There are many new fashion trends in today’s market that to the average person may seem confusing. This comes in the form of hybrid styles such as business casual or smart casual. What are these styles and where does one end and the other begin. This blog discusses the differences between both business casual and smart casual styles.
Business Casual
Top
Plain darker colour jacket
white or blue plain shirt
No t-shirts
Pants
Dark jeans
A muted colour chino pants
Shoes
Dark brown or black leather shoes
Accesories
Keep them to minimum
A black or dark brown leather belt
Light or pale blue pocket square
Smart watches can be worn
Fashionable sunglasses
Occasion
Casual fridays at work
Date nights
Meetings outside the office
Colour Palette
Muted colours
Darker shades
No patterns
Smart Casual
Top
Bright or light coloured jacket
Plain crew neck
Shirts can be more colourful
Plain coloured t-Shirts (not printed)
Pants
Dark or light jeans
Lighter coloured chinos
No shorts
No ripped jeans
Shoes
Leather shoes
Suede shoes
No trainers
Accesories
Can wear more than one
Any belt (can be contrasting)
Colourful pocket squares
Discreet wristbands/bracelets
Sunglasses
Occasion
Parties
Date nights
Weddings, official events
Colour Palette
Can be brighter colours
Can wear checked shirts/jacket
No more than 3 colors
Business casual can be best described as relaxed formalwear. A man going for a business casual look should aim to combine a jacket with dark jeans or mute coloured chinos. One should wear a shirt underneath the jacket, as this ensures the look is sharp.
Colours
As for the colours, the jacket should be subtle, with colours such as navy, grey, dark brown, or sage. The pants should complement the jacket, with muted contrasting colours like dark green jacket/grey trousers; Brown jacket/dark blue trousers. It would be highly suggested to avoid loud and bright colours such as yellow or red.
Accessories
A tie is a no go for a business casual style as the aim of this style is to appear more casual, and a tie should be saved for a business suit. You can wear a belt, although it is recommended that you choose the one that matches the shade of your trousers. In terms of footwear to complete the look, wear leather. Last but not least, do not accessorize too much. Wristbands, sunglasses, and pocket squares should be used strategically, and not all at the same time as it reduces the business style in the look.
Occasion
Wear business casual for your casual Fridays in the office or for a semi-formal meeting outside of the office. Ladies also love a business casual look for a date!
Smart casual is a less formal extension to business casual. While business casual is used for the office, smart casual is something to wear for everything outside of it.
You can wear a plain, toned-down t-shirt for a smart casual look. If you are to wear any shirt that has a print of some sort, you are wearing more of a casual look, not a smart casual look. If you opt for a shirt, you can go with more colours, or checkered and compliment it with a blazer or a crew neck.
As for trousers, you can wear more colour than in business casual. Jeans, smart chinos. Ripped jeans and shorts are a casual look, not smart casual.
Colours
You can wear lighter and brighter colours in the smart casual style as compared to the business casual style as long as you don’t over do it. The aim is to keep only 3 colours total in your overall look. In addition, try not to wear more than 1 bright colour within the 3 colours you choose. Otherwise, a peacock will be asking you for their feathers back.
Accessories
A pair of sunglasses, wristband, bracelet, colourful pocket square will add an informal feel to your style. Also, you can wear a belt that contrasts the pants, but always be cautious of the three-colour rule mentioned above. When it comes to shoes, you can wear leather or suede shoes, however, stay away from trainers please.
Occasion
A smart casual outfit can be used for any kind of event that is outside of the office but still requires class and elegance. Examples of these include, weddings, cocktail parties and also date nights with your significant other.
Bespoke Tailoring just right for you
If you would like some further help in getting your wardrobe right contact us directly to have one made just right for your body and the occasion!
When searching for a tailor made suit you have certainly come across such terms as made to measure and bespoke tailoring. What does ‘bespoke’ mean? What does it mean if a suit is made to measure? This article will guide you through this tailoring jargon and clarify how made to measure vs bespoke suits look like.
Bespoke tailoring has a long history that dates back to renaissance, when society started to realise that clothes are a sign of wealth and power. The word ‘bespoke’ in itself means ‘ordered to be made’.
Made to measure came later, providing a less expensive, quicker tailoring solution that carries some disadvantages, but also benefits when compared to bespoke.
Bespoke tailors are usually small independent family businesses, whereas Made to Measure is typically offered by large luxury brands: think Zegna, Corneliani, Reiss, Boss, Hackett, and others. Independent tailors have recently also started offering made to measure tailoring, in addition to bespoke services.
When debating whether to choose bespoke or made to measure tailoring you need to bare in mind the key areas of difference: fit, timing, price, and customisation possibilites.
Here is a short summary of how made to measure vs bespoke suits fare:
– Fit: bespoke fit much better than made to measure – Time: made to measure takes a lot less time than bespoke – Customization: bespoke offers almost infinite possibilities to customize your garment, much less so with made to measure
Fit
Bespoke tailors draw a unique paper pattern by hand. Made to Measure tailors use an existing pattern and make some basic modifications to it. However, it’s more complicated than that.
Bespoke tailors take 25-30 of your body measurements to create your pattern. Every bespoke tailor has their opinion on how a suit should fit, something that is referred to as a ‘house cut’ or a ‘house style’. For example, Savile Row tailors tend to cut with larger allowances while Italian tailors cut closer to the body. A customer won’t know the ‘house cut’ until he comes in for the first fitting, which means that there are more fittings at different stages of the process. Usually, bespoke tailors have anything between 3-5 fittings before the semi-finished garment is approved by the customer. It is best to choose a tailor whose work you have already seen in photos or on other people to minimise the need for follow up fittings.
When it comes to made to measure the basic modifications to the pattern would normally be around jacket/sleeve length & waist circumference – although that can vary from one brand to another, some may also be able to adjust chest & shoulder width.
Some brands will make your suit accounting for all the modifications in the process of making the garment, others will only add the alterations after the garment is made. Always opt for the ones that are able to deliver the garment with your measurements accounted for in the making. Why? When it comes to the length of the jacket, there is only so much you can shorten it before the buttons & pocket placement is out of proportion to the length, for example.
Bare in mind that when it comes to Made to Measure an existing pattern of one brand may fit you better than that of the other. Variations between brands are typically in how generous they are in the chest & sleeve areas – these are typically not the areas that can be adjusted with made to measure tailoring. It is best to try patterns of various brands to see how they feel as a starting point and ask which modifications to the block are possible, before deciding on which brand to go ahead with.
Overall the fit of a bespoke garment will always be superior to that of a made to measure garment. As bespoke tailoring accounts for many more aspects that make a dramatic difference to how well the suit fits, such as shoulder angles, sleeve angles, posture, shoulder width & so much more.
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