As Robert Peston is told to suit up, are we seeing a formal workwear renaissance?
Open collars and rolled-up sleeves have become the norm in the 21st Century, but are we experiencing a renaissance on the formal workwear front?
Mop-haired broadcaster Robert Peston, the BBC’s former star economics hack who first reported the Northern Rock crisis, traded barbs with a descendant of Winston Churchill yesterday after he was berated by the Tory MP for his habit of wearing an open collar.
Sir Nicholas Soames told Peston to “get a haircut, put on a tie and generally smarten up” as they rowed over the EU referendum on Twitter.
Peston moved from the BBC to head up ITV’s political coverage this year and has attracted sartorial tut-tutting over his uniquely dishevelled appearance.
Although Peston’s controversial informality isn’t the only thing that’s raised eyebrows in recent weeks.
When Google boss Matt Brittin was summoned last week for a public grilling in front of MPs at the Parliamentary Accounts Committee, those watching proceedings couldn’t help but notice the web exec wore a tie for the first time.
Brittin has been accused of not taking past hearings seriously, appearing at meetings in the commons for the last three years with an undone top button.
Even The Capitalist’s mole was caught off-guard at a high-profile banking dinner last Thursday. Our spy assures us there was no dress-code mentioned in the invitation, but felt slightly out of place when all the European bankers rocked up in suits and ties. To be fair, European bank execs can't afford to look too relaxed these days….