Sloane Ranger

In the United Kingdom, a Sloane Ranger, or simply a Sloane, is a stereotypical upper-middle or upper-class person, typically although not necessarily a young one, who embodies a very particular upbringing and outlook. The Sloane Ranger style is a uniform, effortless, and unambitious although sophisticated one. Its counterpart in the US is the preppy style and in France is bon chic bon genre.

The term is a pun based on references to Sloane Square, a location in Chelsea, London, famed for the wealth of its residents and frequenters, and the television character The Lone Ranger.

Origin

The coinage came from Martina (Tina) Margetts,^[1] a sub-editor on Harpers & Queen who worked (with fellow sub-editor Laura Pank) on the^{[further explanation needed]} 1975 article.^[2] In her early twenties she had found herself amongst this social group while undertaking a course on fine art at the Victoria and Albert Museum.

Initially, the term "Sloane Ranger" was used mostly in reference to women, a particular archetype being Diana, Princess of Wales. However, the term now usually includes men. A male Sloane has also been referred to as a "Rah" and by the older term "Hooray Henry".^[3]

Although Sloanes are nowadays supposedly more widely spread and amorphous than in the past, they are still perceived to socialise in the expensive areas of west London, most notably King's Road,^[4] Fulham Road, Kensington High Street, and other areas of Kensington, Chelsea and Fulham. The pubs and nightclubs in these areas are popular with Sloanes, ^{[citation needed]} in particular the White Horse pub, known as the "Sloaney Pony" in Fulham, and Admiral Codrington, known as "The Cod", in Chelsea.^[4]

In 2015, Peter York argued that the Sloane population has been winnowed and that Sloanes were more likely to be leading the British trend to downward social mobility.^[5] In 2023, Tatler announced that it was time for the Sloane Rangers to "step aside" for the Bopeas, or Bohemian Peasants, a term and social theory describing downwardly mobile elite embracing a "rural life of making, brewing, fermenting and foraging".^[6]

Sloanes

The following people have been considered by some to be Sloanes:

• Jemima Goldsmith^[7]
• James Hewitt, Army officer and lover of Diana, Princess of Wales^[8]
• Tara Palmer-Tomkinson^[8]
• Trinny and Susannah^[9]
• Catherine, Princess of Wales^[10]
• Sarah, Duchess of York^[8][11]

See also

• 1980s portal

• Bon chic bon genre
• Bourgeois personality
• British country clothing
• Class conflict
• Fuerdai
• I.J.G.B.
• International Debutante Ball
• Sloane Street
• Trixie (slang)
• Upper Class Twit of the Year (parody)
• Young fogey
• Bopea, or "Bohemian Peasants", proclaimed by Tatler to be the Sloane Rangers' successors

References

1. Jardine, Cassandra (4 October 2007). "Ann Barr: The woman who invented Sloanes". The Daily Telegraph.
2. Bayley, Stephen (3 December 2006). "The battle for Sloane Square". The Observer – via The Guardian.
3. "On the trail of London's Sloane Rangers". The New York Times. 25 March 1984.
4. Slot, Owen (2 January 1994). "Same Sloanes, new Range: Ten years after their handbook was a bestseller, Owen Slot finds Caroline and Henry are still doing OK, Yah". The Independent. Retrieved 20 December 2011.
5. "The fall of the Sloane Rangers - Prospect Magazine".
6. Delaney, Evie (17 November 2023). "On England's pleasant pastures seen: Rural rules the roost in the new class of bohemian peasants or 'Bopeas'". Tatler. Retrieved 11 November 2024.
7. Armstrong, Lisa (19 January 2007). "Just don't say yah... OK?". Times Newspapers Ltd. pp. Section 2 pp4-5. Retrieved 19 January 2006.^{[dead link‍]}
8. "Sloane Rangers adapt to survive". Telegraph. 18 October 2007. Retrieved 8 July 2013.
9. "Hooray, Henry, the Sloane tribe is back". theage.com.au. 7 October 2002. Retrieved 8 July 2013.
10. "Kate Middleton and the rise of the Sloane Ranger". Telegraph. 9 January 2012. Retrieved 17 October 2022.
11. Mount, Harry (23 May 2010). "Sarah Ferguson: the Sloane that time forgot – Telegraph Blogs". Blogs.telegraph.co.uk. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 8 July 2013.

External links

• "Return of the Sloanes" by Jeremy Langmead, The Guardian, 1 June 2007
• "Tory chic: the Return of Poshness" by Andy Beckett, The Guardian, 16 December 2009