So long, Sloanes!
Tatler announces death of the ‘OK Yah’ tribe – and puts a footballer and a Love Island star at top of its most eligible lists
NEARLY four decades since they first patrolled the streets of Chelsea in wax jackets and Alice bands, London’s Sloane Ranger tribe has been officially killed off.
Tatler magazine – a Bible for young socialites – has revamped its Little Black Book of society’s most eligible men and women to replace stripe-shirted viscounts and girls in cashmere with sportsmen and television stars more in sync with the modern world.
Love Island’s Gemma Owen,
19, has been judged the most eligible young woman of the year, while her male counterpart is middle-class footballer Mason Mount, 23, who plays in midfield for Chelsea and England.
Although Gemma, daughter of former England striker Michael Owen,
‘They’re just not that interesting’
has equestrian credentials as a Team GB dressage rider, to millions of young Britons she is famous as the scantily clad star of a reality dating show.
The front cover of November’s Tatler features Mount with fashion It Girl Emilia Boateng, daughter of designer Ozwald.
An insider said: ‘Tatler’s editor Richard Dennen has always said he wanted to make the magazine more cool and modern and says he has “de-Sloaned the look” by eradicating red trousers, tweed and pashminas from the pages.
‘Footballers are the new dukes because of the glamorous lifestyles they have. They’re young, have serious money, are good-looking and have a huge social media presence. Old-school Sloanes are just not that interesting.’
The term Sloane Ranger was coined by style writer Peter York in 1975 to describe a type of wealthy Londoner living around Sloane Square in Chelsea. Until recently, Tatler celebrated their social lives in its Bystander society pages, featuring predominantly white faces from upper-class backgrounds attending openings and parties.
But the change in tack follows moves by Edward Enninful, editor of Vogue UK, to include models and staff from a wider range of backgrounds. It has also been adopted by Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour, who is Dennen’s mentor.
As revealed in The Mail on Sunday, Wintour has taken to saying at Vogue events: ‘Why are there so many white people in the room?’.
Three toffs did make the Black Book top ten: The Marquess of Lorne, Margarita Armstrong- Jones and the Hon Delphi Primrose. A publishing source said: ‘They are young, modern and more stylish than a traditional Sloane.
‘Lorne is a former Queen’s page and future duke… but also so big on TikTok. Margarita ArmstrongJones was the best dressed royal at the Queen’s funeral. High society is changing and the magazine is, too. No one reads Tatler to look for Viscount Right any more.’
Peter York, who wrote The Official Sloane Ranger Handbook in 1982, denied that the tribe had become extinct, adding: ‘They don’t live in Sloane Square any more.
‘Sloanes are clever, well-educated people and work for the world’s hyper-rich in London. The ones who have fantastic skills work in law firms and the ones who haven’t work in estate agents in Belgravia.’