11 Oct Jeans, a T shirt and a silk scarf will take you anywhere!
Apparently, the phrase ‘smart casual’ strikes fear into the hearts of otherwise confident, educated people identifying primarily as adults. Over in this corner though, we’re kind of oblivious to dress codes. In our world, we’re either dressed appropriately for the weather and the job at hand, or we’re not. How hard can it be? For the job of meeting with your churchy conservative boss, a clean shirt devoid of both political messages and unimpeded views of your boobs. For the job of happy-hour two-for-one cocktails, something fun and possibly sparkly, plus flat shoes. Something stretchy, machine washable and preferably camouflage-printed for the job of wrangling human beings under five. (We concede that cocktails with under-fives present a sartorial challenge but feel confident it could be done.)
But for those operating in the arcane world in which dress codes matter, smart casual appears to be a nerve-rackingly indistinct category. Being both entirely unqualified to advise yet also opinionated, we have this to say:
A pair of jeans, a T shirt and a silk scarf will take you bloody anywhere.
Yes, anywhere.
Meeting colleagues for drinks after presenting at a conference? Dark wash jeans, black T shirt and a scarf which is just the shot of colour you need along with that vodka shot.
Attending a creative event? Jeans of innovative cut and detail. Fine white T shirt. Your scarf has an unexpected digital print.
Interning as part of your degree? Non-busted-knee skinnies. Fairly clean oversized T shirt. Colourful scarf.
Lunch with your book club in an art gallery cafe? Tidy grey jeans. Organic cotton T shirt in a subtle colour. The colours in your scarf harmonise most cleverly with the T shirt.
Participating in a weekend team building exercise? Blue jeans. Horrible polyester-rich T shirt supplied by the company. Its colour doesn’t suit you AT ALL and that’s where the scarf comes in – its flattering colours visually separate that damn shirt from your face. And it stops your neck itching.
We rest our case.
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