"Smart Casual" IRL Meaning

[flummoxedhere]

entering a male dominated field, the dress code is technically smart casual but they all wear polos w terrible jeans and sometimes premium watches. we all have basic boots.

the guys prolly assume they r wearing nice jeans but they r really those super ill fitting, kinda straight kinda baggy, medium wash with thigh fading and occasionally even whiskering types.

how can i match their level without looking like a slob or too formal? i hate polos for myself n hv solid, black straight leg jeans. im thinking dress shirts or turtlenecks w jeans? or chinos n jumpers or a solid crew neck tee might b ok? as for a third piece so far i hv an antique leather blazer, structured cardi, n midi trench. im not sure how to pair things exactly or if these ideas r even good for the environment. everything i hv is neutral n in nicer (usually charity shop) fabrics but is mended, steamed, n cared for.

Well what will you be doing? Who will you interact with - the Public? Students? Clients? Indoors/ outdoors?

we work indoors n out, with the public n in our office so the boots n no skirts r a must

Is it 1995? Or is it really hard to type actual words?

You are not the only one flummoxed here 😊

😫

Crowd Interactions: the public and the office

Indoors and Outdoors

The Work: very lightly physical. mostly desk work though.

No-Gos: blazers, skirts, heels

You may be overthinking it, I don't think blokes will think that much about what you are wearing and whether you fit in.
Wear what you want and what suits you.
Smart casual just means not suits and not lounge wear.
Blouses, jeans, jumpers, neat t shirts, shirts, boots, trainers I would consider are the basics.
And a coat for outside.
My office is smart casual, not outside work though. I wear soft trousers from m&s and a top or blouse most days. A cardi or jumper if it's cold.

@Lambsydaisy
thank you!
it's just hard bc i dont hv anyone to directly compare myself to. like, they all hv unintentionally distressed jeans but i feel like if i wore even slightly more stylish jeans i would b endlessly judged. i dont want to stick out or hv my second hand clothes make me look like im trying too hard simply bc theyre not polyester or faded.

Wear something you’d be comfortable going out to lunch in. So not dinner (smart) and not hillwalking (casual) but meeting friends for lunch.

From the sound of your coworkers I don’t think anyone is going to judge your jeans or even notice whether the fabrics worn are natural or synthetic.

@GooseCreekandtheRiver
ty! maybe i am overthinking it.

in the past (on another job) a couple of ppl would separately comment things like "nice jumper" when it was a plain chunky cotton. i spiraled a little as i noticed everyone else had printed or blanket adjacent casual knitwear. anxiety being anxiety, i stopped wearing jumpers bc i could feel shark eyes on my back n ppl would ask me to do more whenever i didnt exactly fit the very casual formula.

unfortunately, my friends n i hv a funkier casual style that i dont think i could really pull off at work. it's modest but queer coded n full of vintage gems, etc.

I’m exhausted …

@flummoxedhere - go to the Uniqlo website. Observe the sort of clothes they’re selling. Pick the pieces from your own wardrobe that most resemble the latest Uniqlo collections.

If you are in the UK you are vastly overthinking. You do not have to match your male colleagues’ clothes or style. All that is required is that you turn up in clean clothes suitable for your working environment.

thanks, @Wordless , im exhausted too 😭

i get that it's very casual here but bc of past experiences i dont want to accidentally come across as trying too hard bc even "business casual" paired w casual can b seen as overly formal. im taking notes on everyone's advice, def hv uniqlo like basics

Nobody will care. My dd is military where smart casual is typically chinos and a polo shirt but she wears blouses typically

I think we all have our own level of comfort with these dress codes. If I wore jeans and boots I would off set it with a smarter jacket and top. If I wore wide legged trousers and trainers I would have felt ok with a more casual top. If I wore something like a chino in an olive green I probably would have worn a shirt with it. ( eg white button down ). I’m not suggesting that’s some formula but showing the balance that I liked. Jeans and a polo shirt isn’t smart casual to me it’s just casual.

Its important to feel like yourself in whatever you wear. Even if you feel your true style is alternative to the mainstream then there are ways you can incorporate it into a dress code. ( even if it’s diluted ). Having worked in a male environment 95% of them couldn’t remember what you wore if their life depended on it.

I also think you are overthinking this.
The clothes you describe the men wearing I would not put into a smart casual bracket. I would class them as basic wear. The next level from a dirty polyester tracksuit.
Wear what you feel is right for you and the practicalities of the job you do.
Trousers and a blouse with a cardigan or jumper in colder weather. A coat when you are outdoors.

If I was to wear jeans for work- which I can’t as my office policy is far smarter than that, then I would wear darker jeans. I detest polo shirts but would settle for a blouse or shirt or a t shirt.

@bababamama
thank you! a few of them r exmilitary so this is encouraging.

ty @Divebar2021 ! i hope im overthinking n there's no talk behind my back. it's just past experiences about even more casual workplaces and being privy to how they talk getting in my head

this is so valid, thank you @Summerlovingtheraspberries
i just hope my "elevated" (as in basic but not tattered) casual is not seen as trying too hard or anything

Perhaps focus on your grammar and typing before you worry about how you dress.

In a male environment wear whatever you like - as long as it is not very revealing or very tatty they won’t notice - are you really sure you would be judged? Because that wasn’t my experience at all. They didn’t really care

I normally hate AI generated posts but OP, I'm begging you, put your posts through AI to make actual words. You are not charged per character on Mumsnet.
And stop listening to your anxiety over clothing. Or anything really.

You are way overthinking this.

You don’t need to “match” what other people wear and in a male dominated environment no one will be judging you for your clothes unless they were actively inappropriate.

Pick a set of clothes that suits you, is practical for the actual job and that you like. People will get used to your style very quickly and never bat an eyelid.

Are the polo shirts the men wear uniform/organisational branded?

I worked in a not too dissimilar environment. I wore solid colour straight leg jeans (black, navy), company polo shirt, Blundstone boots and a company fleece. I sometimes swapped out the polo & fleece for a shirt or tee of my own and a jumper, depending on who I’d be seeing that day. Don’t overthink it. Just be practical.

thank you everyone for your reassurance and ideas!

a lifetime ago, when i was working minimum wage jobs i would occasionally get into trouble for outdressing female managers: i once wore a slightly nicer jumper when she wore a fussy discount cardi, which she then used to force me to take on outdoor work outside of my role. n another job i was dressing like my supervisor when a regional came in n had a talk about that/he had never noticed n she was reaching for any excuse to dislike me). so, going into a salaried position im a bit anxious about that sort of thing again. i also tend to blend in w the guys, so ive heard it all when they talked about lady's looks in more casually dressed jobs. so that's where the fear stems from 😅

now, if these faded polo tucked into £10 frayed jeans guys will not notice what i wear in this more mature career, would i be allowed to experiment a tiny bit? for example, i have thick charcoal/black cigarette jeans with faux distressed pocket trims i embroidered over with black pima. i could pair with them a dress shirt?

thick charcoal/black cigarette jeans with faux distressed pocket trims i embroidered over with black pima. i could pair with them a dress shirt?

Yes, that sounds very nice. And you’ll feel more relaxed if you still feel like you are expressing yourself a bit.

tysm 🥰 @GooseCreekandtheRiver