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:

* * *

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

Will to Style

"The dandy represents the type of man who stylizes himself...He has sublimated the will to power into a will to style...Endeavoring to stylize himself, he stylizes the world and accomplishes this mission when he captures a situation in an elegant formulation...For that, he must subject himself to discipline, abnegation, and rigorous asceticism."

- “Le dandy dans sa maison forestière: remarques sur le cas Ernst Jünger,” Nicolas Sombart (2000)

Will O' The Wisp (Pierre Drieu La Rochelle)

This novel covers the last forty-eight tragic hours in the life of a young drug addict, Alain. At the opening of the novel he is living in a fashionable clinic, ostensibly receiving a 'cure' for his addiction. His life has always been an empty one. He has lived off women ever since he was able, money having always been a bigger inducement to marriage or the taking of a mistress than love. He has always had vague 'projects' which would occupy him but which his spiritual paralysis has prevented him from putting into action. In these last hours of his life Alain searches among his friends and acquaintances for an example, for one person so committed to life, so obviously leading a fruitful, meaningful existence that they can give him an argument for life. He finds no such example and commits suicide. Will O' The Wisp was first published in France in 1931 and was based on the actual suicide of one of the author's friends.

Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme - IV Choral (J.S. Bach)

Old Champagne

'World's oldest champagne' found on Baltic seabed

BBC, 17 July 2010

Divers have found 30 bottles of champagne thought to pre-date the French Revolution on the Baltic seabed.

When they opened one, they found the wine - believed to have been made by Clicquot (now Veuve Clicquot) between 1782 and 1788 - was still in good condition.

The bottle - whose shape indicates it was produced in the 18th Century - has now been sent to France for analysis.

If confirmed, it would be the oldest drinkable champagne in the world.

Diver Christian Ekstrom was exploring a shipwreck on the Baltic seabed when he found the bottles.