Dress style smart casual description. Smart casual style is a combination of business office style with comfort. Smart casual clothing

The smart casual clothing style has transformed from business style and casual style. It, like any other style, has its own distinctive features. Firstly, it is something between business and casual, and along with its businesslike nature it is distinguished by its convenience and practicality. It was invented in order to make the life of some office workers somewhat easier. In those companies and institutions where work is not directly related to customer service, managers allow their subordinates to wear clothes in this style. Let's look at the basic rules of the smart casual dress code.

Smart casual clothing

So, smart casual clothing is a cross between business office clothing and a casual outfit. Let's highlight the main trends:

1. The colors may be somewhat brighter than in classic office wear, but more often subdued classic shades are retained.
2. It is allowed to wear above-the-knee skirts with various prints. In this case, the style can be the same classic pencil skirt.
3. Jeans are a great option for a smart casual dress code. It is worth remembering that jeans models should be either classic or with moderate wear, and no rhinestones or torn models. However, the colors may be different. Jeans are versatile and can be combined with a turtleneck or knitted sweater, and with chiffon or.
4. A jacket is an indispensable attribute classic style. In our case, it is allowed to wear a velvet jacket. This model is a worthy example of smart casual style for women.
5. Pants can be either tapered or wide. Both options will maintain a balance between office style and casual if you choose models in discreet colors. Gray, beige, black, blue, purple colors are always relevant.
6. The dress is one of the most successful options for smart casual dress-code. Unlike a strict office dress, this model can be combined with or even trousers. Again, the colors should be classic, not flashy. Despite some concessions in the dress code, do not confuse workplace with outdoor recreation.

Smart casual style is suitable option not only for work, but also for walking or visiting. To make your look more vibrant, you just need to add the appropriate accessories. Evening dresses also include elements of officialdom, but at the same time you can look no less attractive.

Feel free to experiment with different styles. It is important that each image is appropriate and matches the event.

Comfort, chic, relevance - all this is about smart casual style. Quite young, but already incredibly popular, the style born in Italy gradually conquered the whole world. It expresses the desire for freedom and spontaneity. This style is the style of stylish workaholics who prefer to wear knitted T-shirts with jeans rather than a formal suit.

What it is

Not so long ago, in the business sphere there were certain (not always written) rules regarding work clothes: men had to wear a suit and tie (such a look was mandatory), and women had to wear a jacket with a skirt and certainly tights or a trouser suit. The modern business world has gone through a metamorphosis, becoming a little freer. Now office workers are allowed to wear jeans, which two hundred years ago were generally not approved of, men have replaced the tie with a polo shirt or a regular T-shirt. It has also become easier for women to choose an ensemble for work.

Nevertheless, there are still many nuances in the office dress code, which smart casual has successfully overcome, presenting a life-saving formula: for example, a T-shirt is suitable for office employees, not an annoying blouse. But the T-shirt must be exceptional - perfect cut and of the highest quality, which goes well with other elements of the look.

Jeans are also approved by Smart Casual, but they must be dark of blue color or classic black, good cut in a duet with elegant shoes, for example, ballet flats or heels. And here is the image represented by blue ripped jeans combined with Snickers, it will be absolutely inappropriate for the office.

Smart Casual is mostly muted colors: gray, black, dark blue, white, brown. Colorful accents can be made with a rich scarf or necklace. Simply put, smart casual is a lighter version of the formal toilet.

In women's lives

Perhaps smart casual is the most popular office wardrobe model at the moment. This style implies a relaxed and strict attitude towards one’s own appearance.

However, despite its apparent simplicity, the smart casual dress code is not a reason for employees to wear flip-flops or sandals with pebbles or other decorations in the workplace. Clothing made of diving fabric, outfits made of suede, leather, as well as festive decorations are taboo on weekdays.

The dress can be worn in combination with a jacket, and the skirt should not be shorter than seven centimeters at knee level. Minimum five, maximum seven centimeters - this phrase, like a mantra, must be memorized by office employees before buying shoes. The hairpin must remain under arrest until the day off.

The smart casual style favors monotonous or geometrically patterned silk blouses and white shirts. One accessory will suit them, for example, pearl beads.

Sun, snow, rain outside the window - it doesn’t matter, tights are a mandatory attribute of a casual style ensemble. Although smart casual is translated as “everyday,” in the business sphere it is more consonant with “balanced, elegant.” All selected items should not restrict movement, but at the same time be appropriate in the workplace. The essence of elegance is also simple - all elements of the dress code must fit harmoniously on their owner.

Despite its apparent simplicity, the smart casual trend is quite dangerous. There are no specific rules and regulations, but that's what can be confusing. The uninformed may look ridiculous if they choose the wrong outfit elements. Smart casual suggests dressing simply, without pretentiousness, in classic style items, but combined with original and bright accessories.

If a girl’s skirt matches her jacket and selected jewelry, the fashionista will always be the center of attention. A certain conservatism in the style of smart casual clothing is inevitable, but in the modern business look of a woman it is even welcomed to some extent. Suits can be worn, but only in this case women's jacket you need to unzip it completely.

Colors and prints

The classic palette of neutral colors is the main one in the smart casual trend. These are black and white, gray and brown and their shades. In the production of T-shirts and shirts in this direction, designers use pastel variations of colors. In addition, they add shades of green, red, turquoise and use other complex combinations of colors, for example, blue and green.

This style does not allow bright, neon colors. Just like going overboard in patterns. You can choose checkered or striped clothes, but not both in one piece of clothing. Options for simple geometric prints and simple plant patterns are possible. Polka dots and floral patterns can be used to create images, but such things should not be too catchy.

Accessories and shoes

The Smart Casual direction allows you to freely use accessories. You can wear scarves, ties, scarves around your neck, and gloves and hats will also complement your look well. Smart casual bags are accessories of muted colors, with clear shapes and a minimum of decor.

In recent years, the style has become especially relevant among residents of large cities. smart casual. Why is smart casual so popular? What does it consist of? And how does smart casual style differ from regular casual? You will find the answers to all these questions in this article, which is entirely devoted to smart casual style for women and men.

Smart casualtranslated from in English, How:smart casual wear. Smart casual style, both for women and men –this is something between a classic style and a free-casual style. Smart casual style is officially considered the office dress code. It is safe to say that smart casual can be taken as a basis modern woman's wardrobe and the wardrobe of a modern man.

In order to look elegant and business-like every day, and at the same time freely, you need to know the basic character traits this style of clothing.

Style smart casualdifferent from the classic style the fact that you don’t need to wear formal suits, ties, buttoned-up shirts, etc. A from stylecasual This style is distinguished by its elegance and sophistication. In the smart casual style, there are no ripped jeans, or boyfriend jeans, or sneakers, which is typical of the casual style. Smart casual shows how to wear jeans to look smart.

Smart casual stylebased on masculine and feminine basic wardrobe . For men integral things in the smart casual style should be White shirt, sweater, sleeveless vest, jacket, classic plain jeans. Accessories are also the main component of the look. For men, this is a scarf, neckerchief and glasses. Shoes are also important. Instead of classic shoes, the smart casual style will correspond to such types of shoes as loafers, oxfords, monks and derbies.

For women smart casual style should be based on a white men's shirt, pullover, vest, jacket, straight dress, pencil skirt, straight jeans, cropped classic trousers. Shoes for women in smart casual style can be either flat-soled or heeled. There may be low-heeled pumps, as well as stylish shoes at low speed. For example: loafers, oxfords or slippers. Accessories for women also play a big role important role. In addition to the basic attributes of smart casual style - a scarf, shawl, headdress and glasses, women can afford accessories in the form of large jewelry.

The color scheme plays an important role. The smart casual style is characterized by a calm color palette, which is based on pastel shades. For men, the main colors in smart casual style will be: black, white, gray, brown, beige, blue, dark blue, light blue, maroon and burgundy. Almost all the same colors correspond to women as for men. The only thing is female color scheme can diversify tender dirty pink color, which will go perfectly with gray.

To look smart casual, you need to find exactly the middle ground between classic style and casual style. Let's figure out which smart casual style looks are suitable for men and which for women. A man in smart casual style, what should he look like?

Maybe, smart casual style for men is one of my favorite clothing styles. After all, most often you don’t need to wear tight ties, classic jackets and trousers. Here are some examples of what a smart casual man can look like. Below in the first photo we see a guy dressed in beige trousers, blue shirt, gray jacket and loafers. At first glance, the image seems ordinary. But the highlight of this look is that the trousers are rolled up at the bottom, the sleeves of the shirt and jacket are rolled up to the elbows, and the loafers are worn on bare feet. It is all these “tricks” that give the right to call the image in the smart casual style.

Let's look at the second photo below. A young man dressed in beige trousers, a dark blue sweater over a checkered shirt and Brown Derby. Here the focus is on a dark top and light bottom, with shoes being the star of this smart casual look.

The third option for a smart casual look is rolled up jeans, a white shirt, a dark blue double-breasted jacket with rolled up sleeves, beige loafers and the finishing touch of the look is a bow tie. This smart casual look is perfect for an evening out.

Now let's consider different variants smart casual style images for women. In the first photo below, we see a girl dressed in straight black trousers, a gray jacket, pink jumper, which is worn over a white shirt and black patent loafers. This is the classic version when soft pink color goes well with gray. This image differs from the classic style in that instead of trousers with a crease, there are straight trousers, the shirt is not tucked in, but carelessly let out.

In the second photo we see black cropped and loose trousers with a crease, a loose sweater of a solid color and brogue shoes. Despite the simplicity of the image, it looks very seasoned and in a smart casual style.

The latest look consists of gray rolled-up trousers with a check print, a white shirt in men's style with rolled up sleeves and black low-heeled sandals. The smart casual look is completed with stylish sunglasses and a briefcase bag.

To adhere to the smart casual style, you need to remember a few “rules”, which will help you not to cross the line between smart casual and classic style, or just casual. For men The main rule is not to wear classic things together. The jacket can be combined with jeans or straight trousers. Classic trousers can be diluted with a sweater or vest. Although a tie or bow tie are attributes of a classic style, in smart casual style they serve as an “exception.” They can be worn with the same jeans, a checkered tweed jacket or a sweater. For men, as for women, shoes play a major role. As I already said, almost any style will suit the smart casual style. men's footwear, except for classic shoes that are worn under a suit or tailcoat and sports shoes.

With elegant casual style also goes well with any outerwear- a trench coat, a coat (including a men’s coat), a biker jacket, a windbreaker, a sleeveless vest, a down jacket or even a fur coat.

For women, smart casual style does not allow mini lengths or tight-fitting items. Smart casual style for women is not allowed too much high heel or platform. Also, for both women and men there are color boundaries. We have already talked about what colors should reflect the smart casual style. But, women are characterized by brightness in their clothes. Style smart casual does not imply looking bright, but making any bright accents is quite acceptable. The main thing is that the color is monochromatic and matches the entire set. Accent colors such as red, indigo blue, or purple are perfect for smart casual style.

As for men, they can do bright accent using a tie, bow tie, scarf or colored socks. The ideal option for men would be if any of the three accessories listed above are matched with socks.

The smart casual style has become so universal that it can be demonstrated both at work and at any event. Now the smart casual style is especially popular, it is suitable for both women and men. A man or woman who is dressed in smart casual style can easily go to work in the morning and go somewhere in the evening after a working day. And for this you don’t need to run home to change clothes for an evening out.

As you know, fashion is capricious and changeable. And there is a constant assimilation of styles - their boundaries are blurred, rules are borrowed, and even the names become very similar. This happened with business styles business casual and smart casual clothing: both grew out of a merger of strictly business dress code and democratic, fashionable casual, but among themselves they are in “close family ties" What is it and what is it for?

Both of these “brothers” come from the same family: a strict official business style has come into connection with the “loose Friday” style, which allows employees of even the most serious companies to come at the end of the week in slightly looser clothes - so that in the evening, immediately after work, they can go at least on a date, even to a bar with friends. In an effort to create a slightly more relaxed environment for employees, provide some freedom of expression, and ensure daily comfort, employers actively began to welcome various innovations in the rules of corporate appearance. But in fact, business casual and smart casual are not only sets of rules for employees of serious corporations who are forced to fulfill certain requirements. This is also a set of tricks that allow you to dress in comfortable clothes, wear warm clothes in winter and light ones in summer, but at the same time remain elegant, stylish and look presentable. What are these tricks?

Fashion publications, financial newspapers and magazines, and often the media on a wide range of topics vying with each other to define clothing styles, and these two were no exception. Reference publications are not far behind - the concepts of business casual and smart casual are explained in many explanatory dictionaries. Thus, the Australian National Dictionary of Macquarie University tells us that to be dressed smart casual is to be “well dressed casually”. And the Oxford Thesaurus defines this style as "preppy but relatively informal, observed primarily to comply with a dress code."

Business casual, of course, is a little more strict: unlike “smart”, it does not allow you to wear jeans, and is more restrained in colors and in the choice of shoe style. However, in general, the rules for them are almost the same: in different companies they can vary and be dictated by their own internal, corporate rules. So, dressing within the framework of the named styles, you can take the following “liberties”.

There is no need to wear a tie and you are even allowed to unbutton the top button of your shirt. True, sometimes it is still recommended to have it with you without wearing a tie. Indeed, during the day there may be important meetings or official events where a tie will be very useful and even mandatory. A variety of knitwear is often in demand in a casual wardrobe: sweaters, turtlenecks, jumpers, cardigans. For example, you can wear a turtleneck under a jacket instead of a shirt, and over a shirt - knitted jumper With V-neck. Such democracy is especially relevant for our country, where it is cold for a significant part of the year and sometimes there are severe frosts. Warm and body-friendly knitwear made of cashmere, wool, and viscose is just right in this weather.

Those who still prefer to wear shirts can also relax a little: they are allowed to roll up the sleeves to the middle of the forearm. A formal jacket can be replaced with a blazer; instead of classic trousers, wear trousers made of cotton or linen, or even dark denim. Smart casual often allows you to wear regular jeans, especially on Fridays. The main thing is that other details of the image create some kind of balance and do not allow you to go into a regular casual style, and even more so into a completely informal style of clothing.

It also happens that in “smart” it is allowed to wear polo shirts, including short-sleeved ones, and sometimes even T-shirts (except for sports ones).

As for shoes, there is a little less freedom: these are still classic shoes or low shoes, but they can be made of soft leather or suede. Sometimes it is permissible to wear Oxfords, and in summer moccasins. But sneakers, sneakers, tennis shoes and, of course, sandals and other open shoes are overboard: they are still intended only for sports and recreation.

As was already said at the very beginning, business casual and smart casual are not just a democratization of the office dress code, but also a certain internal sense of style, competent construction of one’s image, a convenient and effective tool for creating the image of a person who is not constrained by prohibitions, but he really knows how to dress, has good taste, is neat and respectable. It’s not for nothing that “smart” is not only “neat”, but also “smart”.