Our tie-less brigade deserves a dressing down Other than that, for most formal occasions which required black or white tie, Mr Brown turned up in a poorly tailored lounge suit and bland, standard-issue, Labour red tie. This was meant to signify that he was both "in touch" and somehow more comfortable, as though his comfort was the point. This is the main mistake often made by those who declare formality, and in particular the tie, dead. They assume that it is about self, when it isn't. Wearing a jacket and tie for work, or complying properly with a dress code as a guest, is about respect for others. At issue is not what the wearer wants. What matters are his customers, colleagues or voters. Millions of Britons, those who don't work in the media, and the many older people who spent decades having to dress properly for work, see it in terms of basic good manners. Yet even the man who this week is in charge of the BBC, Tim Davie, opted for the open-necked approach when he turned up for his first full day in post. Did he really not think it worth putting a tie on for a round of important television interviews? If the BBC was not already running so many inquiries into itself, I would suggest that this should be investigated by the BBC Trust. At least Lord Patten always wears a tie. Of course, Mr Davie is not alone, certainly in London. In the so-called "creative industries" men are always tie-less, as they make their way from a breakfast workshop session in trendy Soho, and head for a meeting, skinny latte or fruit smoothie in hand, to do some blue-sky thinking. Earlier this week one of their number turned up without a tie in front of a Parliamentary committee which wanted to grill him on his company's tax affairs. Matt Brittin, the CEO of Google UK, looked as though he had come straight from a nightclub. Even Nick Clegg now goes open-neck. For his televised apology on tuition fees - an occasion on which he was inviting himself into voters" living rooms via the medium of television - he was tie-less. Happily, when Mr Clegg starts doing something, it is obviously about to go out of fashion. I am not suggesting ties should be mandatory at all times. Men need not wear them in the shower, or when jogging. But these are serious times, as the Prime Minister reminded us in his speech at the Guildhall. Britain is up against all manner of countries with hundreds of millions of ambitious workers who will do anything for a bit of growth - including dressing appropriately if asked to. Gentlemen, this country is in a hole. Put on a tie.