IPC Inspirations: Chappism

Gustav Temple, co-founder of CHAP Magazine

This will be first in a series of posts about inspirations for your informal private club. To start this off, it's fitting to begin with the concept that was the catalyst for the original IPC concept; Chappism (or 'chappist'). This is something I never heard or even conceived of until I seen this video posted on a website I regularly visit. After I saw this video, I had to follow it down the internet rabbit hole, and see where it led. Eventually, I found chappism.

Chappism is an interesting throwback to the dress and manners of the British town and county lifestyle, but with some modern embellishment. Much of it seems to be rather tongue-in-cheek in nature. Chappism, as I’m able to figure out, spans from Victorian to post-world war two inspirations. It even spawned a ‘chap-hop’ rivalry between two chappist -inspired entertainers, Professor Elemental and Mr. B the Gentleman Rhymer. It's grown to be an alternative lifestyle for some folks, a consuming interest for others. It also has its own magazine, Chap. Chappism is an almost perfect fit for an IPC.

Two of the focus points of chappism is the dress and manners. Both lend to social interaction, preferably with others who share the same interest. It’s also a portable concept. If you’re not interested in chappism itself, but like the historical angle, you can go Great Gatsby or World War Two or post- World War Two America, or other timelines that had their unique styles. (for the love of Mike, don’t bring back the 80s!) From what I gather, it’s more an appreciation of the good that came out of those eras rather than a complete historical rehash. The downside of chappism, at least for the time being, is that it seems to have had it high tide some time ago. If you do any research in regards to chappism, bear in mind that some of the resources will be rather old in internet terms. 

Socials would be the core events for a chappist-type IPC, with discussions and workshops comprising other anchor events. An overall strategy could be to refine and improve everyone’s individual dress and manners. The strategy could eventually evolve into some community outreach, but that is something that the organizers and members of the IPC would need to figure out. A chappist IPC would allow a friendly space for that to happen. 

If like interesting dress and want to exercise your old-fashioned manners, take a look at chappism, or a derivative of it. If you love chappism, you might want to take a look at Dandyism!

Resources referring to Chappism

CHAP, "The Chap Manifesto"
CHAP, "Am I Chap?"
New Humanist, "Charm Offensive"
London Particulars, "Steady On, Chaps"
"Tweedland" The Gentleman's Club blog
Practical Chappism Facebook page (note: this hasn't been updated recently)