They might come in a nice dress and heels; they might come in jeans and a tee. To complete your outfit, choose a pair of chic block heels and add a few pretty accessories. Take that formality down one notch and you’re in black tie territory, which typically involves a tailless jacket, a waistcoat and a black bow tie. Hitting the right note with attire can be confusing. Read more: Guide to Smart Casual Attire. A smart-casual dress code includes a variety of options for men and women. Getty Images. Definition of dress code in the Definitions.net dictionary. Dresses are a staple of any women’s smart-casual wardrobe. While there is no one true definition, basically business casual attire is less formal than traditional office clothing but it still falls under “just professional enough” to be appropriate. Chief among them is that in a business casual environment, shirts for men usually have collars and the pants worn are khaki. Smart casual for women might include items like blazers, dresses, sweaters, trousers, skirts, blouses, heels, flats, jewelry and scarves. Information and translations of dress code in the most comprehensive dictionary definitions resource on the web. Western dress codes are dress codes in Western culture about what clothes are worn for what occasion. Black-Tie . SHOP THE LOOK . Definition of dress code noun from the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary. Meaning of dress code. That being said, if the event is in the morning there is some leeway on the length of the dress. When the dress code on an invitation reads, "cocktail attire," it suggests a dark suit worn with a tie (a navy or charcoal grey suit is best) for men, and a shorter, party-ready dress for women, such as a little black dress or even dressy separates like a skirt and blouse. Casual basically means “whatever you’d like—as long as it’s event appropriate.” Like business casual, casual dress is dictated in part by the nature of the event. It implies that employees have kicked their dressing up a notch from business casual into a smart and well-pulled-together look. They may be a staple of a man’s smart-casual wardrobe. Dress code definition, a set of rules specifying the garb or type of clothing to be worn by a group or by people under specific circumstances: a military dress code; The restaurant's dress code requires men to wear jackets and ties at dinner. The black structure pants by Ginger & Smart. Casual! As tempting as it may be to think of smart-casual to mean jeans and a nice top, this is not the case. Business casual is an ambiguously defined Western dress code that is generally considered casual wear but with smart (in the sense of "well dressed") components of a proper lounge suit from traditional informal wear, adopted for white-collar workplaces. Cocktail tops for women - a blazer top . For the ladies, a dress, skirt or pants are all lovely options. Casual Cocktail Attire. Select one in a lightweight fabric with a flattering drape for a lovely look. Sometimes, jeans paired with a nice button-down shirt or T-shirt and jacket are acceptable for a man. Learn more. As the name suggests, a smart casual dress code is suited to a more relaxed and laid-back wedding vibe. For men, it’s pretty basic. When in doubt you can’t go wrong with a pair of chinos and button down, or tee with a jacket. Extra Examples. Other similar dress codes also include black tie optional - which is generally used when people might be coming in from a business function and means you can either dress in black tie or business formal, creative black tie - which essentially means the host wants you to 'go big or go home', or lounge which is a reference to a lounge suit worn by men, but still refers to formal dressing for women. 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