First published in 1999 The Chap is a quarterly magazine dedicated to the ideals of leisure, grooming and good manners. In the world of the Chap style is all important and the magazine has many articles warning aspiring Chaps (or, indeed, Chapettes) of the dangers which we face in the world. Dangers such as when your gambling debts force you to buy a ready-to-wear suit instead of visiting your tailor, or what to do when a ruffian¹ wrinkles your best worsted three-piece.

The magazine itself comes in a slightly-larger-than A5 format and is usually around 50 pages, in each edition there will be the special features on subjects ranging from how to maintain the Chappist lifestyle at university² to how to be a war correspondent³. The magazine also has the following regular and semi-regular features:

• Sartorial Agony: The Chap's own agony column in which distraught gentlemen seek advice on how best to wear a trilby⁴ or which clothes are most suitable for riding a bicycle⁵.
• Letters: Where improbably-named correspondents lament the decay of society and how the gaudily-decorated 'restaurants' of R. McDonald Esq. do not offer table service or have devilled kidneys available at breakfast.
• The Semiotics of…: Everything from trousers to pets is discussed in this column, each subject is divided into several variations and each variation is commented on. Ripped jeans, for example, make one look like a common navvy, despite what the nouveau-riche of Notting Hill might believe.
• Am I Chap or Not?: Readers of The Chap send in photos of themselves or others and ask to have their Chappishness assessed. Needless to say a shirt promoting the England international association football team would be considered an horrific faux pas.
• Chappist Despatches: Articles on what has been happening in the world of Chappishness, covering such things as the Chap Olympics and protest rallies organised by the magazine's editors.
• Letter From T'North: Bravely braving the wilds of Yorkshire, Chap columnist Alistar Crook and his ubiquitous chum Miles F. Hakinshaw turn their unique eye to such facets of life as Bingo and association football.

Of course, it's not all silliness and satire. The Chap also publishes factual articles on subjects as diverse as the history of bare-knuckle boxing and the decline of the British Army uniform.

Beyond the Magazine

The Art of Being a Chap

A true Chap is, according to the magazine's website, "immaculate of trouser, frail of frame and fearful of sport⁶" and it is with this in mind that any aspiring Chap should begin his journey.

With the aid of The Chap magazine, various other publications⁷ and, of course, the ubiquitous internet one can create a suitable style which, dependant on your whim, can compliment or even replace your current mode of dress. With the correct attire, a reasonable hairstyle and carefully selected accessories anyone can be a Chap. This is the 21st Century after all, and while the ideals upheld by the modern Chap were once exclusive to the aristocracy and idle rich there is no class discrimination, only a desire that you be polite and as well-dressed as your wallet allows.

Anarcho-Dandyism

At one end of the scale we have the common ruffian, somewhere about three-quarters of the way along we have the Chap, and right at the other end we have the Anarcho-Dandyist. The Anarcho-Dandyist not only lives and breathes the Chappist lifestyle but also uses any means possible⁸ to try and bring modern society back from the pit of garish vulgarity it currently squats in.

The Anarcho-Dandyist is not afraid to make a stand and say "Here I am! And I'd like a Gin & Tonic and freshly-pressed copy of The Times if you would be so kind!" it is with this philosophy in mind that members of The Chap have organised protests against the vulgar high street chain stores, including Gap and Starbucks, and horrific modern art installations, including Rachel Whiteread's Untitled (Room 101) when it appeared in the Cast Courts⁹ of the Victoria and Albert Museum.