The tie is dead and the tailored suit may not be far behind if a report in the Los Angeles Times is to be believed. The paper says that one lawyer in Century City is so desperate to revive traditional standards of professional clothing that he wears a tie on Tuesdays and hopes his workmates won’t ridicule him.

Of course, we ink-stained wretches only wear ties on formal occasions, even if we fake it by wearing them when we’re photographed for thepaper or the Web site. in Las Vegas, it’s way too hot to be wearing coats and ties when we’re schlepping around town talking with people.

Many workplaces follow the General Mills rule of “dress for your day.” If you’re not going out to impress clients and customers, why not sit comfortably in your cubicle? No one knows you’re a slob on the Internet and even on the phone it’s possible to sound serious and sincere without a white shirt and a dark tie. They certainly can’t see tattoos or any other body modifications.

The sociology babble in the Times about Gen-X, Gen-Y and echo boomers is pretty inane but there’s a grain of truth in the general assertion that jeans are tank tops are more acceptable now. And even flip-flops, at least for women.

The trend has spawned its own counter-trend with sales of men’s suits up $500 million over the last 12 months ending in May. Still, we will be truly casual when we can wear shorts in summer and track pants in winter.