If your Australian boss were to tell you today that next week was a smart casual week, would you have any idea what he or she is talking about? Many Australians find themselves in this complicated situation because there is a lot of ambiguity out there with regard to what constitutes smart casual. It can be a little bit of a minefield and you don’t want to breach the company’s dress code by turning up in something that your boss won’t like and he or she will invite you to go back home again to change which is incredibly embarrassing. You want to look sharp but you also want to look professional as well while being comfortable in the clothes that you have chosen.
This might also be the perfect opportunity to create an argument that mens jeans are entirely appropriate for the workplace and this very much depends on the colours that you choose. If you go for dark colours then you may pull this look off but when you turn up to work in a pair of light blue denim jeans then you might have to do the walk of shame. The smart casual can be incredibly confusing and so this is why many people don’t want to adopt this look because they have no idea what is appropriate and what isn’t. The following are just some top tips to help pull off the man’s smart casual look when you go to work.
Try to keep things simple – If you think that you have gone overboard in your clothes choices when it comes to wanting to be smart casual, then it’s likely that you have and so you need to pull back a little. You need to stick to the tried and tested clothes choices like dark denim jeans, maybe a pair of chinos and you can’t really go wrong with a smart polo shirt. It’s better to be wearing an outfit that is understated then overstated.
Wear colours that complement – As an alternative to the normal business suit that you wear to work every single day, you might want to wear some kind of jacket with a pair of dark jeans and this is entirely appropriate. Try to stick to the more classic colours however and try to dress down rather than to dress up. You can’t really go wrong with dark colours every single time and a nice bright polo shirt with a jacket goes a long way.
It’s all in the details – You have to pull out all of the stops to pay attention to the smaller things like making sure that your casual shoes are clean and that they match the pants that you choose. Always make sure that the trousers or jeans that you wear are matched up and an appropriate length and make sure that your belt and shoes match.
If you follow these three pieces of advice then there’s no reason why you can’t look smart casual.
