In fact, both The Chap magazine and the chap phenomenon rose from punk subculture. “There's quite a lot of overlap between heavy goths and steampunks and dandies,” Hartley says. “It's anti-fashion.”

If that all sounds a bit earnest, Hartley admits that the line between seriousness and self-deprecation is a fine one. Hartley recalls once having dinner with a young viscount who wondered aloud about the purpose of The Chap magazine. “He said, 'I've never really understood if it's for people like me or taking the piss out of people like me.’'' Hartley laughs. “Well, actually, it's both!”

A spiffing sport



After all, what could be more English than taking a time-honoured cultural icon and turning it into a giant joke? Holding court at the Olympiad ringside in a red velvet frock coat with gold brocade, Attree introduces me to his beloved pet bat brooch (he’s named it Batty: a counterpart to his pet riding whip, Whippy) before informing me that being a chap requires not taking anything – including being a chap – too seriously. Nostalgia, the longstanding English tradition of “taking the piss” (making fun of someone or something), a longing for a better, bygone England, a healthy dollop of irony – all this, Attree says, make up the essence of chappishness. What matters, Attree insists, is that you make it your own. “You can even wear trainers,” he says. “As long as you're really interesting.”

It is this gleeful spirit of tongue-in-cheek ridiculousness that gives the Chap Olympiad its madcap energy. During a game of bicycle umbrella jousting, Sir Artemis Scarheart discovers to his chagrin that plate armour, however smart, is not conducive to pedalling. Reduced to standing forlornly while his opponent rides in literal circles around him (as the master of ceremonies notes with glee), Scarheart throws himself upon the point of his umbrella. He receives points for honourable behaviour and wins the match.

At last, late in the afternoon, the Olympiad comes to an end. Scarheart comes in second, winning a silver cravat for his trouble; Attree attempts to flirt with the fiancée of the winner of the Moustache Competition.