High life
Stylists
Taki
Following last week's various definitions of what constitutes style, here is a list of people who possess that intangible quality. A characteristic of style is that it suggests depth of character and commands attention without soliciting it. Also, to be stylish is a matter of infinite subtlety, whereas to be fashionable requires only that one he a follower. People whose spoiled softness nourishes Communism and totalitarianism by neglect are definitely lacking in style. That, of course, means most of today's trendy leftists, all Marxists, and most intellectuals. None of you eggheads have any Style. Especially the ones that purposely refuse to acknowledge Communist repression in Eastern Europe and in the Far East, or to admit that oppression is the logical result of Marxism.
In politics no one has any style. Only Mrs Thatcher could possibly qualify, not because of her manners but because of her h.onesty and principles. Never has a politician done what he or she has promised uring an electoral campaign. Mrs T has anown, come the closest to practising what she preached. In the theatre, and unlike the rest of the world that hasn't enough style, England has too much. If that is possible. Olivier, Gielgud, Richardson: need I say more. Alan Ayckbourn as a playwright has tremendous style; he opens all his plays in Scarborough,and God only knows who goes to Scarborough. All actors periodically proclaim that they would rather act than go to Hollywood, but Albert Finney and Tom Courte nay do it. Actors who are known to have style but have sold out long ago, or made their reputations on acting stylishly, but certainly lack style, are Peter Ustinov and Robert Morley; and Arnold Wesker as playwright.
I can't think of too many others who have style but hundreds who don't. All art dealers for one. And whole art forms. Like the ones who do giant bird-droppings in public squares, to say nothing of such minor bits of fakery as stained glass windows, pottery, rug-making and documentary films. Also anyone who has tried writing poetry since the last war has not a scintilla of style.
The most difficult place in the world to find any people with style is in publishing circles and in Fleet Street. Certainly Lord Thomson has none, nor the man with charts and maps who tries to convince some foolish people every week that Socialism is good for you. But Colin Welch has it, so does Peregrine Worsthorne. Writers who think others are double agents have none, nor do writers who sue other writers. Among ecologists only John Aspinall has any style.
In sport there is Jack Nicklaus, Joe Louis, Sugar Ray Robinson, Vivian Richards, Lew Hoad, Sebastian Coe, most track and field athletes who do not belong to the Soviet Union or her satellites, Budge Patty, Joe Frazier, Sensei Enoeda and Terry O'Neal. Everybody else, except in the world of the martial arts, is singularly lacking in style.
Among the upper classes, needless to say, it is just as difficult. To find any style that is. Any peer that has come out of the closet has style. Hereditary peer, that is. So do peers, again hereditary, who know how to read and write. As well as the ones that speak Latin or Ancient Greek, no matter how awful their accents. Especially in Greek. Lord Mancroft has style because of his two youngest daughters. Lord Suffolk, unfortunately, has none, despite the fact that his father had plenty.
Ladies who go out with the Prince of Wales have none, while groupie types like Sabrina Guinness don't even know how to spell the word. No Greeks have style except for Aleco Goulandris, and no rock and roller or punk rocker ever heard of the word. Only Bryan Ferry has it in the music world. And Lord Gnome in the world of Private Eye. Last but not least, all the people who do not make a conscious try at being authentic.
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