Tweed is out, pink hair is in: meet the new Sloane Ravers
As Lady Mary Charteris shows, the new ‘It’ set don’t resemble their forebears, says Guy Kelly
Sloane Rangers first forced their way into public consciousness more than 40 years ago, the label dreamt up to denote a subset of young, moneyed socialites who spent their time prowling the streets of west London in want of something to do and people to meet.
They were easily identifiable. They wore Liberty silk head scarves, tweed, riding boots (despite not being within 10 miles of a horse), and largely vacant expressions. Their tribal leader was Diana Spencer, soon to be the Princess of Wales; their safe space the King’s Road in Chelsea. They were, for all intents and purposes, the set.
In 2017, though, their descendants are unrecognisable. Gone is the conservative fashion, country pursuits and postcode restrictions (though they will keep the education, inherited wealth and abundance of leisure time, thank you very much).
In their stead? Music festivals, brightly dyed hair, Ibiza holidays, piercings and a, well, laissez-faire attitude to personal hygiene. Weekends at their ancestors’ country piles are out, wide-eyed warehouse parties – at which they will personally DJ – are in. The Sloane Ranger has morphed into the “Sloane Raver”. And they’re causing havoc.
This week, for instance, tabloid newspapers frothed with the news of David Beckham’s unlikely friendship with the epitome of the new generation, Lady Mary Furze. Reportedly, the pink-ponytailed 30-year-old – née Charteris – daughter of Lord Jamie Neidpath, the 13th Earl of Wemyss and 9th Earl of March – met Beckham in June at the Sloane Ravers’ annual pilgrimage to Glastonbury, where they watched Ed Sheeran headline the Pyramid Stage.
Hitting it off in a way two strangers ngers easily can when listening to Ed Sheeran is the only alternative, Furze urze and Beckham have been spotted meeting up regularly, with the socialite reportedly working hard d to lead him astray.
Victoria Beckham is apparently not OK with this. It may be that she is unhappy with the idea of her husband living out his midlife crisis with such a dearth of subtlety, or perhaps she’s heard the tabloid speculation about Kate Moss pushing Lady Mary into a swimming pool two years ago – allegedly provoked by the younger woman becoming a little too supportive of Jamie Hince, Moss’s ex-husband. Whatever the truth, just like her Downton Abbey namesake, it’s fair to say Lady Mary is having the last laugh.
Furze may be one of the more outrageous Sloane Ravers, but she is by no means the most well-known. Whether they self-identify as such or not, long-term members of the tribe include Cressida Bonas and
Flee Brudenell-Bruce, Prince Harry’s ex-girlfriends; Cara Delevingne, the supermodel and actress; Lady Clara Paget; and Adwoa Aboah, the model of the moment. Then, bridging the gap between Ranger and Raver are sisters Astrid and Davina Harbord – known as the “Hardcore Sisters”, thanks to their devotion to a good time – and Guy Pelly, who may well pop up as Prince Harry’s best man in the near future.
To those who remember The Official Sloane Ranger Handbook: The First
Guide to What Really Matters in Life – Ann Barr and Peter Yorke’s 1982 book on the King’s Road scene – many of those surnames will be familiar. Like a lot of things in their lives, the Sloane Ravers have mainly inherited their status. But that isn’t to say there are no newcomers or bit-part players. At their endless run of music festivals, the Ravers can be spotted making peace signs in selfies with Rita Ora, Alexa Chung and Nick Grimshaw. At Lady Furze’s wedding in 2012, John Lennon’s son Sean took the photos, while Florence Welch (of Florence and the Machine) led the band.
Among the even younger crowd, the offspring of landed gentry has blurred with the relatives of celebrities seamlessly. Kate Moss’s 19-year-old sister, Lottie, can be seen tottering down the King’s Road with the cast of while Beckham’s eldest son, Brooklyn, Daniel DayLewis’s model heir, Gabriel-Kane, and Rafferty Law, the 21-year-old product of Sadie Frost and Jude Law, are never far away either.
But what do they do? In the olden days, if Sloane Rangers were forced to work – heaven forfend – they may have taken up the vacancy of Princess of Wales or been a “dealer” in the auction houses around west London. Now, if they are not actors or models, they gravitate towards travel, PR, fashion and creating doom-laden start-up businesses. Scarily, too, they could live or work anywhere: in the hipster-wrought capital of 2017, a Sloane Raver can be comfortable in north, east or south London – provided there’s a car on hand to take them back to SW3 at a moment’s notice, naturally.
In short, they’re taking over. Don’t say we didn’t warn you.