The Bright Young People is a nickname given by the tabloid press to a group of young aristocrats and socialites in 1920s London. They threw elaborate fancy dress parties, went on elaborate treasure hunts through nighttime London, and drank heavily and experimented with drugs—all of which was enthusiastically covered by the press.
“He had little social tense. He was like some charming wild animal—one never felt he was really tame (or tameable).” —Stephen’s first impression of Siegfried in 1927
(Source: klaus-baudelaire, via sissybutton)
‘Plagued by depression and a growing mental instability, Tennant became more and more reclusive, rarely leaving his bedroom. His formerly stylish manor was in complete disarray, yet he never lost his unique sense of the fabulous, or his taste for champagne, and continued to dream his idle dreams. ’
When Stephen (Tennant) left his house, there was a reporter there to see him, coming out in his football jersey and a pair of earrings. And driving across London in this electric broom, which was described as a shop window on wheels. The comparisons with people like Boy George or any kind of very outrageous pop star, are very acute. In an age before pop stars, Stephen was a pop star.
Philip Hoare, author of Serious Pleasures: The Life of Stephen Tennant.
