John Gibson: Just sock it to them with ties

Just get knotted. If only you could see yourselves desecrate your smart suit by going tie-less. Opting for open-neck shirts. In sartorial terms, it’s an aberration.

It’s the ‘“fashion’’, well stuff fashion, kiddo! Definitely lowers tone in the office. No tie, no entry should be the rule. Ask any self-respecting woman and she’ll favour a tie every time.

A survey by Deal.Jungle.com (I’ve never heard of them either) is saying that ties will be obsolete within the next 20 years. No way. Socks next? You need a brass neck to write all this.

Raise a glass

A CREDIT to the licensed trade. A true gent. Rose Street has not been the historic thoroughfare it used to be since Paddy Crossan retired. His passing this week is widely lamented.

Paddy loved a right good gossip, and the upstairs room at the Abbotsford provided his window on the world.

Ever immaculate, he was, probably, a kind of dandy in the trade, a raconteur and, for somebody in his profession, the soul of discretion.

The funeral’s on Monday at Mortonhall.

Bound to be standing room only for Paddy Crossan.

Afterwords . .

. . . A word in your ear from Bruce Springsteen: “Lack of work creates a loss in itself. Work creates an enormous sense of self.

“I saw this in my mother, she was an inspiring figure to me. I pick up a lot of the way I work from her. I also picked up a lot of the fallout when your father doesn’t have those things . . . I think a lot of the anger that surfaced in my music came out of that particular scene.”