How to dress "smart casual"?

Enda89

Ok so I finally nailed down a summer job working in an office out in Blackrock. The employer rang me up yesterday and just offered me the job before going through things that are/are not acceptable.

When he got down to clothing, I didn't really understand what he meant. He told me:

"dress smart but casual, smart casual. no jeans with holes in them, no tracksuit tops. oh and dont come in with the latest fashion hairstyle, just keep yourself looking neat. tuck the aul shirt in ye know yourself"

So anyway this is my first job and I'm wondering when he says to dress smart casual does he means a shirt and jeans or what

I went to the interview in a shirt&tie with formal trousers and black shoes. This is how I was planning to turn up for work but I just wanna run it by some people who may work in a similar enviroment. what should I be wearing?

Tom Dunne

It's generally shirt and trousers, no tie.

bullpost

Open-necked shirts, polo shirts, chinos would all be classed as smart casual.
Looking neat is also part of it. so probably no piercings or unshaven .
Once worked with a guy who couldn't get the balance right and the compan secretary was asked to take him to Next in Blackrock and kit him out :-)

hunnymonster

I don't think you're going to like this but yes it means a plain shirt, trousers that aren't jeans and polished shoes.

Something like the guy in this pic
http://careerlook.com/images/business_casual.JPG

Randomswinger

As above open shirt shoes jeans may or may not be acceptable

Simple solution overdress day one and see what everyone else is wearing

copacetic

smart casual is not a tight defintion, but my office is similar. Basically imo it means, trousers/cords, long sleeve shirt and shoes, shirt is always tucked in. no jeans, no short sleeves, no overly 'fashiony' clothing. usually your trousers wouldn't have 'jean' type patch pockets either. some people here would wear a tie, some wouldn't, some would wear more formal shirts and trousers, some more casual but above is general idea. It sounds like you would be safe with your interview gear without a tie for the first day and judge it from there..

Enda89

appreciate the replies, sounds straight forward enough. I'll just wear what I wore to the interview then see what everyone else is wearing and take it from there

MarkR

My place was nominally "smart casual" and I did take it to mean shirt and pants (as in not jeans ) and shoes rather then runners.

As it's a small company though i've expanded this definition to t-shirts with no expletitives and jeans. And nice runners.

(I have an excuse though as I'm a field engineer so have to go crawling around the back of servers etc)

Owen

My job is exclusively smart casual wear, which means smart suit, and no tie, well groomed hair/nails/etc.

leeroybrown

In my experience when they say 'smart casual' at interview it means 'what senior management and HR think people should wear'. When you turn up for work it quite often becomes a lot more casual. I've worked in places where HR think everyone should wear an open neck office shirt, trousers, polished shoes, etc but people work in long casual shorts, a t-shirt and sandals without issue.

You have the right idea now. I'd always dress towards the smart end of the scale for the first few days so I'd leave a decent impression when meeting HR, managers, etc. Then I'd start dressing more casually like other employees in my area.

red_ice

hunnymonster wrote:

Something like the guy in this pic
http://careerlook.com/images/business_casual.JPG

he basicly wants you to look like a queer.

eth0_

red_ice banned from this forum.

WhiteWashMan

ned78 wrote:

My job is exclusively smart casual wear, which means smart suit, and no tie, well groomed hair/nails/etc.

thats generally what i would wear as well, having said that however, smart casual really means trousers or chinos, shoes and a shirt.
rather than jeans, t-shirt and runners. which is just casual.

Saint_Mel

How about going sports casual like Alan Partridge

Eoin

WhiteWashMan wrote:

thats generally what i would wear as well, having said that however, smart casual really means trousers or chinos, shoes and a shirt.
rather than jeans, t-shirt and runners. which is just casual.

Me too - I think because Ned (if I'm thinking of the right Ned) is in customer facing sales job, his dress code is a little smarter.

Maccattack

In Japan 'smart casual' is a suit with no tie! True.

the_syco

What I've usually done: check out what people wear when you go in for the interview, or turn up wearing a shirt/trousers that you'd wear to the interview, and see how others are dressed. No-one minds. Come dressed too casual, and, well, you'll get a talking to.

faceman

the_syco wrote:

What I've usually done: check out what people wear when you go in for the interview

best response yet, makes perfect sense!

DublinWriter

Enda89 wrote:

So anyway this is my first job and I'm wondering when he says to dress smart casual does he means a shirt and jeans or what

'Smart Casual' is actually just as bad as formal for all its unwritten rules.

My own take on 'Smart Casual' is basically suit minus tie and jacket. Chinos and 'slacks' (shudder) are acceptable. Combats and jeans are not, as are Cons/runners.

I think the best way of describing 'Smart Casual' dress is that horrible American 'preppy' look.

Basically turn up interview style for the first week and get the lay of the land after that.

copacetic

DublinWriter wrote:

'Smart Casual' is actually just as bad as formal for all its unwritten rules.

My own take on 'Smart Casual' is basically suit minus tie and jacket. Chinos and 'slacks' (shudder) are acceptable. Combats and jeans are not, as are Cons/runners.

I think the best way of describing 'Smart Casual' dress is that horrible American 'preppy' look.

Basically turn up interview style for the first week and get the lay of the land after that.

so your 'take' on it is shirt and slacks? groundbreaking stuff!:D

DublinWriter

copacetic wrote:

so your 'take' on it is shirt and slacks? groundbreaking stuff!:D

Not mine, previous employers.

What's yours?