EYE CANDY

Meet the Young London Aristos Who Gave Us Rich Kids of Instagram


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Had Instagram been around in the 80’s and 90’s, the photographer Dafydd Jones would have had quite the impressive feed: He spent his nights wandering London’s balls, galas, and debutante gatherings, thanks to a gig with the then-Tatler editor Tina Brown. As it turns out, the teen aristos he encountered were as at home under tables and on 80’s-printed carpets as they were in the ballrooms themselves — a louche side that Jones was more than happy to document. Each morning after, he’d print images in a darkroom with a custom stainless steel sink, the same one he used this year to create just 10 limited edition boxes of his best shots for Idea Books. Take an unfiltered look back at the scene, here.

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© Dafydd Jones 1982

Rusty Egan & Sophie Stapleton-Cotton at Le Bal.

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© Dafydd Jones 1986

Shebah Polak at the Red & White Ball at Kensington Close Hotel.

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© Dafydd Jones 1986

Benita Douglas-Robertson & Matt Gomez at the Blizzard Ball.

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© Dafydd Jones 1987

At the Halloween Ball.

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© Dafydd Jones 1981

Marcella Perfect at the Feathers Ball.

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© Dafydd Jones 1991

Lady Louisa Stuart at the Caledonian Ball at Grosvenor House.

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© Dafydd Jones 1986

Archie Orr-Erwing & Polly Astor at the Abomni Ball at Grosvenor House.