Blue Peter badges...

Following my recent trip to the Henley Royal Regatta last week, I'm still mulling over the fashions that were on display. The men were somewhat like peacocks: wearing blazers, boaters and showing off their prized badges. It always amazes me how much men love to belong to clubs and wear badges - it's often a football or a golf club, but in the case of Henley it's a rowing affiliation, or perhaps a gentleman's club. Could wearing all this MCC rowing club regalia (left) be the male equivalent of a woman wearing all her jewellery at the same time?





Some of the most prized badges at Henley are those for the Steward's Enclosure (above right and left) and the Leander Club (the small round badge on the right). The card badges are merely to allow access for the day's racing, but the metal badges offer the right to attend meetings for the duration of the regatta.




There's generally a lot of attention to detail in dressing for Henley - it seems that men are proud of their labels - from those on their jackets (left) to their Leander Club signature socks (right) - and for others there is always the badge of office (below left).








Some smart fellows even accessorize their outfits with their own unique trophies. The lovely chaps from the Bedford Rowing Club (right) meet each year on Friday at Henley for what call 'flower day' where they adorn the lapels of their jackets with huge floral corsages. One has even created his own badge of honour in the form of a very stylish and totally individual rosette (below left). How very ShopCurious!




I simply love going to Henley and seeing the variety of fashions on view - for men it's so curiously chic.
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