To half starve the chaps is a bit of a bloomer (6)
I believe the answer is:
stamen
'a bit of a bloomer' is the definition.
(I've seen this before)
'to half starve the chaps' is the wordplay.
'to half' suggests halving the letters.
'the chaps' becomes 'men' (chap means a man).
'starve' cut in half is 'sta'.
'sta'+'men'='STAMEN'
'is' acts as a link.
(Other definitions for stamen that I've seen before include "Pollen-carrying part of flower" , "Male fertilising organ of flowering plants" , "Manet's (anag.)" , "Bit of a bloomer" , "The pollen-bearing organ of flowering plants" .)