OK, I'm not going all UBS on you, I don't see the need for strict dress codes at work but I am a bit upset to learn that smart casual is 'in' and classic business suits are on their way out. Some may say this is a good thing, after all, who trusts a city banker or politician these days? I've never been a fan of dress-down Fridays, mainly because I would never go to work wearing the stuff I shuffle round the house in. That's Not My Age loves casual glamour, but as far as I'm concerned smart casual = scruffy. Checked shirts and chinos look fine on a 1960s university campus but don't have a place in a grown-up office environment. And anyway, surely it's better to dress up? Isn't that why everyone loves Mad Men? This may be easy to say if, like myself, you don't have to wear a suit to work every day, but there's no denying that a spot of elegant tailoring looks professional, sexy and smart. Think Savile Row, Yves Saint Laurent's Le Smoking and Lauren Hutton in Tom Ford...
Smart casual or smart suit? Which do you prefer?
Photos
Cary Grant: BFI
Patrick Grant: mensflair.com
Lauren Hutton: Harper's Bazaar
YSL tuxedo: Helmut Newton
I would usually automatically agree with you, but I was watching Mary Portas with the real estate agents the other night and I thought 'those people would seem so much mroe trustworthy if they weren't wearing suits'. Think about it - it seems like only bankers and salespeople wear suits anymore, and so often they are cheap and nasty suits. I would actually prefer to see people well dressed in decent quality casual clothing, than badly dressed in a cheap suit (which they don't spend proper money on because they don't actually like wearing it).
ReplyDeleteMargaret's taken the words out of my mouth. There's some hideously cheap and nasty suits around these days, not many people can stretch to bespoke so I'd perfer to see quality casual wear (with the exception of Chinos which are the trousers of the devil). xxx
ReplyDeleteI love a man in a business suit but most of the men in my adult life had worked in offices so have had to wear one, which is good. I love Tom Ford in a suit - what a waste of a man!
ReplyDeletePenny & Vix - you're so right about the cheap suits and yes it is possible to look smart in casual wear, it's just the concept of smart casual I dislike. I have this romantic, old-fashioned fondness of classic suits and brogues, even though I spend my life in jeans!
ReplyDeleteLove a good suit on a man. Note 'good' suit. Worn with good shoes ... I actually enjoy shopping with Spouse when he needs a new one (works in a corporate law firm, so no cheap suits possible). Cheap suits are indeed awful, but so is much business casual wear (or how it's worn). I think for men, particularly, it's difficult - if the uniform is no longer an option, they're at a bit of a loss ...
ReplyDeleteI love a man in any style suit as long as it's a good one. Have a wonderful weekend xx
ReplyDeletePS. Weren't the suits on the Mary Portas mobile phone show shocking?!! xx
ReplyDeleteSome of the men in my office really over do casual Friday's - hoodies and jeans! Its not a look I really like in the office and it gets worse in the summer shorts with flip flops so I have to endure hairy toes as well!!! Bring back smooth charmers like Cary Grant
ReplyDeleteMr FF wears beautiful suits 5 days a week mainly Canali, Pal Zileri and Zegna (look he is 48, what do you expect?) I loathe a cheap suit and don't wear suits myself. I always dress up for Play Clothes Friday. Casual doesn't have to = Crappy. xxxxxxxx
ReplyDeleteTiffany - You're right, I know it's a bit of a generalization but the dress-down option does seem to leave people floundering. It's just an excuse to dress badly.
ReplyDeleteTea - blimey your office sounds like The Social Network! Jeans and hoodies are OK if you're twenty but hairy toes...
FF - from what I can gather The Young Mr FF has a fine selection of suits and ties. Now is Play Clothes Friday the Australian version of dress-down? That's a much better name.
There is just something about a man in a suit, a good suit that is. Personally i'd love to go back to the days where men wore suits every day and women wore dresses but I don't think i'm going to get my wish!
ReplyDeleteP.s. The photo of the woman standing in the street wearing the black suit and smoking a cigarette is by Helmut Newton. Amazing photographer!
Kayl - oops I forgot to credit the Newton pic (it's one of my favourites too)
ReplyDeleteHis autobiography is amazing, I literally couldn't put it down. Did you ever see the Rankin programme "The Seven Photographs that Changed Fashion" Really interesting programme, he recreated this image and the original model was there to make sure everything was right. She's still stunning!
ReplyDeleteMost people's take on casual wear isn't the same as my idea of "smart casual wear".
ReplyDeleteI wish more people dressed smartly- in a suit or otherwise.
After my other comment today, I realized that I had found your blog before! Well, anyway, glad I visited again. I'll be back. :)
I will dress a smart suit for fun. It's so great to still have my uncle's suits! There are lots ofdiscount suits for men in stores, just spend quality time finding them.
ReplyDeleteBusiness suit and smart suits will live a long life because they're classy and they never fail to impress people.
ReplyDeleteSmart suits that use "I'm not a banker" fabrics! That's my vote.
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