While casual dress may be as simple as a pair of jeans and a t-shirt, smart casual might mean choosing a collared polo in place of a standard tee or denim in a darker wash.Ī further distinction is smart casual leads to a more polished look. When it comes to the difference between casual and smart casual attire, you can think of the latter as ramping things up a notch. Luca Faloni What’s the Difference Between Casual and Smart Casual Dress Code? Part of the reason that smart casual is so hard to define is that it can mean radically different things in different contexts. Informal Smart CasualĪn informal smart casual dress code remains vague, however, beyond consent for “smart, clean, dark-coloured jeans”, a pronouncement that “polo shirts are better than collarless T-shirts” and an instruction to “change from what you have been wearing at home”.īut while it might sound obscure, this last point is perhaps as good as any to start from. Formal Smart Casualįormal smart casual attire is “a jacket or blazer, flannels, needlecord trousers, or chinos (not jeans), a casual shirt with a collar (not a T-shirt) and smart shoes (not necessarily lace-ups, but not trainers or sandals)”. In a well-meaning attempt to clarify that ironically complicates matters further, Debrett’s Guide for the Modern Gentleman draws a distinction between “formal smart casual” and “informal smart casual”. Thankfully, and rather more informatively, Mr P adds, “An ideal answer is a blazer, white shirt, neat jeans, and brown loafers.”
According to Mr Porter’s Style Advice page, the smart casual gamut comprises “pretty much anything smarter than a tracksuit, but less formal than a suit”. Smart casual means nothing, so it can mean anything. Because actually, it’s all quite smart now – but in a comfy way.” What Is Smart Casual?īefore we go any further, let’s break down the lingering question… “what is smart casual exactly?” Here are some ways you’ll come across smart casual for men in action: Smart Casual Dress Code “Thankfully, the recent explosion in non-designer-y brands offering considered, very wearable clothing is making moot the second guessing of whatever the term means.
“Smart casual is destined to be one of those terms that history will not be kind to,” says Josh Sims, author of Men of Style.
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