Bunhill: Banking trend

BRIAN PITMAN, the Lloyds Bank chief, is never happier than when ensconced in the gloomy banking parlours of EC2, proudly screening slides of his bank's impressive earnings record. So I was interested to see how he would fare in alien territory, the spotlit terrain of a glitzy fashion show. His bank sponsored the British Fashion Awards last week.

Pitman came up trumps, as the picture shows, gallantly lending a steadying hand to Naomi Campbell in her eight-inch heels, and happily hobnobbing with the likes of Sir Ralph Halpern, Bruce Oldfield, Vivienne Westwood and Ivana Trump.

Going backstage proved a bit of a shock for Big Bri, who attended the show with Barbara, his wife of 39 years. 'There are people back there with no clothes on,' he was heard confiding, wide-eyed, to a minder.

(Photograph omitted)