London - The sartorial secrets of a "rainmaker" in London's financial markets are subtle, expensive and still mostly a male preserve.
"Rainmakers" are the most successful corporate financiers in the City - London's financial centre - the ones who persuade big companies into the kind of mega-mergers which bring a deluge of cash for bankers, brokers, investors and traders.
Like most things to do with the ultra-discreet "City" no one will go on record to tell you exactly which shoes, shirts and suits will mark you out as the money world's ultimate insider.
| 'There is a slight snobbery that white shirts are more for juniors' |
"They are like peacocks really," said one woman investment banker, who works in the City, one of the world's biggest financial hubs. "I think they care more than women."
Details that would go unnoticed by the uninitiated are crucial for sending the right signals to clients or competitors.
A top City corporate financier, for example, will keep a special bespoke suit just for important board meetings.
He will model himself on the old-style British merchant banker, whose pedigree would include Eton - Britain's most exclusive private school - Oxford or Cambridge universities or a senior regiment of the British Army.
To convey this he will wear a handmade grey or dark blue single breasted suit, classically-cut shirt with double-cuffs and non-flashy cufflinks, a Hermes tie and black lace-up shoes.
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