Scarf issues
Here’s something from two weeks ago, which I’ve only just managed to get round to mentioning.
I’m in the toilets at the bar/club at work, and as I’m on way out I head for the toilet. I’ve already got my coat and scarf on with my bag slung over my shoulder. I’m standing at the urinals, obeying the “leave an equal amount of space between you and other people in there” rule, when I detect a guy come in to my right and stand at the urinal two down to my right.
I’m still minding my own business (literally) when I can feel his eys boring into the side of my head and he starts talking to me.
“Is that Paul Smith?” he says.
I’m not sure how to react to that. Did he just just ask if my name was Paul Smith? I turn to look at him.
“That!” he says nodding towards .. er .. me .. “Is that Paul Smith?”
I realise that he’s now motioning to the scarf around my neck. Oh. Is Paul Smith some terribly fashionable designer that I haven’t heard of? I’m going to have to assume that it is.
“I’m afraid I’m not that fashionable mate!” I say with a chuckle in my voice, but as I say this I realise that he’s sort of … looking … at me in more than just a friendly fashion. My goodness – is he trying to hit on me? Is this what wearing a Paul Smith scarf says about you?
“So where’s it from then?” he says, with him now detecting that I’m starting to fear him a little, he realises that he’s maybe making an idiot out of himself but somehow he’s got to keep the conversation going because neither of us have finished our ‘business’ yet.
Fortunately as I answer “Er.. I can’t remember actually” (which is a lie, because I don’t want to talk to him about it), I do finish my business, zip up, wash my hands and head for the exit.
I walk out of the toilets and bump into a friend that I know and am still speaking to them 30 seconds later, when the guys comes out of the loo, and gives me another bit smile/approving grin about my scarf. I turn away from him – I don’t want to lead him on.
“Does this scarf make me look gay?” I asked my friend. They just smile.
And the next day – the very next day – I’m down at the airport. (This was the day I flew to New York a couple of weeks back), and as I walk in the departure lounge area shops .. first thing I see .. a Paul Smith shop! So obviously I have to go and have a little look at the scarves. Hmmm. I don’t buy one.
So. Paul Smith scarves. Gay? Or not gay? And I bet you can’t guess where I did get mine from.
After living in London for the first 33 years of my life and working for the 
So for ten weeks in June, July and August 2009, I drove 20,000 miles around the the lower 48 contiguous states of the USA visiting towns and places that shared the same name as places on The London
You got yours from either:
a) Primark, or
b) Some store in downtown Charleston
I was going to say Primark too – must be too obvious…
I have no opinion on the gayness or otherwise of Paul Smith’s attire.
Well, the husband married me in a Paul Smith suit.. *lol*
Mr Smith is a very nice chappy, and personally served me the day his Westbourne Grove store opened *G*
…First Jeff goes on about circumcision for ages, then he starts “cruising in a scarf”
! Fellow readers, I implore you, help Jeff at this difficult time for him. I mean, it’s
not as though he’s a big Pet Shop Boys fan, or anything like that.
From “Tour Guide” to “Fag Hag”……….life plays cruel tricks.
#3. And I suspect you looked wonderful it it, Fimb. What was he wearing?
It’s a Gap scarf. Buying Paul Smith certainly implies you’re metrosexual. Mind you, the Gap is kinda halfway there anyway.
But either:
1. you were hit on. Even if work toilets are not the place to do it. Congratulations. I would check with some gay men to see whether this is the case.
2. He felt the need to start a conversation with you to alleviate the tension of pissing next to a man. I felt like that when I went into the toilet the other day and saw my boss. Fortunately, he’d just rhapsodized about some kind of radio-on-TV thing so we just chatted about that.
States. again?! Good God, man.
Andrew, jumper from Asda.
They sell scarves similar to yours in Redhill Market! sorry Geoff.
I’m glad to be female and able to have my ‘wee moments’ in private, even if someone
might hear you in the next cubicle, at least you don’t have to make polite conversation.
Now you just know we need a picture of this famous scarf right?!
And I bet your scarf came from Burton. I’ve got you down as a Burton man.
The scarf in the photograph? That does look a particularly feminine scarf. I’d say it came from Accessorize.
Actually, I was at university the other day, in black shirt, black trousers, dark brown shoes (smart) and brown leather waistcoat. I’m sure I heard someone say to their friend, as I passed them, “God, he dresses gay, doesn’t he?!”.
Maybe it was a figment of my imagination. I wasn’t wearing the PURPLE shirt, at least, although to wear THAT with the waistcoat would be atrocious!
#8 – Lucy, erm… that is a picture of my scarf. Up there. At the top of the blog post!
Ok, it’s NOT Primark! Or anywhere from Charleston. Or Gap. Or Accessorize, or Burton or even Redhill Market. No one’s guessed ti so far .. !
Debenhams?
Is it a fabric offcut from John Lewis?
or M&S. Probably one of the two.
Did someone knit it for you? ‘Twas not your mama.. that’s for sure!
BHS? Woolworth’s? Not Poundstretcher, pulleez!
New York – Macy’s maybe?
It’s Next isn’t it?
Oh Sorry. How rude of me….hi Auntie Tina
Not Debenhams … not BHS … not Next … not knitted for me!! Still one shop you haven’t mentioned yet!
Matalan!
or Tesco.
You f*ckin chav.
BTW *cough* Starbucks *cough*
That “One Shop” could be Selfridges or Harrods… I’d be more inclined to predict Selfridges.
Hang on, who am I kidding? If you bought it form somewhere like that, you’d already know who Paul Smith is!
Topman
Next
Please! Geoff’s scarf came from FCUK. Now what prize do I get for guessing correctly?
I just don’t want to see a photo of a scarf with a T**be map on it.
It’s not FCUK …
..#20 Careful Phil, Jeff censored my earlier post…..you’ll be next!
..#15 Thanks for the chocolate T-B-T!…..& enjoy NZ. What’s it like to be more brave
than Dennis Bergkamp…?
…#27 – Censorship is a crime against democracy, Jeff.
#29 – So is spelling my name wrong, Bob.
I’d have to go with either Sainsbury or Asda, probably Sainsbury since it’s just down the road from you. I bet you ran out of Fox’s biscuits, went down to Sainsbury to stock up, decided you were a bit cold, so bought a real cheap scarf at the same time.
Oh….and yes….I do personally think it’s a bit gay-ish! (Sorry)
Asda
..It’s Marks & Spencer, ‘cos I know you buy all your pants’n'socks there!….your
sister(Helen), told me.
I would say M&S but i have a gay friend with an almost ideantical scarf in brown which he got from FCUK.
so maybe gayish, but it would depend on the rest of the outfit
#5 – Hohoho Ian! (I do like pointing out to people that his suit cost more than my wedding dress *L* And he only wore it once, as he got it out to wear again 2 years later and moths had turned it into a cobweb!)
I like the scarf. I think its gayness would depend on how its worn. if its a “hoxton knot” (apparently thats the name for it.. when folded in half and then two loose ends pulled through the loop) then it would increase the gay factor. If crossed over the chest like mummy would have done to send you to school when you were 7, then no factor what so ever *L*
Don’t suppose it could be River Island? Oh and on my blog you’ve been used in one of my posts – sorry Geoff!
Paul Smith is NOT gay wear, but he is fab, so the boys do love him.
I’m going to guess he got it at Target.
Which terminal has a Paul Smith shop?
We’re getting bored now Geoff…..Where’s the bloody scarf from then?
#10 – yeah I did notice the picture after I posted (doh) but I really need to see you in the scarf before I can judge whether it makes you look gay or not… man maketh the scarf and al that.
Erm, BHS, House of Fraser, Benetton? Come on tell, the suspense is killing me!
did you buy it online? http://www.gaymart.com/shoptag/2item/i006948.html
The scarf came from a local charity shop – probably Oxfam.
River Island?
Hennes? or Zara maybe?
George at ASDA, it’s gotta be….. Smartprice scarf!
(I don’t think it’d be Debenhams – i was in there looking for mothers day things last week, the colour schemes they’re pushing in their hideously overpriced menswear are just that – hideous…. brown with pink diamonds and all that nonsense, not like that more pleasant Aquafresh image)
It’s that well known designer, Mat Alan.
#13 – Is it M&S? They have something very similar on the women’s section of their website: http://www.marksandspencer.com/IWCatProductPage.process?Merchant_Id=1&Section_Id=294&Product_Id=1990639
haha, oh geoff.. how do you get so many people so excited about your scarf that they trawl through internet shopping sites to match it?! (no offense james (510)..! )
#47….It’s not his scarf we care about – it’s the fact that since he’s been in the
USA a lot, he’s come back & “gone all George Michael on us”! Where are you at the moment Geoff?
Perhaps he’s back in the US shopping for a matching bonnet?
#49….He is back in the US, went the other day. Too busy to speak to us, his loyal
followers! I think he’s more concerned at the moment with proving to his “tour-guide”
that he’s still ALL MAN!