Sloane Ranger style returns thanks to the support of fashionable celebrity fans

In their ’80s heydey, Sloane Rangers could be been trotting up and down the King’s Road, impeccably dressed in pearls, a pair of loafers and a pashmina wrapped around their shoulders. 

Although the style was definitely distinctive, it was never ‘cool’. In fact, it was described by social commentators at the time as ‘middle-aged dressing for young people’. 

But things are different in 2020. Clothing and accessories that were once Sloane Ranger signature pieces are now in vogue – and in Vogue – and have been given a thoroughly modern twist by designers like Gucci, Valentino and Celine. 

The most admired of today’s millennial fashionistas are also fans, the Daily Telegraph noted, with Alexa Chung, Olivia Palermo and Bella Hadid all stepping out in looks either knowingly or unknowingly inspired by the likes of Fergie and Lady Diana Spencer.

Supermodel seal of approval: Bella Hadid has been spotted in penny loafers in recent weeks, as seen in New York last month. The shoes, once paired with sensible skirts, are now worn with baggy jeans as the Sloane Ranger style made popular in the ’80s comes back into fashion (pictured left, Bella Hadid, and right, Fergie) 

The Sloane Rangers often wore stylish headscarves to add a playful pop of print to an outfit (pictured, the Queen, 94, presenting prizes at polo in Windsor)

Safety first: Olivia Palermo has shown how a silk scarf – once tied around the head a-la-the Queen – can be re-purposed as a face covering for the fashion-conscious in the age of Covid-19

Barely there: Actress Nicola Peltz, 25, better known as Mrs Brooklyn Beckham-to-be, is among the Insta-famous 20-somethings who have taken to wearing their scarves as handkerchief tops. Previously they were worn as countrified head coverings by Sloanes

Trend-setter: Alexa Chung, 36, has taken the Barbour, once a must-have for Sloane retreats to the company, and given it a revamp that is chic enough to be worn in the city without irony (pictured left, and right Princess Diana in a long-line Barbour)

Hooray, they’re here again! Who were the original Sloane Rangers? 

The term ‘Sloane Ranger’ was first coined by Harper’s Bazaar in 1982 but it was popularised by Peter York and Ann Barr in their 1982 book The Official Sloane Ranger Handbook. 

Of course, for the original cohort, being a Sloane was more than just a sense of fashion: it was a way of life. 

The Official Sloane Ranger Handbook was the bible for everything one needed to know about dressing, living, breathing Sloane. 

Lady Diana Spencer was the ‘archetypal’ Sloane Ranger, according to the authors of the Sloane Ranger handbook. Born into the aristocracy, Lady Diana developed a signature style that included pussy-bow blouses (right) and twee skirts that fell below the knee

Jostling for position for Sloaney queen bee was Diana’s close friend Jemima Goldsmith, daughter of Lady Annabel Vane-Tempest-Stewart and financier Sir James Goldsmith

The guide claimed to update Nancy Mitford’s famous etiquette guide to the upper classes, Noblesse Oblige. 

Sloanes were more upper middle class, showing how society had broadened, although not by very much.

Sloanes did not leave London’s SW3, SW5, SW7 or SW10 (the postcodes around Sloane Square and Fulham Road) except to retreat to their country homes in Gloucestershire or Wiltshire on a Friday afternoon. 

King of the Hooray Henrys was James Hewitt, who became a household name after he revealed his affair with Princess Diana. Pictured, Hewitt in a linen suit at the Guards Polo Club, Windsor, a Sloane stomping ground 

Anything unfamiliar to Sloanes was honkingly funny, and this included North London, intellectuals, career angst, people who wore black, and gold taps.   

Professionally, they held lowly positions with the absolute self-confidence of a class who ran the Empire.

They were shop assistants – so long as it was Peter Jones, The General Trading Company, Harvey Nichols or Liberty – chalet girls or receptionists for Savills, the posh estate agent. 

Now best known as a TV presenter and stylist, Susannah once made headlines as the girlfriend of Princess Margaret’s son Viscount Linley. Pictured, Susannah at his wedding to Serena Stanhope in 1993, wearing a dress, blazer and a sensible pair of heels

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Trend-setter Alexa, 36, has taken the Barbour, once a must-have for Sloane retreats to the company, and given it a revamp that is chic enough to be worn in the city without irony. Her latest collection is her third with the brand and prices range from £259 to £479.

Meanwhile Emma Corrin, who plays Princess Diana in the upcoming series of Netflix’s The Crown, has paid tribute to the woman she portrays with a string of 80s-inspired outfits complete with puffball sleeves and oversized collars. 

Sloane Ranger fever has also taken hold across the pond, where Bella Hadid has stepped out in leather loafers and Olivia Palermo has shown how a silk scarf – once tied around the head a-la-the Queen – can be re-purposed as a face covering for the fashion-conscious in the age of Covid-19. 

Sex And The City star-turned-shoe-designer Sarah Jessica Parker is another fan. 

Just like Lady Di: Emma Corrin, who plays Princess Diana in the upcoming series of Netflix’s The Crown, has paid tribute to the woman she portrays with a string of 80s-inspired outfits complete with puffball sleeves and oversized collars. Pictured left, in Valentino in March and right, Margret O’Brien in a bold puff sleeved dress

Puffed sleeve blouses and oversized collars were all the range for the original Sloane Rangers (pictured, Sarah Ferguson with Diana in 1983)

Peter Pan perfection: Emma Currin, pictured in Venice last week, has embraced oversized collars and 80s-inspired looks that would not have looked out of place on Princess Diana

Princess Diana regularly wore bright, colourful pieces which featured large, oversized collars (pictured, in 1983) 

The key to nailing the Sloane Ranger 2.0 is all in the styling. Bella, for example, wears her loafers with a slogan t-shirt and baggy jeans. Actress Nicola Peltz, 25, better known as Mrs Brooklyn Beckham-to-be, is among the Insta-famous 20-somethings who have taken to wearing their silk scarves as handkerchief tops. 

Headbands, popular with original Sloane Sarah Ferguson, among others, should now be chosen in lighter colours with more bejewelled detailing, as seen on Katherine Ryan’s stylish character in Netflix show The Duchess.

Of course, for the original cohort, being a Sloane was more than just a sense of fashion: it was a way of life.   

The Official Sloane Ranger Handbook, published in 1982, was the bible for everything one needed to know about dressing, living, breathing Sloane. 

Silk scarf style: Sex And The City star-turned-shoe-designer Sarah Jessica Parker is a fan

The Handbook, by Peter York and Ann Barr, claimed to update Nancy Mitford’s famous etiquette guide to the upper classes, Noblesse Oblige. Sloanes were more upper middle class, showing how society had broadened, although not by very much.

Sloanes did not leave London’s SW3, SW5, SW7 or SW10 (the postcodes around Sloane Square and Fulham Road) except to retreat to their country homes in Gloucestershire or Wiltshire on a Friday afternoon. 

Anything unfamiliar to Sloanes was honkingly funny, and this included North London, intellectuals, career angst, people who wore black, and gold taps.    

One step ahead: Headbands, popular with original Sloane Sarah Ferguson, among others, should now be chosen in lighter colours with more bejewelled detailing, as seen on Katherine Ryan’s stylish character in Netflix show The Duchess 

Pink perfection: MIC star Binky Felstead models a pink headband with a bikini on Instagram

Fergie often swept her flowing red locks from her face using the trendy accessory in the 80s (pictured visiting the Offices of Action Research for Crippled Children in Horsham in February 1989)

Professionally, they held lowly positions with the absolute self-confidence of a class who ran the Empire.

They were shop assistants – so long as it was Peter Jones, The General Trading Company, Harvey Nichols or Liberty – chalet girls or receptionists for Savills, the posh estate agent. 

Although these high-flying, celebrity Sloanes are unlikely to go the whole hog and adopt the lifestyle, it is clear they have bought into the clothes.