Arguably, the whole point of wearing a tie to a formal event is for the part of the evening when it is removed from around the neck and tied around the head. No?

But we've seen a return to Riviera naked necks at the Cannes Film Festival this year – whether in louche homage to Gatsby or simply to make the most of fresh sea breeze blowing about one's larynx, it's hard to tell.

Or have the blokes just got lazy? All the images you seen from the event are of beautiful women trussed into beautiful gowns. Beautiful, as I say, but trussed nonetheless. And then some bloke strolls past comfortably with his Adam's apple out. It just doesn't seem fair. It's like all those Saturday nights when, try as you might, your hair goes a bit funny, while your boyfriend simply changes his T-shirt and looks lovely as he is.

Not fair. But you can't deny there's something unmistakably debonair about a men without a tie.

For some, a tie is a means of reassurance. I have a friend currently training to become a gynaecologist. She said that all the men in her class were told on the first day that they should wear ties to, er, do their job.

I'm not sure what the logic is here. Presumably that you should be wary of louche, debonair men not wearing a tie, who have one eye on your downstairs. Most of us learned that rule a long time ago, but it's nice to know the dress code in Cannes has taught us something. Get back, Carey, get back.