64 of the Chap magazine

 

. The photos were taken in Brighton, near Duke's Mound and Marine Parade. A couple of them even ended up on the Vogue Italia website, although not the one featuring Kieren (he has still appeared in Playboy twice though - no, I'm not joking).

Al photographs © Michelle George

 

I'd love to hear what you think, of the photos, and I can pass on your comments to Bethan and Michelle.

 *For those of you new to the blog (hello) I should clarify that Betsy is the car!
 

The Man who Made the Men who Made Menswear

I’d heard about this tour for a couple of months but had never managed to orchestrate it so that I was in London on the right day.  And then as luck would have it (or more a case of the tour guide, Russell Nash, being clever and knowing his audience) a tour was planned for the same day of the Chap's Grand Anarcho-Dandyist Ball (more of that later).

On the steps of the Athenaeum Club with George V
in the background (he didn't join us for the tour)

Meeting on the steps of the Athenaeum Club just off Piccadilly, we were treated to almost two hours of anecdotes and facts about some of the greatest figures in the history of menswear.  The tour takes you round St James’ and Mayfair, making stops at Jermyn Street, Savile Row and Burlington Arcade, among many other sartorially significant locations.

Russell Nash is clearly very passionate about his subject and this comes across in the engaging way in which he reveals interesting details about people you may already know a little about (such as Beau Brummel, Tommy Nutter and Bunny Roger).



With the statue of George 'Beau' Brummel at the bottom of Piccadilly Arcade

The tour charts the history of menswear over the past 200 years, starting with George IV and is brought up to date by the injection of (relatively) new talent on Savile Row such as Ozwald Boateng and Richard James.

 

I thoroughly enjoyed the tour and would like to see what Russell’s other walking tours of London are like.  I won’t reveal anymore about this one as I think you should all go and see it for yourselves!



Outside Lock & Co, St. James' Street



The last tour of this year – ‘Mayfair: High Born and Low Life' will be running on 12^th December at 11am.  The Men Who Made Menswear and other tours, will be running again in the New Year.

For more information, see Russell’s website, or else follow him on twitter or instagram @MrRustyWoo

Let me know what you thought of the tour if you've already been or are planning on going - or even if you just like the pictures!

A hat is an accent. It can set a mood. It can tell the world you are witty or romantic, timid or daring

Again, sorry for the lack of posting - but I have now moved into my new house and have the internet back (yay!) so I'll be able to post much more often.

Recently, I have become very interested in hats – especially from the ‘40s and ‘50s.  I’m not sure if everyone has found this, but it’s quite difficult to find nice hats in a good condition, that don’t cost the earth.  This Shop Rocks on Brick Lane has possibly one of the best selections of hats I’ve ever seen, but with the majority of my favourites being well over £100, they’re a little out of my price range.  This scarcity of hats that I could afford (and didn’t look like someone had just sat on them) led me to try and create some of my own.

Now, as I didn’t know any of the techniques or have any of the materials necessary to become the next Stephen Jones, I opted for cutting up old hats and making pretty new ones.  Here are a couple of those ‘upcycled’ (if you’ll excuse the phrase) hats and what they originally looked like.

I had to be told how to smoke in the photo of me - I was just worried about my
CC41 gloves catching fire! - taken by Russ Bell for The Chap magazine

After my fairly reckless quitting-my-normal-job-in-a-shop-so-I-can-work-for-the-Vintage-News-properly episode, I had a couple of days a week ‘spare’ as it were.  When I saw a tweet about a millinery internship, I decided that was how I wanted to spend those extra days.  The only trouble was that firstly, I have no millinery training and secondly, the internship was in London!  I didn’t let that deter me and so I headed to Battersea for my first day.

The internship is with Bundle MacLaren (who is absolutely lovely) and it's all very relaxed, just stitching away in her front room, with ladies popping in to pick up their bespoke creations.  Everyday I’ve been given something new to do – I’ve learnt so much!  So far I’ve made silk orchids, covered blocked bases in lace and silk, as well as preparing and mounting peacock swords.  One of the peacock sword hats that I made ended up on the Vogue website in their coverage of Ascot! 

 I’m taking a break for a few weeks what with the Olympics and Bundle being on holiday, but here are a few of the hats I’ve made over the past few sessions.
Oh, and the title of this post is a quote from Lilly Daché, one of my favourite milliners of the first half of the 20th century.

The Savile Row protest and our first front page!

Well, yesterday was quite eventful.


As you may have read, The Chap magazine staged a protest yesterday on Savile Row, decrying the plans for an abercrombie kids [sic] outlet to open on this historic street.

  

After a 3 1/2 hour journey in Betsy, we finally got to the Row to uproarious cheers from the assembled crowd.  I was impressed with the turn out, all dressed in their finest, who were gathered outside No. 3.

Betsy made a subtle entrance as always

What surprised me most was the amount of press already gathered.  We spoke to people from various agencies, including The Times and the Express but there were numerous other photographers dotted about (only one Vintage News crew of course!)

As ever, we conducted a few interviews.  I spoke to Mr B, who led everyone in a rousing chorus of 'Give Three-Piece a Chance' once we were outside Abercrombie & Fitch's Burlington Gardens address.

Kieren interviewed Gustav Temple, the Editor of the Chap and the mastermind behind the protest.

I then interviewed Michael 'Atters' Attree, a most ahem, enlightening experience!  It mostly consisted of Atters telling me how lovely I smelt - but I think we managed to get a few sensible answers!

I think we can see why
I call it my 'Mary Poppins coat'

We were told by one of our contacts in the media (ooh, doesn't that sound fancy?) that we were on the front page of the Evening Standard.  Alas, as we are based in Brighton, we have yet to get our hands on a copy.  Anyone have a spare from 23rd April?  Here's a link to the article anyway.  There are pictures of us here and here as well.

Anyway, here are lots of lovely pictures from the action of the day.

 
 
    

 

 

 
 
 
 

 

 
 



This is why we felt it necessary to protest