“Now I’ve shot so many Nazis, Daddy will have to buy me a sable coat.”
December 17, 2017 4:33 PM Subscribe
The extravagant life of Neil Munro "Bunny" Roger, erstwhile couturier, wit, dandy, landowner, and social ornament.
Wasp-waisted Man of Fashion!
Officer in the Rifle Brigade!
He was reputed to have entered into combat with a rouged face, wearing a chiffon scarf, and occasionally waving a copy of Vogue magazine. Once, when his sergeant asked him what should be done about the advancing enemy troops, Roger replied, ‘When in doubt, powder heavily.’ At Anzio, meanwhile, where he once recalled that ‘there were pieces of people flying past my nose and it was perfectly awful, but not so bad as being at school’, he saved the life of a wounded comrade who had been abandoned in No Man’s Land.
Fabulous Host!
One famous fetish party in London in 1956, at which men in bondage straps and high-heels arrived dragging their wives in chains behind them, ended up in the People. Sir Alexander was not best pleased, but Lady Roger took it in her stride. ''I wonder how that man managed to walk in those high-heeled shoes all night,'' she said.
Legendary Dandy!
As Mr Roger got out of a taxi one day and powdered his nose, his driver said, "Watch out, you've dropped your diamond necklace." Mr Roger replied haughtily, "Diamonds? With tweeds? Never."
Scotsman!
Haslam claims to have witnessed a kilted Bunny charging manfully up Highland slopes, pausing at the summit to adjust his makeup using a compact hidden in his sporran; ready, no doubt, for his close-up.
Wasp-waisted Man of Fashion!
Officer in the Rifle Brigade!
He was reputed to have entered into combat with a rouged face, wearing a chiffon scarf, and occasionally waving a copy of Vogue magazine. Once, when his sergeant asked him what should be done about the advancing enemy troops, Roger replied, ‘When in doubt, powder heavily.’ At Anzio, meanwhile, where he once recalled that ‘there were pieces of people flying past my nose and it was perfectly awful, but not so bad as being at school’, he saved the life of a wounded comrade who had been abandoned in No Man’s Land.
Fabulous Host!
One famous fetish party in London in 1956, at which men in bondage straps and high-heels arrived dragging their wives in chains behind them, ended up in the People. Sir Alexander was not best pleased, but Lady Roger took it in her stride. ''I wonder how that man managed to walk in those high-heeled shoes all night,'' she said.
Legendary Dandy!
As Mr Roger got out of a taxi one day and powdered his nose, his driver said, "Watch out, you've dropped your diamond necklace." Mr Roger replied haughtily, "Diamonds? With tweeds? Never."
Scotsman!
Haslam claims to have witnessed a kilted Bunny charging manfully up Highland slopes, pausing at the summit to adjust his makeup using a compact hidden in his sporran; ready, no doubt, for his close-up.
He was apparently also the original inspiration for John Steed in The Avengers.
posted by acb at 5:53 PM on December 17, 2017 [10 favorites]
posted by acb at 5:53 PM on December 17, 2017 [10 favorites]
He was apparently also the original inspiration for John Steed in The Avengers.
I was just coming in to say that half of the Google image results for his name look like John Steed! He certainly had a strong influence on the midcentury aesthetic.
posted by The Underpants Monster at 5:56 PM on December 17, 2017 [1 favorite]
I was just coming in to say that half of the Google image results for his name look like John Steed! He certainly had a strong influence on the midcentury aesthetic.
posted by The Underpants Monster at 5:56 PM on December 17, 2017 [1 favorite]
one is reminded, as usual, of that other great Scottish eccentric of WWII, Mad Jack Churchill
posted by ivan ivanych samovar at 5:56 PM on December 17, 2017 [3 favorites]
posted by ivan ivanych samovar at 5:56 PM on December 17, 2017 [3 favorites]
That strange flowers blog is pretty epic. Warning: It's like tvtropes for eccentric-ophiles.
posted by lalochezia at 6:00 PM on December 17, 2017 [11 favorites]
posted by lalochezia at 6:00 PM on December 17, 2017 [11 favorites]
→ that other great Scottish eccentric of WWII
Neither Roger (London) nor Churchill (Hong Kong) were Scottish.
posted by scruss at 6:17 PM on December 17, 2017
Neither Roger (London) nor Churchill (Hong Kong) were Scottish.
posted by scruss at 6:17 PM on December 17, 2017
his mother, also Scotch
What, like Johnny Walker?
posted by unliteral at 6:30 PM on December 17, 2017 [5 favorites]
What, like Johnny Walker?
posted by unliteral at 6:30 PM on December 17, 2017 [5 favorites]
yeah that irked me too, unilateral.
posted by gorbichov at 6:34 PM on December 17, 2017 [2 favorites]
posted by gorbichov at 6:34 PM on December 17, 2017 [2 favorites]
Was this also sparked by that recent tweet about him (suggesting, I think, that Netflix make a movie, or something)? I saw it floating around a couple of days ago, guess he's back in fashion.
posted by kenko at 7:41 PM on December 17, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by kenko at 7:41 PM on December 17, 2017 [1 favorite]
Mad Jack Churchill and Bunny Roger might both deserve films of their lives, but I can't help also wanting a less historically accurate movie with both of them in it.
posted by BinaryApe at 1:34 AM on December 18, 2017 [8 favorites]
posted by BinaryApe at 1:34 AM on December 18, 2017 [8 favorites]
Maybe put Vidal Sassoon (another prolific Nazi-ass-kicker) in it as well.
posted by acb at 2:14 AM on December 18, 2017 [5 favorites]
posted by acb at 2:14 AM on December 18, 2017 [5 favorites]
(during which time he helped to decorate the palace of King Zog of Albania)
posted by MrVisible at 3:33 AM on December 18, 2017 [2 favorites]
posted by MrVisible at 3:33 AM on December 18, 2017 [2 favorites]
Absolutely fabulous!
posted by Splunge at 4:13 AM on December 18, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by Splunge at 4:13 AM on December 18, 2017 [1 favorite]
"a Ronald Searle sketch for a Ronald Firbank novel".
Apparently some sort of cousin to Ronnie Corbett.
posted by BWA at 5:24 AM on December 18, 2017
Apparently some sort of cousin to Ronnie Corbett.
posted by BWA at 5:24 AM on December 18, 2017
occasionally waving a copy of Vogue magazine.
Vogue magazine remains a viable chemical attack to this very day.
posted by srboisvert at 6:20 AM on December 18, 2017 [12 favorites]
Vogue magazine remains a viable chemical attack to this very day.
posted by srboisvert at 6:20 AM on December 18, 2017 [12 favorites]
He was apparently also the original inspiration for John Steed in The Avengers.
You know, The Avengers seems a lot more interesting if you make it a team-up of a tough, independent career woman and her best friend, a gay dandy/hard-as-nails WWII vet.
posted by Strange Interlude at 6:58 AM on December 18, 2017 [16 favorites]
You know, The Avengers seems a lot more interesting if you make it a team-up of a tough, independent career woman and her best friend, a gay dandy/hard-as-nails WWII vet.
posted by Strange Interlude at 6:58 AM on December 18, 2017 [16 favorites]
Fabulous! Thank you for this wonderful peek into queer history!
posted by Sophie1 at 7:48 AM on December 18, 2017
posted by Sophie1 at 7:48 AM on December 18, 2017
I have a new hero.
posted by GenjiandProust at 8:05 AM on December 18, 2017
posted by GenjiandProust at 8:05 AM on December 18, 2017
Was this also sparked by that recent tweet about him (suggesting, I think, that Netflix make a movie, or something)? I saw it floating around a couple of days ago, guess he's back in fashion.
I was a previous admirer but thought he had appeared in one of my earlier posts on dandyism. When I saw the tweet and realized he'd never appeared here I thought he deserved a post.
posted by Hypatia at 8:31 AM on December 18, 2017 [1 favorite]
I was a previous admirer but thought he had appeared in one of my earlier posts on dandyism. When I saw the tweet and realized he'd never appeared here I thought he deserved a post.
posted by Hypatia at 8:31 AM on December 18, 2017 [1 favorite]
"Roger's best known contribution to fashion was his invention of Capri pants in 1949." There's no reference for that, but it fits the idiom.
posted by late afternoon dreaming hotel at 9:29 AM on December 18, 2017
posted by late afternoon dreaming hotel at 9:29 AM on December 18, 2017
"Roger's best known contribution to fashion was his invention of Capri pants in 1949."
My grandmother, who was the daughter of Sicilian immigrants and stood all of about 4'10", would have been especially grateful to Roger for giving her pants that she used to crow about wearing like regular pants without having to hem them.
posted by Strange Interlude at 1:19 PM on December 18, 2017
My grandmother, who was the daughter of Sicilian immigrants and stood all of about 4'10", would have been especially grateful to Roger for giving her pants that she used to crow about wearing like regular pants without having to hem them.
posted by Strange Interlude at 1:19 PM on December 18, 2017
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posted by oceanjesse at 5:48 PM on December 17, 2017 [2 favorites]