What Is Smart Casual Wear

What Is Smart Casual Wear?

You’ve probably heard the term “smart casual” before regarding fashion and style, but what exactly is it? In her very basic and elegant casual outfit, the child loves casual clothes and business casual outfits. Imagine the employees of a hip startup, creative marketing office, or emerging media company that caters to millennials. What they would wear to the office – it’s a smart-casual outfit.

The good thing about casual and elegant outfits is that you have a little more freedom to style your outfits, depending on the event or where you are going. You can still look professional or tailored to the event while showcasing your fashion taste with smart casual wear.

What is the difference between Smart Casual and Business Casual?

Smart casual wear and business casual wear may seem interchangeable. But, the main difference being that smart casual outfits are less formal than business casual outfits. 

We’ll get into the details of casual chic below. Still, a chic and casual wardrobe or outfit can include chinos, high-quality fitted denim in dark washes, short and long-sleeved button-down shirts, high-quality sweaters, sports coats, blazers, and even plain T-shirts if the dress code is more casual.

Business casual attire, a type of dress code for men, typically includes neutral trousers or dress pants in a wool, cotton, cotton blend, basic long-sleeve button-down shirts, black or brown leather sweaters, and brogues or other dress shoes.

For example, a full suit would be too formal for business casual attire, while wearing chinos and a plain t-shirt would be considered too casual. This is where smart casual attire comes in, as chinos and t-shirts come in. A high-quality plain t-shirt could work perfectly in a chic and relaxed environment when paired with a sports coat or blazer. Of course, what you wear also depends on the event you’re attending, weather, environment, etc., so keep that in mind when designing your look.

Where to wear a stylish casual outfit

Stylish casual dress is suitable for many different environments, including office, date, party, dinner with friends and family, and even wedding. The smart casual attire dress code is a bit of a middle ground. You should always check with the event organizer, your office’s human resources manager, or the place you go for what they consider chic and casual, so you are neither underdressed nor overdressed.

Casual chic: what not to wear

While you certainly have more freedom when putting together a chic casual outfit, there are a few clothes that you should avoid altogether, as they are too casual for a smart casual dress code. Avoid graphic t-shirts, joggers, slides, pants, or shorts with excess pockets (aks cargo shorts), or essentially anything you would wear to relax around the house, run to the grocery store, go to the gym, etc.

You should also avoid loud patterns and visible marks (small logos are fine) and pay attention to the fit of your clothes; anything that is too baggy or too tight will make you appear sloppy and unaware of the dress code. On the other hand, you should avoid anything too formal, like woolen pants or a suit coat (now you should know that you can only wear a suit coat with matching pants).

Stylish casual tops

To say you have a little freedom when it comes to choosing tops for your stylish casual outfit could be the understatement of the century. As mentioned earlier, you can totally get away with a t-shirt if the dress code is ultra-casual; However, stick to basic t-shirts in neutral colors, like white or black, and make sure they are made of high-quality fabric.

You can be quite creative with button-down shirts, both long sleeve, and short sleeve. If you go for a shirt with short sleeves, try one with a funky pattern or in a bold color.

You can never go wrong with a crisp white shirt for long sleeves, but a chambray button or striped pattern will add a fresh and stylish touch to any outfit. When it comes to jackets, a sports coat with interesting details like elbow patches or a classic navy blue blazer is the perfect addition to a stylish casual outfit if the weather is a bit cooler or you want to dress a bit more. on the formal side.

Chic casual pants

There are different options when it comes to stylish casual pants, the two main ones being chinos and dark wash denim.

Of course, chinos in neutral colors like khaki, bone, navy blue, and gray are always a staple; however, don’t count the bold colors when it comes to smart casual wear – depending on the dress code, you can totally get away with oxblood, cobalt blue, or even salmon chinos.

On the flip side, fitted straight-leg denim in dark washes is another option for stylish casual pants, but the dark wash is the key; avoid lighter washes and destroyed and super skinny styles.

Smart casual shoes

Choosing the right shoes for a stylish casual outfit is actually a lot easier than you might think.

While you should never wear slides, thongs, or elliptical sneakers with your outfit.

You can certainly get away with sneakers, as long as they are clean, solid in color, and made of a classy material, such as leather or suede – avoid canvas sneakers, as they can be a bit too casual for the dress code.

Loafers can also be worn with most stylish casual outfits, as can brogues, oxfords, and other dress shoes in leather or suede. And while they are stylish and can be dressed high or low, avoid leather boots as they might look too casual and out of place with a smart casual outfit.