SMART CASUAL – SOME THOUGHTS

Posted on 28. Feb, 2009 by admin in Ask Henry

3801724We are so often asked what it means when an invitation stipulates ‘smart casual’, a vexed question generally unresolved. Apart from the fact that it’s a contradiction in terms it’s also a matter of personal whim, taste and interpretation. It’s a recent phenomenon in fashion and like the question ‘how long is a piece of string’ not simply answered. We at Henry Bucks have our own interpretation and sometimes this is a matter of elimination of the extremes of dress: formal and business versus knockabout casual.

The world’s designers have a wonderful time presenting collections of relaxed formal and dress up casuals but finally it is really how you feel and what the occasion is. So we asked some of our friends around the world what their interpretation is of ‘smart casual’ and we include some of their thoughts here. As you can see there is one thread and that is that it’s all really a matter of personal judgment. Our winter collection that we call ‘Casual First Class’ may help solve the eternal riddle for some, some of the time, somehow and on some occasions.

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“Smart Casual is the dress code most open to interpretation and the one least understood. Dress codes usually relate to invitations so like anything to do with style it’s all about the context. Firstly, make sure whatever you wear is freshly laundered. This then excludes old shirts, tired jeans, anything ‘distressed’. Wear lighter, fresher colours, softer materials, pattern and less structure in jackets and shirts. Fabrics like linen, cashmere, fine wool and cotton say it better than anything stiff or traditionally associated with suiting. Dress for the host – something relaxed but thoughtful, clean and not confrontational. Just as you need to put together a wardrobe for work, it’s important to buy a good selection of more casual items (trousers, jackets, casual shirts, knits and shoes) that suit you and make it easy to deal with the next event that requires ‘smart casual’. Smart Casual is like a cocktail conversation. It is lighter and more relaxed. Refined and friendly. Assured and personable.” Robert Buckingham – Freelance Fashion Drector

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“First of all it can be interesting to understand when the expression was born and why. It evolved over the last 30 years, a period full of innovation and creativity that changed the traditional elements of classic menswear. “Smart casual” on a summer week-end in Sardinia for a cocktail at the Yacht Club is different than a “smart casual” in Toronto during the winter for an informal dinner. It is not an issue of inventory or classification: it is just the knowledge and the good taste to understand the differences in terms of place, theme, people, weather and spirit.”  Andrea Perrone CEO Brioni Rome

 

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