Smat Casual - Think of an Architect or a History Teacher and go for something a bit smarter than that.
My office is smart casual. Generally, this is shirt/smart polo, smart trousers and smart shoes, but you can get away with smart jeans, shirt and shoes with a nice belt. Currently sat typing this in Rapha Jeans and belt (natch), shirt and blue suede shoes.
i've just had to redo my wardrobe for the first time in many a year, as im either suit, or hoodies - nto a lot in between.
So, there was a discussion in the office, and we agreed -
Collar (not a lumber jack shir either)
Chino type trousers (not moleskins you weirdo or jeans)
Shoes / chelsea boot type thing, at a push those relaly smart loafer type things
maybe a jumper if it's cold (not with darth vadar you child)
I had a very important meeting last week abroad, and we all agreed smart casual as we didnt want to appear usual stuffy brits, so all the senior team decided a last minute shopping trip was needed - cue M&S..
Plus fpurs to show of those shapely calves, go flouncy silk on the top half. Knock em dead
With that brief I’d ask for clarification. “Smart casual” is absolutely meaningless. It could be a tieless suit, or a pair of jeans without holes in.
"Oh sorry, you don't know how to dress? Don't bother about that starting date, ummmm, we've reconsidered. Sotto voce Bob, We'd better contact that other candidate"
But if it were me, I’d probably wear my nice Carharrt jeans and Chelsea boots with a flannel or denim shirt.
Jeans and a denim shirt? Are you a member of B*Witched?
Smart casual is a cop out as a dress code. Casual to me is bothering to actually dress. Could be anything from shorts and t-shirt to jeans and shirt. Smart is a level of dress I don’t have much experience with. I’d just go for jumper or shirt with trousers and boots or shoes. Polo shirts are the devil and don’t belong on any self respecting persons torso.
“Oh sorry, you don’t know how to dress? Don’t bother about that starting date, ummmm, we’ve reconsidered. Sotto voce Bob, We’d better contact that other candidate”
That being the case I'd consider it a lucky escape.
Oh dear oh dear - we at this again?
some basic rules:
never wear a collared / dress shirt without a tie. Its just wrong. Never wear a suit without a tie unless its a linen suit and you have a black t shirt on ( the miami vice look). Your other alternative is the turtle neck under the suit. Never wear jeans over 25 yr old. If you are younger then 501s red label are the only acceptable
Office smart casual is a trap - run away! No such thing exists
Office casual would be dress trousers or chinos at a pinch. Black shoes well polished( brown are for the country) Polo shirt or plain single colour t shirt. Band t shirts are banned once you finish education
. Plain nice jumper in winter - no patterns or logos. Bright colours acceptable
Some basic rules:
never wear a collared / dress shirt without a tie. Its just wrong. Never wear a suit without a tie unless its a linen suit and you have a black t shirt on ( the miami vice look). Your other alternative is the turtle neck under the suit. Never wear jeans over 25 yr old. If you are younger then 501s red label are the only acceptable
Okay Boomer.
Office casual has NEVER been dress trousers and a t-shirt.
At least I can get dressed by myself snowflake millennial 🙂
Yes, thread complete! TJ has posted with my granddads sartorial advice. 😀
some basic rules:
never wear acollared / dress shirt without atie. Its just wrong. Never wear a suitwithout a tie unless its a linen suit and you have a black t shirt on ( the miami vice look). Your other alternative is the turtle neck under the suit.Neverwear jeansover 25 yr old. If you are younger then 501s red label are the only acceptableOffice smart casual is a trap – run away! No such thing exists
Office casual would be
dress trousers or chinos at a pinch. Black shoes well polished( brown are for the country) Polo shirt or plain single colour t shirt.Band t shirtsare banned once you finish education. Plain nice jumper in winter – no patterns or logos. Bright colours acceptable
I refer the right honourable gentleman to the answer I gave before 🙂
Oh - and tuck yer ruddy shirt in FFS! You will catch your death of cold like that.
Smat Casual – Think of an Architect or a History Teacher and go for something a bit smarter than that.
That's a bit harsh....
Admittedly tomorrow I'm thinking of corduroy farm pants, a white t-shirt, and a Breton jumper.
I did wear a black shirt, battle dress waistcoat and a moleskin jacket today...
🤔
I cant figure out if TJ is satire or sartorial advice.
Ask for a description of what they deem as smart casual as its fairly broad.
HR may have a list of what is and isnt acceptable, i know the company i work for does.
We have a smart casual dress code, which at the sruffiest end is trainers, jeans (No ripped jeans), t-shirt (no big logos).
Mostly people wear smartish jeans or trousers, with shoes/boots, and either a t-shirt or shirt with a jumper in the winter. Lots of hoodies around the office aswell.
Think its a good shout for smart trousers, shirt and jacket and see when you get there. Better to be the smartest person in the room rather than the poorest dressed.
I cant figure out if TJ is satire or sartorial advice
Some basic rules? I've just got one - don't read his posts 😆
I went for a job interview at somewhere you may have heard of: Wiggle
I wore my best, 'I'm a bit edgy' tonic Ben Sherman suit, you know, sports company, bit trendy.. was interviewed by guys in shorts and t-shirts, one actually a (ahem) Star Trek t-shirt.
Thankfully I didn't get (or need) the job. Hate nerds. 😛
I cant figure out if TJ is satire or sartorial advice.
a bit from column a and a bit from column B
Men of the demographic on here are almost universally poorly dressed
Never wear a suit without a tie unless its a linen suit and you have a black t shirt on ( the miami vice look). Your other alternative is the turtle neck under the suit. Never wear jeans over 25 yr old. If you are younger then 501s red label are the only acceptable
I'm trying to work out which old book this was copied and pasted from. The stuff about the jeans suggests maybe 1970s, but then it references Miami Vice which didn't start until 1984...
Anyway, if that's how TJ looks on Dress Down Fridays, I'm going to start angling for an invite to his Xmas party....
blue suede shoes
You are Elvis Presley and I claim my £5.
As a millennial I don’t find smart casual too difficult. In the office, or meeting those in the medical device sector.
Spoke “sharps” chinos on the bottom, jeans on DDFriday. Brown leather shoes or boots almost everyday.
Ironed shirt up top (Lewin extra slim fit to show off my cyclists figure) v-neck plain coloured jumper over the top in winter. Fridays are plain t-shirts, maybe a more casual shirt (lumberjack- is that code for casual check??).
Meetings/ trade shows get a jacket rather than jumper. Mostly blazer type linen in summer, light tweed type (no leather patches!) in winter.
I'm wearing brown cords - #edgy
jeans on DDFriday
Questions I've been too afraid to ask for some time. I don't work in a corporate office, but:
Is dress down Friday ubiquitous in all offices across the land, or does it require a batsignal from the higher-ups?
Is it expected?
Do people look forward to it (I think I'd worry more about having to choose clothes rather than pick whatever's clean from my work wardrobe)?
What happens if you forget to dress down on a Friday?
Do people actually use 'DDFriday'?
Men of the demographic on here are almost universally poorly dressed
Oi, I resemble that comment.
Chinos and a polo probably. Can't go wrong with a jumper too. Whatever trainers Kanye is selling.
Ripped direct off our Intranet
Acceptable: Business Suits, Tailored trousers and jackets, Shirts with a collar, smart separates, tops / blouses, smart religious dress
Unacceptable:
Combat style trousers, leggings, shorts, denim skirts or jeans, very short skirts, sweatshirts, tee shirts or shirts without collars,
Cropped, off the shoulder, see through or exceptionally low tops or tops with shoe string straps
Sportswear
Flip flops, trainers of any kind, heavy duty outdoor boots.
never wear a collared / dress shirt without a tie. Its just wrong. Never wear a suit without a tie unless its a linen suit and you have a black t shirt on ( the miami vice look). Your other alternative is the turtle neck under the suit. Never wear jeans over 25 yr old. If you are younger then 501s red label are the only acceptable
Did you fall asleep in 1970 and wake up now?
My office is smart casual and varies from a suit without the tie if seeing customers to smart jeans and a smart shirt tucked in if not seeing customers. Friday is a free for all so generally t-shirts and jeans.
Ask for a description of what they deem as smart casual as its fairly broad.
I think that's actually the point. The clue is in the name really. I didn't think this would be such a hard question for some folks though.
Questions I’ve been too afraid to ask for some time. I don’t work in a corporate office, but:
Is dress down Friday ubiquitous in all offices across the land, or does it require a batsignal from the higher-ups?
Is it expected?
Do people look forward to it (I think I’d worry more about having to choose clothes rather than pick whatever’s clean from my work wardrobe)?
What happens if you forget to dress down on a Friday?
Do people actually use ‘DDFriday’?
You may be overthinking it, it's not really a big deal. When I am in the office I swap smart trousers for jeans and less formal shoes. It coincides with the canteen doing lot of fried stuff for breakfast and people a bit more relaxed as we don't tend to have customers visiting on a Friday. Nobody would bat an eyelid if you didn't dress down, I guess they would just assume you have a customer coming in.
"Stockholm business": Shoes of some sort, smart, dark jeans, shirt (no tie) and a jacket (of some sort). Wore that (salmon pink shirt, tweed jacket) to a podcast launch in the posh part of town and was right in the sweet spot between over-dressed and "new media".
A alternative would be to ditch the jacket and go for a smart jumper instead. If it is an American company, you could get away with tan chinos, light blue Oxford shirt and shoes (no tie)
As a millennial I don’t find smart casual too difficult. In the office, or meeting those in the medical device sector.
Spoke “sharps” chinos on the bottom, jeans on DDFriday. Brown leather shoes or boots almost everyday.
Ironed shirt up top (Lewin extra slim fit to show off my cyclists figure) v-neck plain coloured jumper over the top in winter. Fridays are plain t-shirts, maybe a more casual shirt (lumberjack- is that code for casual check??).
Meetings/ trade shows get a jacket rather than jumper. Mostly blazer type linen in summer, light tweed type (no leather patches!) in winter.
This is about as good a description as I've read here.
“Stockholm business”: Shoes of some sort, smart, dark jeans, shirt (no tie) and a jacket (of some sort). Wore that (salmon pink shirt, tweed jacket) to a podcast launch in the posh part of town and was right in the sweet spot between over-dressed and “new media”.
A alternative would be to ditch the jacket and go for a smart jumper instead. If it is an American company, you could get away with tan chinos, light blue Oxford shirt and shoes (no tie)
This is also bang on.
Ignore TJ, he's exceedingly knowledgeable about many things, but office dress is not one of them.
Jeans with a denim shirt 😅
And I've had several compliments on it.
I think what's emerged here is that it depends on business sector - so insurance, banking, etc. go with the more conservative advice - but digital, creative etc. my word is gospel.
Is dress down Friday ubiquitous in all offices across the land, or does it require a batsignal from the higher-ups?
We used to have DDF, where Mon-Thurs 'dress-up' was pants and a branded polo shirt. After we moved offices a couple of years ago we just sacked the entire notion off, people wear whatever they want.
Because ultimately, WGAF? Unless you're customer-facing - spoiler, most offices aren't - then wearing a bespoke suit / jeans and tee-shirt / Spider-Man outfit doesn't affect your ability to answer the phone or file accounts.
I used to work in a place that insisted everyone wore smart all the time. The only reason was _in case_ a customer visited and wanted to walk around the Tech department. I mean, FFS. I think that was the last time I wore a suit to work. I even gave up on chinos after my first summer in Stockholm because, even though I was at a bank, literally no one gave a shit what people in Tech wore.
I worked in a place that had a "dress for your day" policy. IE if you were meeting customers on site or going to their offices, then dress appropriately, if not then wear what you want. Seemed to work quite well.
For us it can range from a pair of chinos, brown leather boots or shoes and a shirt up to dress trousers, Oxford shoes and a blazer or sports jacket. Never a tie, it never gets that formal here even meeting clients. We're a chartered surveying practice.
Some days we will just wear a t shirt and smart jeans such as Levis.
I've also never known anyone care enough to question someone's clothing choice unless perhaps they tried to go to a client meeting with a t shirt on.
I’ve also never known anyone care enough to question someone’s clothing choice
Yet they care what brand someone's jeans are?
Offices are weird unnatural places, I'm eternally glad that I don't have to visit one regularly any more.
Yet they care what brand someone’s jeans are?
No really it was more just what I notice people choosing to wear, more a distinction from trendy ripped style jeans and what not.
Dress for the job you want, not the job you have.
I’m currently sat in a meeting room, waiting for HR, in a Batman costume.
Just wear what you would when out on your bike, and claim that you're just following the latest fashion trend. 🙂
.
was interviewed by guys in shorts and t-shirts, one actually a (ahem) Star Trek t-shirt.
That was basically my work attire for the last 10 years, now WFH attire. Although almost exclusively Last Exit to Nowhere T-shirts...
My workplace is trying to get everyone to look a little smarter - they've banned trackies and joggy bottoms. Still at least everyone is matching now, wearing jeans, although one guy appears to be wearing something that looks entirely like (old fashioned) thermal underwear - the stuff my mum used to force me to wear but I hated it.
Ignore TJ, he’s exceedingly knowledgeable about many things, but office dress is not one of them.
But I do understand style! Just 'cos most of your office has no style does not mean you have to abandon all dress sense and either look like Clarkson, your mother dressed you or that yo are trying to pretend you are still a student!
😉
Jeans with a denim shirt 😅
And I’ve had several compliments on it.
Your autocorrect changed it from comments, right? Unless it was from Jay Leno and Jeremy Clarkson in which case carry on.
Double denim is a double never. Unless you are being ironic, in which case you are probably gonna need the jean jacket and denim shoes as well, just so people know you aren't just style impaired. Oh and make sure they are dad jeans.
Style - you either have it or you don't
This is really simple. Go to the GAP website. As long as you don't go near the jeans or pajamas, that's casual. Now go to the Banana Republic website. That's smart casual.
A jacket or suit sans tie is business casual
With a tie is fully business. If you work in a less conservative industry tweed or prince of wales check is acceptable
Formal is a nicer suit, blue gray or black, pinstripe no other patterns
Black tie is obvious
And for the love of God, get your trousers hemmed to the correct length, as well as your shirt and suit sleeves. Buy you clothes in your size, otherwise you look like you borrowed your dad's suit for the dance. Look at most politicians. Do the opposite.
As you were
