War heroes, haute couture, and outrageous parties! This episode of History's Greatest Idiots, featuring The Fit Historian (https://www.youtube.com/@fithistorian), explores the extraordinary life of Neil Munro "Bunny" Roger, the openly gay fashion designer who became a decorated World War II hero, invented Capri pants, and threw London's most legendary parties whilst maintaining a 26-inch waist and wearing makeup to battle. The Fairy Prince: Born in 1911 to Scottish telecommunications tycoon Sir Alexander Roger, young Bunny asked for a doll's house and got it. At age six, his parents gave him a fairy costume with butterfly wings. His stern father sent him to Loretto, a famously dour boarding school that Bunny later said was worse than being shelled at Anzio. At Oxford, he attended parties dressed as Hollywood starlets, wore makeup, dyed his hair, and was expelled in 1930 for "alleged homosexual activities" when homosexuality was completely illegal. Margaret Thatcher was one of only a tiny minority of Conservative MPs who voted to decriminalise homosexuality in 1967, calling prosecutions "a waste of court time." This didn't stop her passing Section 28 in 1988, banning the promotion of homosexuality in schools. The Fashion Designer: After Oxford, Bunny worked at Fortnum & Mason learning tailoring, then opened "Neil Roger" in 1937 with £1,000 from his exasperated father (equivalent to £60,000 today, purchasing power of £400,000). He dressed Vivien Leigh, future star of Gone with the Wind. His designs referenced Marlene Dietrich, Gloria Swanson, and Pola Negri. The War Hero: In 1941, Bunny joined the Rifle Brigade and served in North Africa and Italy. At Monte Cassino in 1944, he charged a machine gun post wearing blush and a silk scarf, carrying Vogue in his pocket. When asked about approaching Germans, he replied "When in doubt, powder heavily." He was decorated for bravery, saved a wounded comrade at Anzio by dragging him from No Man's Land under fire, and entered burning buildings to rescue soldiers. After the war: "Now I've shot so many N*zis, Daddy will have to buy me a sable coat." The Post-War Fashion Legend: Bunny ran Fortnum & Mason's couture department from the late 1940s until 1973. In 1949, he invented fitted Capri pants on holiday. He bought 15 bespoke Savile Row suits yearly at £30,000 each in today's money, ordering four pairs of custom shoes per suit. By his death, he owned over 600 pairs of shoes. He maintained a 26-inch waist through corsetry until later life when it ballooned to 31 inches. The Legendary Parties: Bunny's Mayfair house became London's most notorious party destination. In 1952, he threw a "Quo Vadis?" party with no address, answering the door in slavery attire. In 1956, he held the infamous Fetish Party with guests in leather bondage gear, some dragging companions on dog chains. The Sunday People published scandalised photographs. For his 70th birthday in 1981, he held the Amethyst Ball at Holland Park, wearing a plum catsuit with a feathered headdress glued into his hair. Anyone not in purple was rejected. For his 80th birthday in 1991, he wore a scarlet sequin catsuit with an orange cape and greeted guests from behind a literal wall of fire. The Final Years: Bunny retreated to his Scottish estate Dundonell, spending his inheritance on art, furniture, and parties. When Sotheby's auctioned his belongings in 1998, the catalogue was 339 pages with 1,505 lots. He died in 1997 aged 85, having lived exactly as he pleased, fought Nazis in makeup, invented iconic fashion, and never once pretended to be anything other than who he was. https://www.patreon.com/HistorysGreatestIdiots https://www.instagram.com/historysgreatestidiots https://buymeacoffee.com/historysgreatestidiots Artist: Sarah Chey https://www.fiverr.com/sarahchey
