Who Sloanes Wins
Ann Barr, identifier of one of Britain’s most distinctive social groups, died on May 4th, aged 85

MEMBERS of the tribe had been seen around for a while. Indeed, with their raucous cries (“OK Yah!” “AbsolOOTli!”), they were hard to ignore. Individuals would be spotted in the Fulham Road, in navy Husky and Hermès scarf knotted on the chin, greeting each other with air-kisses on either cheek; or lying blotto on some college lawn the morning after a May Ball, black tie just about together. At sales time at Harvey Nicks or on race days at Ascot they would descend in squawking flocks. Yet the secret rules of this tribe, its rituals and codes, were unanatomised until Ann Barr, as features editor at Harpers & Queen, turned her beady gaze upon them.
This article appeared in the Obituary section of the print edition under the headline “Who Sloanes Wins”
Obituary
May 23rd 2015
From the May 23rd 2015 edition
Discover stories from this section and more in the list of contents
Explore the edition
George Foreman’s career was about resurrection
The two-time heavyweight champion of the world died on March 21st, aged 76

Oleg Gordievsky worked for both sides in the cold war
The KGB officer who spied for Britain died on March 4th, aged 86

Richard Fortey remade the world with fossils
The palaeontologist, writer and TV presenter died on March 7th, aged 79
Athol Fugard spoke truth to apartheid South Africa
South Africa’s greatest playwright of the apartheid era died on March 8th, aged 92
Stitch by stitch, Rose Girone kept her family going
The oldest known Holocaust survivor died on February 24th, aged 113
Muhsin Hendricks fought homophobia with the Koran
The world’s first openly gay imam was shot dead on February 15th, aged 57