I love smart casual style because it’s one of the few styles that’s appropriate for almost every occasion.

But what exactly is smart casual style? Is smart casual an official dress code, or is it more of a guideline?

In this article, I’ll define smart casual style in an easy to understand way.

Then we’ll talk about how to nail this aesthetic and look at some smart casual outfit ideas.

Why does it matter?

I think it’s imperative to dress for the occasion. In fact, I believe that it’s the most important element of timeless style.

When you’re not dressed for the occasion, you look ill-prepared, no matter how formally you’re dressed.

With this in mind, we’re going to talk about smart casual style, which might be the most versatile “dress code” for men. These days, it’s even more popular than the business casual dress code.

But first, let’s define smart casual…

What Exactly Is Smart Casual Style?

Here’s how the dictionary defines smart casual:

Neat, conventional, yet relatively informal in style, especially as worn to conform to a particular dress code.

This somewhat explains it, but it doesn’t get into is specifics. What exactly is ‘conventional’ and what is the ‘particular dress code’?

First off, it’s not business casual. The two terms have some overlap, but I like to think of business casual as dressing smart at work, whereas smart casual is dressing smart no matter the occasion.

It’s a little confusing because when it comes to smart casual style, jeans can be smart and a blazer can be casual.

How so? Well, a pair of slim-fitting dark wash jeans are a smart casual staple and a blazer with a textured fabric like tweed or linen leans casual even though it’s still considered smart.