It's about this time of year that I start to get a little hot under my collar, tie and wool suit - and it's not just because the weather's warmer.

It's because with the onset of 'summer' the glaring disparity between what women can wear to work and what men are expected to don in the office becomes even more apparent.

While the ladies can sport peddle pushers, big floaty skirts and sleeveless blouses, blokes are still expected to maintain starchy, smart attire.

Of course we could add a little seasonal edge to our wardrobes by dressing in lighter colours or perhaps linen fabrics but do you really want to look like the man from Del Monte? This man says no.

Women are allowed to wear pretty much anything into the office so long as it's reasonably smart - and I don't have a problem with that.

But why do blokes get glared at if they don't wear a tie while the fairer sex can get away with wearing vests into the workplace? Could you imagine if a bloke turned up at his desk in a singlet? He'd probably get fired never mind sent home to change.

It's a ridiculous situation, one which I've long harboured a chagrin over - why this obsession with shirts and ties? It no longer ensures a man will look his best, after all.

I'd rather see someone in something conservatively casual than be someone who turns up every morning with an appalling shirt and tie combo - and we all know there's plenty of people in every office who fall into the latter category, don't we?