[Closed] WTF is classed as smart casual?!

IMO its jeans shirt and shoes............casual is jeans, t-shirt and trainers.........smart is shirt, tie, trousers and shoes

yeah, jeans (or similar), polo shirt and shoes

Yeah pretty much smart cas (IMHO) would be shoes (not sport wear), clean neat jeans/chinos, none or minimum logo T-shirt, polo shirt, shirt. Jkt of many styles. For me not hoody though a neat clean denim jkt would be ok. (could just be a cultural/age thing).

Baggies not lycra

I can't stop myself thinking about Alan Partridge's sports causal tie and blazer set whenever smart casual is mentioned! At least that's defined!

Jeans and shoes!!!! NOOO!!! Are you Jeremy Clarkson? Also, shirts and jeans!! NOOO!! shirts go with trousers (tucked in) and jeans go with trainers or boots.

How can pubs/clubs think that an un-tucked shirt, jeans and shoes is smart? Looks like you picked 3 random items from a wardrobe and put them on whilst running out the door.

Mind you, i look a right state most of the time so who am i to talk 😛

May i suggest a mankini for this special occasion.

ever since my work went to smart casual or business casual I've hated the term. Everyone wears faceless chinos and polo shirts or slightly more formal but open necked shirts, and I hate it.

So I wear a suit every day now.

Very difficult to not look and feel good in a half decent suit, imho.

you can wear jeans and shoes as long as the shoes aren't too formal (not black) and the jeans aren't too slouchy...

polo shirts are the devils jizzrag

Rusty trowel is right in one way - but not in another.

Smart casual [i]is[/i] Clarkson style. Its an abomination.

However no one should ever go out in Clarkson "smart casual" Its only for the sad dad or drunk uncle

If you have jeans - it should be trainers or boots and a t shirt or polo shirt if you must. If you wear a dress shirt you should have a tie. If you want to wear real shoes then you must have pressed trousers.

I would either wear t shirt, jeans or chinos and trainers / deck shoes jumper or sports jacket t shirt dress trousers polished shoes.

Jeans / untucked dress shirt / polished shoes / jacket should be grounds for getting the AK47 out

we went from 'business smart' to 'business casual' a couple of years ago
the men just took their ties off
the women wore whatever they liked, as usual

my personal contribution was to only shave every other day

CHINOS, DECK SHOES, SPORTS JACKET. Fortunately these items have yet to appear in my wardrobe. I'm 40 soon, are these what i need to grow old gracefully?

NOOO!! shirts go with trousers (tucked in)

Doesn't it depend on the cut of the shirt? Shirts with rounded or penguin tails should be tucked in; shirts with straght hems are made to be worn untucked.

brakes, that sounds very familiar...

jeans aren't smart, so "smart casual" does not include jeans. Sorry Clarkson

[i]CHINOS, DECK SHOES, SPORTS JACKET. Fortunately these items have yet to appear in my wardrobe. I'm 40 soon, are these what i need to grow old gracefully?[/i]

I'm 45 next birthday; if that's what it takes to grow old gracefully, I think I'll do it disgracefully thanks

I was trying to be kind to the simple or the clarksonesque. Chinos are a compromise for those who still wear jeans despite being over 25. Do you not have a tailored jacket that is not part of a suit? Not even a tweed?

Tonight I went to the pub. Pressed black trousers. Polished black shoes. Black t shirt. maroon cashmere jumper. Grey cashmere full lenght coat. It wasn't raining so I did not wear a hat.

(incidentally I wear shiny shoes, smart black jeans and a corporate short sleeve shirt (tucked) or polo shirt (untucked) to work every day 🙂 Our Christmas party is supposed to be Smart Casual, but I'll be wearing a kilt and shirt, as will many others.

GrahamS - Member

"NOOO!! shirts go with trousers (tucked in)"

Doesn't it depend on the cut of the shirt? Shirts with rounded or penguin tails should be tucked in; shirts with straght hems are made to be worn untucked.

Nope - no shirt with a collar should ever be worn without a tie or untucked - unless its a polo shirt

FFS man - do you want to look like clarkson?

Tonight I went to the pub. Pressed black trousers. Polished black shoes. Black t shirt.

[img] [/img]

GrahamS - Member

.............. smart black jeans

No such thing - jeans are blue. some other sort of trousers you are wearing

Jeezo - where is Captain Flasheart when you need him?

Gotta agree with TJ there.

A shirt without a tie is just not right!

Graham - yeah, can be untucked if it's the right shirt. When i got married i was untucked and non-tied under a vintage suit and it sort of looked ok.

I know nothing anyway, and look like an old tramp at present as anyone on here who knows me will confirm.

no shirt with a collar should ever be worn without a tie

I only wear a tie at interviews, funerals and court appearances.

Do you not have a tailored jacket that is not part of a suit? Not even a tweed?

No, but then again I'm not my Dad.

Anyway, I seem to remember a picture of you soloing at SiTS a couple of years back in a tweed jacket and shorts, iirc? If someone can find that I'm pretty sure we can consign your fasion advice promptly to the appropriate receptacle.

Awaits ridicule ... I like to see a man in a suit but he has to be of the right proportions and a proper fitting suit. Cufflinks are cool!

No such thing - jeans are blue.

"blue jeans" are blue, jeans are just "pants, or trousers, made from denim." Wikipedia says so.

and on the shirt subject - if you do wear a tie it must be done up, top button as well. Otherwise you look like an oaf.

[Unless you are Petesgaff of course. I noted his undone top button in his wedding photos but he is clearly the coolest bloke on the planet right now]

Actually the one thing I really detest is blokes with a huge stomach that hangs over their trousers. Keep your jacket on for goodness sake and spare us!

proper suit looks good. but we're not talking about suits here...

[i]No such thing - jeans are blue[/i] not necessarily. Mr Wrangler (and so doe Mr Lee Cooper, and others) makes 'jeans' in black canvas. The seams are on the outside, so that makes them jeans. So they're not made of denim, so what?

I wear a tie most days at work (bizzarely with steel toe caps and a workshop/lab coat), so would only wear one elsewhere if i had to (wedding, funeral, interview).

Do i own a tweed jacket - hhmmm, no.

C_G dress up meal after next get-together?

Yer a bunch of ignorant slobs. Jeans must be blue, Denim only come sin blue formal shirts can only be worn with a tie.

theotherjonv - Member

Anyway, I seem to remember a picture of you soloing at SiTS a couple of years back in a tweed jacket and shorts,

Who me? I even had a panama hat IIRC and a Daliesque moustache.

^^ what he said!

Formal shirt tucked in all the way, untucked and you look like a teenager or a slob.

Shoes & Jeans = Clarkson/Range Rover drive with pink polo shirt with the collar up and raybans on top of your head 😉

I have absolutely no sense with fashion or style btw.

jt

Go on - have a laugh at my expense. Hopefully this will work - I have had a few beers

Semi formal
[img] [/img]

There may have been some beers drunk - but smart casual ( Miami vice stylee)
[img] [/img]

I am nearly 50 now. Both pics pressed trousers and polished shoes. The dodgy beard has gone

t-shirt & smart jacket?

Yup - smart casual. I don't want to wear a tie - so no shirt with a collar

I am Don Johnson is disguise ( or stuck in the eighties - take yer pick)

Formal shirt tucked in all the way, untucked and you look like a teenager or a slob.

yes an untucked [u]formal[/u] shirt (which has a long tail or split tail) will make you look like an errant school boy.

But a [u]casual[/u] shirt (which has a straight tail) should be untucked, otherwise you look like the kind of fashion retard that compulsively tucks in t-shirts, or worse, sweaters.

Depends on your employer's "culture."

IMO best to be on the smarter side of casual, e.g. shoes, smart/dark jeans, shirt, etc. Then again, we have techies who would appear in abstract t-shirts and chinos, and senior managers who's choose trainers, suit trousers, and a white shirt.

Whatever you choose, be yourself and be comfortable.

TJ: did you roll your suit sleeves up to complete the look?

Have been known to - not roll them up but push then above the elbow 🙂 Rolling sleeves is for wannabees. Style is just to push then up

Got a taupe linen suit and panama hat for barbecues / summer outdoor wear as well.

when in a hole, stop digging...

mind you, WTF do I know? I was a goth in the 80s

[img] [/img]

Smart casual - open-necked shirt, trousers and shoes. Jacket/blazer over the top if you want. Denim is casual, hoodies are casual.

Clean baggies and no logo cycling jersey?

Business casual is business wear with the tie off, top button undone and take your jacket off in the meeting.

Smart casual is the polo/golf shirt with jeans/chinos or similarly cut trousers and casual sneakers (not trainers; trainers are for training!)/non "dress" shoes/boots, a knitted jumper or jacket or "sports" jacket.

After that it is just casual - tees, hoodies, jeans etc, house clothes, PJs or sportswear.

Smart casual where I work is shirt with a collar (i.e. normal casual shirt or polo shirt), no jeans/shorts and not obvious trainers (I wear Merrel things that are halfway between a shoe and trainer), sandals are out to (thank god).

Smart casual:
[img] [/img]
[img] [/img]

just say no, kids. Smart OR casual. Never the twain shall meet.

I think this all started in the US where everybody in middle management went through the same homogenised education system and upbringing so they can all communicate on the same bland level.

Chinos, Timberland shoes, a drab corporate polo shirt and Ralph Lauren jacket is a uniform and is not to be messed with.

How did Tandem Jeremy get his photo taken with John Shuttleworth. Looking pretty cool there TJ - although you have committed one of the cardinal photo sins. Being snapped holding a glass!!?!. (The others are being snapped touching your face or holding a phone and pretending to write something. I thought everybody knew that.)

TJ. You look like an LRT bus driver in the first one 🙂

Ok - I may look like a bus driver or a Miami vice wannabee - but at least I don't dress like Clarkson or have the geography teacher look

Cufflinks are cool!

I have quite gone off them, in spite of their being a daily (well, mon to fri) staple of my work wardrobe.

A smart casual "compromise":

1. [b]Jean cut corduroys[/b] - not all loose and baggy like some M&S Christmas cast-off, mind. Avoid chinos unless you can help it - they start the day nicely pressed looking reasonably smart, and soon become baggy and creased, making you look like a disgraced geography teacher.

2. [b]Leather shoes[/b] - not the sort you'd polish, or consider smart enough for a suit. So, Oxfords are out, casual brogues are in.

3. [b]Open necked shirt[/b] - needs to be a "casual" cut - i.e. not the sort of shirt you would wear with a tie.

4. [b]Sewater[/b] - fine material, not a chunky knit, and no patterns/logos (Ralph Lauren's Polo logo is just about acceptable, IMO)

I'd try to avoid a jacket. You need something really well cut - not like Clarkson's - to cary this off in a "casual" way. TJ isn't fasr off with the suggestion of a tweed, but it would be overkill for a team building event.

TJ is that a Tshirt and a Jacket in the bottom picture? Good god man, what's wrong with you 🙂

Well it took me a long time to move up to a shirt with nice cas shoes (not trainers) and with jeans from just jeans and T. I really hate smart clothing, and I wear a tie for interviews and funerals, that's about it.#

corduroys

Just shouts "grandad" to me I'm afraid, as does tweed.

dungarees, checked shirt + tie = smart
dungarees, checked shirt, no tie not had a bath or washed clothes in weeks = casual
dungarees, checked shirt no tie, but recently had a bath and washed clothes = smart casual

Next.

one of those 'comedy' T-shirts with a dinner jacket and bow tie printed on it.

My idea of smart casual at this time of year would be a nice shirt with a V neck jumper over the top, some smart but not formal trousers (suit trousers will do) and shoes.

Personally i'd like more excuses to wear one of my 4 suits more (about once a year at the moment)

nothing is quite so nice as wearing a well fitted suit with a nice shirt, tie and cufflinks.

Suits are one of my (expensive) weaknesses 🙁

as Cinnamon Girl says, an ill fitting suit is terrible

[i]one of those 'comedy' T-shirts with a dinner jacket and bow tie printed on it.[/i]
ahem. I did a sportive last year at which there was a bloke with a cycling jersey with this design. Oh so very wrong.

nothing is quite so nice as wearing a well fitted suit with a nice shirt, tie and cufflinks.

<Shudder> Whatever floats your boat.

indeed

i've never owned any denim, i tried denim jeans on when i was dragged (kicking and screaming) round a shopping centre by my wife and mother in law*.

They insisted i tried some even though i knew they don't suit me only to be told 'you're right, they don't suit you'. I just look wrong in denim.

*one of my previous incarnations clearly did something VERY wrong in a previous life

I only own jeans and t-shirts and trainers except for my outdoor/cycling gear, with the exception of a couple of short sleeve collar shirts.

Kev

Smug mode on

Smart casual is normal clothes, worn by people like me who are able to look good/great with everything.

Smug mode off.

A bit like last time we met TJ 😉

When I see Smart Casual usually means I have to wear socks

[i] shirt with a V neck jumper over the top[/i]

now that reminds me of schooldays 😉

I haven't owned any denim since about 1983, but I've been through plenty of pairs of black canvas "jeans". Like MMW, denim jeans do not work on me. And I've never owned a denim 'jeans' jacket.

Much like my post on the lazy student thread:

Smash the Establishment, comrades! Wear whatever you want and to hell with your employer's blinkered olde worlde homogeneity of appearance!

Smart – Suit and tie
Business Casual – suit and shirt, no tie, shirt is not normally plain
Smart Casual – chino’s or smart jean, open neck shirt or fine knit jumper, smart jacket if needed, casual shoes or boots
Casual – anything else, trainers, shorts, t-shirts

"Smart Casual" is work speak for "Smart, but not quite as smart as you wear to work, we're supposed to be having fun here!"

I'm with AndyP here... Smart OR Casual is fine... "Smart Casual" is just guff... Basically it means you have to dress like you're about to go and play 18 holes with your chums (hey, I like Golf, just not the dress code) down the local country club...

I do suits very well, and I do jeans and a T Shirt very well too... Slacks/chinos (or whatever you want to call them) and a collared shirt... I HATE IT!

socks knitted by someone else's Finnish grandmother
boxers by DKNY
shoes by all saints
jeans & t-shirt by scotch and soda
jacket by Bellstaff
watch by Gucci
Hair by Goldsworthys

and still I look like I dress in a skip. don't ask me because I don't know.

[i] nothing is quite so nice as wearing a well fitted suit with a nice shirt, tie and cufflinks.[/i]

I'm with you on the suit and shirt but a tie is merely a noose waiting to be tightened. Awful things. Interviews and funerals....and maybe for when you're up before the beak.

Where do you lot get your sartorial ideas from? Jeans and trainers are plain wrong unless you are a child. What's wrong with the 'Clarkson' look? Just what is 'Acceptable' then?

IGMC (I am 54 BTW)

When somebody tells me its 'smart casual' I usually wear one of my better suits (obviously with shirt/tie), except in the States. In the US I wear a 3-piece suit, stiff city shirt and formal tie.

and I never wear chinos - if for no other reason than any mark on them looks like you've pissed yourself...

I'd take TJ's advice on lots of subjects - hell, I'd even actively seek it out on a few topics.

'How a man should dress' is certainly not on that list. Ever. Not even in an ironic 'stuck in the 80's semi-Miami Vice' way.

The day I take sartorial advice from TJ is the day I slit my wrists and sink gratefully into the the warm bath...

Tootall - really?

Anyone who takes my comments on fashion seriously deserves ................whatever they get 🙂