In the figure wing: nine tall escorts, from 172 to 178 cm

Tallest first. Every height was taken in person and is repeated on her own label.

• Violetta, 178 cm: dry humour, bookshops and a small Kensington dining room.
• Stacy, 176 cm: a street photographer who enjoys being the tallest person in the pub.
• Milena, 175 cm: patent heels, direct opinions and dinner on Prince's Gate.
• Karolina, 174 cm: piano, opera and architecture walks through Holland Park.
• Samanta, 174 cm: violin recitals and the bars of well designed hotels.
• Michelle, 173 cm: a generous host who likes to begin at a Queen's Gate bar.
• Vanessa, 173 cm: languages, bicycles and dusk in Brompton Cemetery.
• Angelika, 172 cm: jazz on Lots Road and tennis the following morning.
• Patricia, 172 cm: film noir, watercolours and the Electric Cinema.

Some guests ask whether a tall companion will wear flats. The honest answer is that she will wear whatever suits the evening, and she would rather be told than left to guess. If you would like her at eye level, mention it in your first message; it is a practical request and is treated as one. Stacy, for her part, has long since made peace with being the tallest person in most rooms and rather enjoys it.

Formal occasions are where this grouping is asked for most. A dinner in a museum hall, a private view, a charity evening in a ballroom off Hyde Park: for any of these, a plus one for a business dinner or gala is the right format, and Karolina, Samanta and Violetta wear a dress code as though it were written for them. Michelle and Milena bring more energy to a lively table, Angelika and Stacy to a night that ends somewhere with music, and Vanessa and Patricia to a quieter, more personal evening.

Milena lives in South Kensington, and Michelle and Stacy in Chelsea, so those three know the SW7 and SW3 hotels as neighbours do. Patricia and Violetta come from Belgravia, Angelika and Samanta from Mayfair, Karolina from Covent Garden and Vanessa from Paddington. None of those journeys costs you anything extra while it stays within Zones 1 and 2.

The nine cross every hair grouping except blonde. Angelika, Karolina, Milena and Violetta are raven haired, Patricia is auburn, and the remaining four are brunettes. By figure, Michelle and Milena are also curvaceous, Angelika is athletic, and the other six appear under slim and slender.

The fee does not rise with the height. Every name above starts from £250 for an hour, a black tie evening usually sits on the four hour line at £900, and for an event the desk likes to hear the dress code a few days beforehand. The rates page carries the full ladder.