Smart, casual: the yin and yang of putting getting dressed in the morning. On one end of the spectrum is you dressed in a top hat and tails on your wedding day. On the other end is you in jeans and your best sweater, staggering down the hotel stairs to the morning for breakfast.
During those long stretches of lockdown, smart casual took on a completely new meaning: a nice shirt/knit on top to keep up appearances during clumsy Zoom calls, and shorts/joggers below as how were they to know, really? Or perhaps you were one of those guys who stretched ‘smart casual’ to its utter limits by secretly hosting all of your important business meetings in a pair of boxer shorts?.
Now We’re Back To Meeting People In Real Life
People who can see and formulate a scathing opinion on those fluffy slippers which became a key part of your wardrobe. Now is the time to take off the loungewear and master the tricky smart-casual dress codes which will be noted above most events in the calendar.
It is hard, this smart casual business. It needs to contain elements of both in perfect balance so that rather than fighting each other, they combine to create an outfit which adds up to far more than the sum of its parts.
The trouble is, as great as it is when handled in the right way, smart casual remains one of the most misinterpreted terms in the menswear lexicon. Removing that your tie does not a smart casual look make. Neither does adding a suit jacket to jeans.
Smart casual outfits are about balance, however just like a seesaw, getting the distance between each pole right is critical. Super smart with super casual is very doable however get a single detail wrong and then you’ll lose the equilibrium which makes the outfit work. By the same token, if you go only-just-smart and only-just-casual, there’s no tension. No fun. No individuality.
Realise That Dressing Well Is A Skill
Just as with cooking, dressing well is a skill which can be learned. As is the case with all skills, whether its cooking, dressing or playing at NZ online bingo sites, you get better the more you practise.
Master The Art Of Tucking
For teenagers, it’s almost sacrilege to be seen with a school shirt tucked in. However, this year, the menswear elite are tucking in pretty much any clothing that they can get their fashion-hungry hands on.
Are you a tucking novice? Try the front-tuck, which involves putting just the front of a T-shirt or shirt under the front of the trousers’ waistband. Alternatively for a next-level move, tuck a T-shirt or polo shirt fully into a pair of chinos or tailored trousers for a smart and neat finish.
If you’ve gone tucking mad, there’s always the choice of moving on to experimenting with pieces such as lightweight knits and track tops.
Get The Right Fit
Fit is the most crucial thing when it comes to fantastic style. When clothes don’t fit correctly, they throw off your body proportions. Make fit a cardinal rule. And if it doesn’t fit, don’t wear it!