Mens Smart Casual Outfit | Smart Casual Wear Clothes
What is a mens smart casual outfit?
The definition of modern smart casual has certainly evolved over recent years to such an extent that when correctly assembled can successfully infiltrate all areas of our lives and blur the lines between weekend wear and workwear.
This blog is written to discuss all aspects of smart casual attire with a focus on the key items of clothing including coats, shirts, polos and of course trousers. To successfully recognise what constitutes a smart-casual dress code in the 21st century requires an appreciation of styling along with a rich understanding of the tailoring of the individual garments that composes the outfit. Here we offer a further step in that all the garments here are made in the UK. Hand cut and made to last in our own premises. All made to complement each other as well as standing tall in their own right.
Smart Casual Wear : Style Vs Fashion
It is not unfair to say that many men and women struggle with the concept of style and it must never be confused with fashion.
When broken down to the basics, style is an awareness of your current physique and when implemented correctly will always be personal to you. No two people will have the same style, but both outfits they wear can be considered mens smart casual style.
Mens fashion smart casual on the other hand is a current trend that ends up being followed by the masses.
The greatest danger of this is that it removes your individual identity and disregards your body shape. For example the trend towards skinny or slim fit jeans and blue slim fit trousers works for young and slim men, but will not have the same impact for men with big calves. All men come in different shapes and sizes and finding trousers that fit properly can often be challenging.
As a result we introduced our create your own trousers to solve this problem and will ensure the perfect fit every time providing accurate measurements are supplied.
Smart Casual Pieces : Three Rules When Building a Wardrobe
When I started my fashion brand over a decade ago I held three core beliefs that have defined the design and direction of the company ever since.
Firstly I believe that smart casual is the best all round option for everyday wear as it remains the most versatile option you have when leaving the house. In essence you have an outfit that will cater for 90% of all situations; from work, to evenings out, to the weekend. You will never end up in a position where you feel neither consciously undressed nor overdressed.
Secondly a successful smart casual outfit that can be worn time and time again can only be achieved through using the best materials. Using the right cloth offers a level of comfort, texture and colour fastness that ensures your chosen outfit always looks top draw and you have the confidence to wear it.
Thirdly you cannot underestimate the importance of using traditional tailoring in crafting each product. Today our smart casual menswear collection encompasses shirts, trousers, polos and waistcoats along with jackets and coats that all use these long established techniques.
Smart Casual Clothing
Tailored shirts : Classic Style
Our mens smart casual long sleeve shirts are hand cut and made using single needle stitching throughout for a cleaner finish while ensuring longevity to the shirts. Our shirt collections have always focused on finding a balance between formal and casual menswear which is achieved through the contrasting collar and cuff fabrics which we source from Canclini in Italy and Liberty London.
We offer a wide selection of 100% US PIMA / Egyptian cotton shirts in popular weaves including poplin shirt, Oxford shirt, denim shirt and corduroy shirt along with linen shirt which is ideal for warmer days and climates.
In addition to single button shirts, we also manufacture double cuff and long sleeve button down shirts.
Jeans
Jeans historically would never have been a part of an outfit that would be defined as smart casual. However times have changed and when paired with the correct top, shoes and jacket one can certainly pull off a mens smart casual look.
Like create your own trousers we also the same option for with create your own mens smart casual jeans which is available in three different builds; slim, medium and classic leg to ensure the perfect fit.
Trousers with three leg cuts: classic, medium and slim fit
We offer our mens tailored trousers in three popular cloths; moleskin, corduroy and classic twill for our men’s chinos. When developing a smart casual outfit with any of these trousers, the choice of colour remains the first consideration along with the top and jacket that will accompany it.
Trousers need to be comfortable and as a result we source cotton cloths from Brisbane Moss which include a just small amount of elastane for stretch that leads to better wear ability and manoeuvrability.
Our chino collection is very versatile and also perfect for business casual.
Smart Casual Men Jackets
We manufacture three type of men's smart casual jacket uk; field jackets, mens Harrington jacket and bomber jackets. All these
iconic jackets carefully blend tradition with modern styling.
Our field jackets are the perfect addition to any men’s wardrobe offering both
effortless style and practicality. The jacket is very much in keeping with the original features that includes
four exterior pockets and shoulder epaulettes along with button fastened cuffs.The jacket is available in grey, khaki green and navy and is finished with real
buffalo horn buttons, five pockets and a brushed check cotton lining.
The Harrington Jacket includes front slanted pockets and collar and cuffs that are fastened by adjustable antique copper press studs. Like the field jacket we also use a front YKK zip
and corduroy cloth for the interior collar and cuffs. This keeps the neck and wrists extra warm on a cold day.
Trench Coats
When it comes to mens smart and casual coats, our flagship mens trench coats available in stone, navy and black are incredibly versatile and can be dressed up or down as shown by our black trench coat above.
Our trench coats are made using an 8 oz water resistant cotton twill cloth from famous water proofing mill British Millerain. British Millerain have been proofing fabrics for over a century.
Not only will this fabric keep you dry and warm but is also very luxurious to touch and drapes wonderfully. We use the same cloth for our other men's field and harrington jacket and ladies trench coat collection.
Waistcoats
Men's Waistcoats can be a great smart casual option and an excellent intermediate layer between our tailored shirts and outer jackets. Often reserved for a three piece suit or part of mens smart casual for wedding, waistcoats are worth consideration and their degree of formality is connected to the colour and texture of the fabric along with collar options.
Polo shirt collection
Our men's polo shirts are great casual wear. Made with the finest pique cotton from Italian shirting mill Canclini and finished with contrasting fabric inside the collar. We offer both traditional and granddad collar options with our navy polo shirt remaining a firm favourite. Polo shirts are a great alternative to a tailored shirt for summer and pair well with tailored chino shorts.
First Class Tailoring
Often overlooked, quality tailoring remains a critical component to pulling off a smart casual outfit and is at the heart of all the items of clothing we manufacture from our trench coats to twill chinos.
Luxury materials
When constructing an outfit, never underestimate the importance of the quality materials that are used to make each item of clothing. The right fabrics offer texture and depth of colour that enhance an outfit. Other materials also play an important role like the real leather buckles on our trench coats along with contrast brown and grey corozo button options on our shirts, sourced from British button maker Courtney and Co.
Made in England
All our smart casual mens clothing is designed, hand cut and made at our Suffolk factory by experienced tailors and seamstresses. We use traditional tailoring techniques on every garment that leads to the creation of timeless clothing that will remain a wardrobe staple for years to come.
As Henry Ford once said "quality means doing it right when no one is looking". This is certainly true when it comes to manufacturing our clothing. There are a number of additional steps during our production process that
are not necessarily obvious on the finished garment, but makes a huge different to both its wearbility and longevity. You will find many of the seams on our jackets, trousers and shirts are sewn not just once,
but often two or three times to ensure they will never fail.
Smart Casual Outfits For Specific Occasions
We have carefully curated a number of mens smart casual outfits to cater for all weather and occasions.
Mens smart casual for weddings
When it comes to a smart casual wedding outfit then you cannot go wrong with a tailored shirt and pair of our men's chinos. We also always recommend adding a waistcoat
as this is traditional wedding attire for male guests. The waistcoat is the defining wedding attire feature that seperates your outfit from your typical work or evening wear. Our tweed waistcoats are veyr popular and come with and
without a collar depending upon your personal style and the formality of occasion. Consider a tie and matching handkerchief.
We always recommend that you check if there is a stated dress code on the invitation or ask the bride or groom. If you are attending a beach wedding then check out our
beach wedding attire blog.
Men smart casual summer outfit
For a men's smart casual summer outfit, our polo shirts, chino shorts and linen shirts are the excellent choices.
Our men's tailored linen collection includes traditional stripes and plain colours including white, navy and light blue and incorporate the same signature styling
used in many of our shirt designs. For example in our light blue linen shirt this includes Liberty London "queue at the zoo " print inside the collar and cuffs. We also have brown corzo buttons
from Courtney and Co.
Men winter smart casual outfit
When it comes to a mens winter smart and casual outfit it is all about the layering and choice of fabric. Our mens moleskin and corduroy trousers remain a popular choice as they offer excellent warmth coupled with our tweed waistcoats or gilets. Our field jacket remains the best all round winter option.
Mens office smart casual
For those looking for appropriate mens smart and casual work wear then we recommend our flagship trench coats coupled with our navy or black chinos. The combination is a timeless and classic style that will always make a positive impression.
Smart casual for the races
If you are going to the races and want to ensure you are suitably smart casual mens races then we recommend our trench coats coupled with chinos. It is the perfect mens smart casual outfit.
Frequently asked questions
Is there a defined smart-casual dress code?
There is no one single defined smart-casual dress code. That said if you style our clothing as shown in this blog, you can be confident that you will always be ok with a dress code.
Conclusion
To successfully wear smart casual you need to carefully consider your body shape and appreciate the importance of the fabrics and traditional tailoring methods used in making each item of clothing. We hope the blog has proved useful and given some ideas that you can use going forward.
Shop our mens smart casual collection
Discontinued items
Since closing our Bury store we no longer sell mens blazer, baby clothing or our ladies shirt dress. We do still offer mens accessories such as our popular boxer short collection.
Sustainability and Size
I cannot leave this blog without mentioning sustainability. It means many different things to many different people. It is well known that the fast fashion industry does enormous harm to the environment, particularly oil based fabrics and single use garments. You should consider this fact every time you shop for clothing. Here at WISC we make classic garments that are built to last from natural fabrics to help minimise our impact. They are designed to be worn again and again without losing their shape or appearance. Multiple use also means that they become value for money. We also make most of our products to order so that unwanted stock is never a feature. Size is also a factor in sustainability. If clothes fit well they will be used a lot and the issue of returns for ill fitting garments becomes redundant. We stress this on our site and in addition to an extensive detailed size guide, we offer a special ‘design your own trouser’ section for this very reason. If you generally purchase off the peg chinos for example and try to make them fit, why not visit our website with your measurements and we will make you a pair. Going forward we continue to look at ways of improving our sustainability credentials further. You should also always consider recycling or donating any clothes you really don't want or need.
We Make a Wide range of Smart Casual Clothes
Here at WISC we make a selection of smart casual products for both men and women including trench coats and boxer shorts. All are made from the best material and manufactured to the same exacting standards. Our collections are on sale to view and buy online so why not pop onto our site and put something in your basket. You will be supporting British manufacture and of course they make great gifts tooFrequently asked Questions
What is Smart Casual or smart casual dress code?
Smart casual represents a style that is a step back from formal yet is still acceptable on those occasions requiring smart attire. Over the years what is considered a smart casual dress code has moved more towards the casual end of the scale
Can you wear jeans as part of a smart casual dress?
Once this would have been a no but a good smart pair of jeans would indeed now be considered acceptable. It is all about the jeans themselves. Ripped jeans for example would not be considered smart casual pieces.
Is a t shirt part of a mens smart casual outfit?
most would consider this goes beyond the boundary of smart casual dress and resides exclusively with casual outfits
Do you make all of your smart casual pieces in the UK?
Yes we design, cut and make all of our clothes, including tops and trousers at our own premises in Suffolk, UK
Do you Ship Worldwide?
Yes, we ship our clothes to 40 countries including the USA at favourable shipping rates. UK delivery is free
