'Smart business casual'

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Caporegime
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13 May 2003
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Warwickshire
Hi all

I'm starting a new job tomorrow and the dress code is smart business casual. I'm not that familiar with this dress code, my current thoughts are to wear a suit with a coloured (but not gaudy) slightly less formal shirt and no tie.

Along the right lines do you reckon? Or is the first day in an office job like an interview, i.e. suit no question?

I wore a suit and tie on the first day at my previous position, but nobody else had one on and the tie was gone by lunch time.

Maybe I'll put a tie in my pocket just in case...I don't want to look like a pretentious douche, but then I don't want to look too casual on my first day either.

Tl;dr: what the hell is smart business casual?!
 
I googled smart business casual for you and found this, I hope it helps.

E5MqpX5.jpg
 
I'd dress as you suggested.
Better to go slightly OTT on the first day as you will clock what they class as business casual in 5 mins.

After that no problem.
 
Shirt, trousers, shoes, done. Definitely no tie.

Putting smart and casual in the description is pretty funny. What were people around you wearing when you interviewed?
 
It depends on culture of the office. The term has no strict definition. You're best off playing it safe for the first day and perhaps overdressing and then based on what other people in the office are wearing adjust your level of 'smartness' accordingly.

Smart Business Casual - I would interpret as you can get away without a tie or even go with a smart pair of chinos, shirt, blazer.
 
To be honest, it would help more if you told us the industry? I recently started a job that told me the same.I wore slacks (for want of a better description) smart shirt tucked in and smart shoes. 4 months down the line and its jeans, shoes and a casual untucked shirt. Then again some people are in jeans and t-shirts, and others in full suits (minus the tie).. Who knows!
 
Always err on the side of formal on your first day, nobody will take issue with you being overdressed, but you'll stick out like a sore thumb if you're underdressed.
 
Caged said:
Putting smart and casual in the description is pretty funny. What were people around you wearing when you interviewed?
Click to expand...

Its not smart and casual, it's smart casual. This means at the smarter end of the casual range. Shoes, trouser and shirt. No need for a suit jacket, although I'd perhaps stick a tie in my pocket just in case.
 
It means you can wear chinos in your colour of choice instead of black/grey suit trousers. A shirt is a given, as is no trainers (or variant thereof). The casual part pertains to the trousers.

No tie. What's the point in the casual part if you're going to wear a tie...
 
If unsure wear a suit on your first day, perhaps without a tie. Smart casual tends to mean shoes, trousers or tidy jeans/chinos (no rips or fades) open necked shirt and for me a jacket, but I like a jacket and have quite a few casual jackets (it's an addiction).
 
Wearing a suit on your first day is quite common. You'll probably then dress it down to smart shoes, trousers and a white/light blue shirt....

Once you've settled in you'll probably be comfortable in shirt, smart jeans/chinos etcetc...

but tis reasonable to be cautious initially just in case
 
benjii said:
I googled smart business casual for you and found this, I hope it helps.

http://i.imgur.com/E5MqpX5.jpg[img][/QUOTE]

Lol, now that would make an impression.

[quote="Caged, post: 27665916"]Shirt, trousers, shoes, done. Definitely no tie.

Putting smart [i]and[/i] casual in the description is pretty funny. What were people around you wearing when you interviewed?[/QUOTE]

Jeans. It was Friday both times.

[quote="Scam, post: 27665927"]To be honest, it would help more if you told us the industry? I recently started a job that told me the same.I wore slacks (for want of a better description) smart shirt tucked in and smart shoes. 4 months down the line and its jeans, shoes and a casual untucked shirt. Then again some people are in jeans and t-shirts, and others in full suits (minus the tie).. Who knows![/QUOTE]

Industry is financial services, it's a fairly big life assurance company.

[quote=gambitt]No tie. What's the point in the casual part if you're going to wear a tie...[/quote]

No point after day one, but aside from understanding what smart business casual meant, I was also interested whether or not people deliberately overdress on the first day of a new job.
Click to expand...
 
Last edited:
As above suit on first day and then move to trousers (not jeans) and shirt but tie and jacket not needed. Shoes but not trainers.
 
Shirt, suit trousers, smart shoes, no tie. Suit jacket is also reccomended. In many industries bussiness casual means bussiness forms without a tie.
 
Were you not shown around the offices? Did you not sit in reception and see other people coming and going? What were your interviewers wearing?

If you ignored or didn't notice all that, suit up but keep a tie in your pocket.
 
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