Dating an Investment Banker: Where to Find Your Perfect Partner - 12 More Top Firms

The popular Wall Street dating website, Here is the City, has rated a further 12 top financial markets firms in terms of how likely they are to provide single females with their perfect partner. Here is the line-up:

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Baird

Now these guys are dark horses. Easy to underestimate, you will get sucked in before you realise it. The have a subtle charm and an easy manner. They are also stayers. When they select you as their mate, it's usually for life.

BlackRock

Not the most sophisticated date you'll ever have. Don't expect much by way of romance either. More Wal-Mart than Harrods between the sheets, but at least it's over fairly quickly. They have a good heart, though, and mean well.

BNP Paribas

If you ever wanted proof that not all Frenchmen have smouldering good looks and are AAA-rated in bed, then just date someone from BNP Paribas. Say no more.

Cantor Fitzgerald

These guys have a bad reputation. Yes, he can be hard to handle, and he does enjoy himself with his mates, but he will always come home (even though you might never know where he's actually been). But life will never be dull, and you'll be very well looked after financially.

Houlihan Lokey

If it seems too good to be true, it usually is - but not with these guys. Tall, elegant, and totally at ease with themselves. Real men, who are in touch with their feminine side too - without wanting to dress up in your clothes, which is a bonus (unless you're into that sort of thing, of course).

HSBC

These guys are usually pretty boring, but boring isn't always bad. Remember, boring banks and boring bankers are in vogue these days. You won't have the biggest house in the street, and you won't own the flashiest car, but you'll get by. And if life is dull, well, you can always have a discrete affair.

Macquarie

It's just not true that these guys spend most of their time at work looking at soft porn - that was just one guy, and he did it by accident (and then only once!). The big downside, however, is that not everyone in the factory is a millionaire these days, and a girl might not be looked after as once she might.

Nomura

What you see is what you get with these guys (at least the original Nomura lot). They love life, and overindulge themselves at every opportunity. Everything they do, they do to excess. The problem is, they might not always have time for you.

The ex-Lehman guys are a different lot - they play their cards much closer to their chest, and will be more interested in preening themselves than complimenting you on how you look.

Royal Bank of Canada

These guys are men of integrity. They are upstanding members of the community, who will always treat you with respect. But cheat on them just once (and get caught), and you'll be out. And you'll never find out where the treasure is buried.

Royal Bank of Scotland

Don't be put off by the misconception that only Scottish people work in this firm. No, the Scots were simply those who were responsible for almost bankrupting it. And in any case, not all Scottish people are ginger; some are actually very nice.

Standard Bank

A right cool lot these guys. They were smart enough to get out of all the other firms when the troubles began, and are now sitting pretty in a decent bank going places. The big problem is that they are also clever enough to spot a gold digger at 20 paces.

Wells Fargo

These guys can be as wild as the West, but you wouldn't believe it to look at them. But after a drink, he's anybody's, and that's sometimes hard to live with.

Another Country (1984)

Brooks Brothers Moccasins

As I mentioned in a previous column, my uncle in Connecticut recently sent me a series of packages containing books, clothing, and other items that had accumulated in his house since the 1980s. These shoes were amongst the cargo. A pair of size 12D Brooks Brothers loafers made in the USA, they are at least 15+ years old. I bought them at either a Manhattan or Stamford, CT store; I barely remember them. In any event I am sure they will feel right at home in my collection. The thick white stitching and supple tan leather lend them a distinctly casual, Adirondack feel. I certainly look forward to taking them out for their California debut. Can you proffer a guess as to which US manufacturer made them? Yours is as good as mine.

The English Gentleman: Good Tailors

Good Tailors

Gentlemen may wear their suits until they are threadbare but they do so with considerable panache and it is evident to the most uncritical eye that they have been built by a good tailor. As one gentleman remarked about the members of a club which he considered socially inferior to his own, 'They are quite a decent lot of chaps. It is only a pity that they all seem to make their own trousers...'

There are, too, certain little touches to the way a gentleman dresses which sets him apart from the less socially elevated. For example, the flaps on his jacket pockets are always tucked into the pocket itself and he always wears the bottom button of his waistcoat undone. This latter idiosyncracy has its origins in the days when Edward VII was the leader of Society. Nicknamed 'Tum-Tum' because of his great bulk he always has difficult in doing up the bottom button and when eventually he gave up trying, other gentlemen politely followed suit.

The Sports Jacket

No gentleman ever has a garment which is popularly called a sports jacket. Nor does he ever wear a blazer with a badge on the pocket. The only exception to gentlemen not wearing blazers is at Henley when they turn out in creations they have had since their rowing days and which would make a stage comedian look ridiculous.

His Shoes

A gentleman always has well-polished shoes which are generally hand-made and last a lifetime. They are polished with ox-blood which is a similar eccentricity to washing his riding breeches in urine. On less formal occasions he wears gum boots which are usually green and have a little strap to tighten them below the knee.

The English Gentleman, Douglas Sutherland (1978)

American Beauty

Goddess on a Hiway (Mercury Rev)

Creed Blog

Thesiger: Archeo-Traditionalist

"Thesiger has rightly been called 'old-fashioned' and 'a throwback to the Victorian era,' yet in one sense his views were ahead of their time. Even as a boy he foresaw the way in which technology would ride like a juggernaut across the earth, devastating what was priceless in traditional life. All his life he saw technology as an intrusion into the unspoiled world, and as a barrier between man and nature. Traditional peoples were to him the most significant aspect of the environment, and truly to understand them, he believed, one must live as they lived--eating the same food, drinking the same water, enduring the same privations, facing danger shoulder to shoulder, accepting common rules of behaviour. What generated this unique attitude was Thesiger's need to express certain ideals which the technetronic twentieth century was quickly discarding. In a society run by machines, the traditional values that govern the idea of manhood disintegrate. Courage, the warrior-instinct, close loyalty to companions, even hospitality, dignity, stoic endurance and honesty, become irrelevant. Thesiger believed that technological society tended to breed selfish individuals, mostly concerned with amassing material wealth. He stood out all his life against this disintegration of traditional values, living by a personal code of integrity he never lost. Summed up, perhaps, by the concept of 'nobility'--a quality he claimed to find in both kings and illiterate tribesmen alike--he believed that these ideals were developed to their fullest extent among the Bedu of Arabia, whose ethic of miruwa, or 'manliness'--courage, loyalty, endurance, hospitality and generosity--matched almost perfectly with his own."

Thesiger, Michael Asher (1994)

Cocktails in the Afternoon

La Brasserie

Brideshead Revisited: Plovers' Eggs

Rubinacci Club Style

© 2010 Mariano Rubinacci Spa

The Berlin-Baghdad Express

Sterling On Drinking

Blazer: Made in England

Do you remember Blazer? My memory was jolted by the arrival of several parcels from my uncle in Connecticut containing, amongst other things, this old Blazer neck tie (see photographs at left) that had been in storage for 15+ years. I admit I quite like it, though I would probably not wear it to the orifice. For one thing, the pattern does not match.

Summer mornings in London: cup of tea, ham and cheese croissant, the Telegraph, and then some shopping errands. I recall walking down the King's Road as a very young man to pick up a pair or two of cotton trousers at the Blazer shop. There was also a Blazer branch off Kensington High Street and one in Covent Garden. Good for basics such as khakis, sport shirts, and v-neck jumpers. The Blazer line of chinos, I seem to remember, was dubbed 'Faithful Friend' with an image of a dog.

I once bought a navy cotton suit at Blazer that I wore out during an exhausting stint working for the Tories as a junior public relations officer. It was the same summer the revamped version of the film Lawrence of Arabia was released, complete with an accompanying exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery. I must have watched it a dozen times. I also picked up from Blazer a navy field coat with a scarlet lining. I first wore it on a trip to Italy, where I paired it with khakis, OCBD, and suede brogues. It survived several seasons. A sound coat to be sure, but certainly no Barbour.

Not Yet Kameraden ! (Das Boot)

Harbour Sailing

Tartan Tuesday

Sloane Ranger Style: Henry's Clothes

Take Ivy Now

Spiegel im Spiegel (Arvo Pärt)

Dating an Investment Banker: Where to Find Your Perfect Partner - 12 Top Firms

Down at the investment bank, every day is a stress test. To relieve the pressure we inflict pranks on unsuspecting colleagues intending to embarrass and humiliate. Banter of an explicit racial and sexual nature abounds. We discuss in some detail the sexual merits of female bankers and office staff. Which is amusing I suppose when one learns they return the favour. Here is the City, a popular Wall Street dating website, rated 12 top financial firms in terms of how likely they are to provide single females with their perfect partner. Here is the list:

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Bank of America Merrill Lynch

Keep to the guys who are based in the main financial centers, as the others can be a little rough around the edges. If you are looking for a life-long commitment, then these guys are generally not your best bet. The Merrill set, in particular, have been known to stray. Relationships can be very intense, yet of relatively short duration. These guys often have low boredom thresholds.

Barclays Capital

These guys are pretty smart, and are usually quite happy to splash their cash, bearing in mind uncle Bob Diamond is always happy to dish out big bonuses each year-end. Be a little careful, however, especially with the bankers who came over from Lehman - some of those guys had a lot of their net worth invested in that firm, and aren't now as well off as you might expect.

Citi

Those Citi boys are really quite a decent lot. Your mother would like them. They are generally respectful and are into commitment. You'll know where you stand. The only downside, however, is that they can be boringly conventional.

Commerzbank

If going out with a 'jack-the-lad' type appeals to you, then you should probably go hunting at Commerzbank. These guys might not earn the most money, but generally they have great sense of humours and enjoy a good night out. The downside is that your Commerzbank man might well prefer to be at Upton Park or Stamford Bridge, rather than at home having a romantic evening in with you.

Credit Suisse

Family men. Dull, but worthy. If it's a secure home and quiet family life you want, go fishing in the Credit Suisse pool. But it may be more exciting watching paint dry.

Deutsche Bank

Cool, polished, and debonair. Deutsche Bank man has the look (and feel) of James Bond about him - except the guys from Essex. In fact, you are probably better off searching out an Italian or US soulmate from the German bank (the place is full of them). It might take you a little longer to reel them in, but it will be worth it. And Italian bankers from Deutsche make the best lovers.

Goldman Sachs

What can you say about Gold man ? If you can bag him, you are in a no lose situation, although he is generally cautious, and wary of ladies who might see him as a meal ticket (which he is). And remember, those canny Goldman types always hedge their risks, so they probably have stashes of cash secreted away, and you'll never find out how much they are truly worth (and neither will your lawyer!).

Jefferies & Co

The firm might be a relatively small one, but these guys aren't small in any way. Generally tall and imposing, they are casual yet sophisticated. Many have huge packages (they do well at bonus time too). Intelligent and high-minded, the only downside is that they can be a little intimidating for a girl on the make.

JPMorgan

Imagine a firm full of little Jamie Dimons. Exquisite. OK, so there are a few Tesco Tonys (and Willy Wal-Marts) scattered around the firm, but JPMorgan men are the guys that will generally sweep you off your feet. If you are playing for keeps, look no further than Jamie's finest - each built in his image, and comes with a money-back guarantee!

Morgan Stanley

If you find a Morgan Stanley banker who is rich, free and single, you'll need to snap him up quickly. Girls put their names down early for these White Shoe boys. But be careful - you will have to pass the 'Mummy' test on both counts - you'll need to come from good stock to gain the approval of the family, and be made of stern stuff yourself, as babies are likely to come off the production line in quick succession following marriage.

Societe Generale

A glint in the eye, a warm French smile. Oodles of charm and fantastic sex. But your SocGen dream man will probably turn out to be happily married too.

UBS

Surprisingly adventurous and open-minded, UBS soulmates are generally good fun to be with. You'll need to be selective, however, as they are a mixed bunch. Keep away from the ones who might be into leather and latex though (unless that's really your thing).

Avant de nous dire adieu (Jeane Manson)

Anderson at Deyrolle

Riviera Style

Cricket Whites

I Can Change (LCD Soundsystem)

Life of Chivalry

Do you think chivalry is dead? No? Neither, it seems, does Chivas Regal. I typically ignore televisual advertisements, even for alcohol, but this one caught my attention. Take a look. How this advert made it past the Planetarian censors, I have no idea. I see it several times a day on Bloomberg TV. It was filmed in Argentina. The message is provocative. It speaks to a code that is true to our nature and therefore eternal. Today the code is buried or ignored, or obscured by kandy-koloured rainbow haze of consumerist propaganda. But for how long? I wonder. New challenges force us to reassess commonly held beliefs and to undertake actions unthinkable just yesterday. Challenges include growing energy needs, government control, environmental issues, Islamic incursions, competition over resources, racial and cultural clashes engendered by migration trends. The postmodern world is breaking down. The decline deepens. A condition of chaos prevails as the world swirls furiously on the Z-axis of time. Our task is to identify an eternal code and grasp it. For the world is returning to archaic values. There is no stopping it. Human beings are not individual atomised units, but rather, as Hellenes knew, zoon politikon. That is, we are political animals, or social beings, who belong to distinct biological and cultural communities. This is the true meaning of Being. We engage in a struggle for survival. History has not ended; it is about to be written. Forward to the past.

Henley Picnic

Eton Fives at Aldenham