Casual is More Than One Style

This dress can also work for smart casual.)

Casual Dress Code Definitions

This dress code requires quality clothing, such as slacks with a classy top (for either gender), a knee-length skirt with a sophisticated top or a dress appropriate for visiting a restaurant. A jacket is optional but is an excellent addition.

Business Casual

Business casual doesn’t imply sloppy or t-shirts and jeans. This dress code stresses quality slacks, sweater sets, polo shirts and sweaters, and dress shirts. A sports jacket is a nice addition and gives instant credibility.

Smart Casual

This dress code is commonly used in the UK, where the word "smart" isn't automatically associated with a person's intelligence. Smart casual refers to dressing "smartly". So, clean, neat, dressy, yet not too formal attire is best.

Confused? Well, there is a good reason for this, as there is no clear-cut definition for it. Basically, if this is the requested dress code, dress as you would for a first date to a very nice restaurant. Jeans are iffy. Jackets for either gender are great. Collared shirts for men are best. No logos or emblems on any piece of attire for either gender.

Note

Some will use the dress codes ‘festive,’ ‘sport,’ ‘beach,’ and ‘holiday’ casual also, but these are basically the same as the previously mentioned casual dress codes only tweaked to suit the location or time of year. These pieces of attire should correspond to the event, such as Khakis, good-quality shorts, or jeans for sport or beach casual. Just remember that casual doesn’t mean sloppy; this dress code requires high-quality pieces.

{This excerpt is from my book: Proper Attire for All Occasions.}

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