Irish Fashion Guide: Smart Casual Occasionwear Dresses

 The idea of "smart casuals" emerged during the jazz era of the 1920s, when people in Europe began to value simplicity, changing the perception of ornate occasion wear dresses from the Victorian times. But the idea was more about men’s fashion, but during the 40s and 50s and the World War Era, a lot of fashion changed, and smart casuals became more of a utility than a fashion trend. 

Making Sense With Smart Casual Fashion 

There is a women’s boutique in Limerick that has an entire section dedicated to smart casuals and calls them work-life-balance fashion for a good reason. 

Making sense, let's have a fashionable look at a productive Friday. 

You start the day by dressing comfortably for work and heading to the office via public transport or driving. During lunch, you meet your pals and check out a nearby restaurant on foot. Return to the workplace after that, meet clients, and just as you are about to log off after a hard day’s work in the evening, a call from a colleague invites you to a bar or nightclub because Thank God It's Friday! 

The feel-good aspect that comes with the most at-ease and appropriate attire enhances what appears to be a healthy work-life balance. Your day is wrapped up in smart casual clothing that can handle everything and look gorgeous. Whether you are walking your way or travelling by bus, spending long hours at a desk job, or letting your hair down at a nightclub, You are comfortable in what you are wearing, including the shoes. This comfort level makes more sense. 

Smart Casuals Started With Menswear, But Now Womenswear Can Take Good Inspiration

Smart casuals are not casuals, but informal clothing. They were mostly associated with men’s clothing, but you may head to any Irish boutique online for women that seems to grasp the idea of fun workwear for women. 

This kind of fashion utilises polished business wear minus the bulk of dressing up and any discomfort that comes with it. So, smart casuals fuse the crispness of business class dressing and the comfort level of casual dressing to create a suave, chic and colour-coded fashion. 

So while it doesn’t work to wear cartoon graphic tees and ripped shorts to the office, it is okay to wear denim mixed with a fun flowing blouse, or a crisp business dress with a fun cutout. 

Comfort Rules Fashion: Smart Casuals Are High In Demand In Irish Workwear.

Let’s talk about shoes first. What do you wear to work? Not dusty sneakers, perhaps? But how about canvas oxford shoes? Or loafers? They will look good. 

Similarly, whether it is men’s fashion or women’s smart casuals, demand clean, minimalist, and crisp clothes, not something that looks grungy or just thrown in. Coordinated prints, fine fits, and layers are the core elements of this fashion, and when you get it, it makes you feel good about yourself. That’s something you can wear every day, and most on special occasions. Call it practical power dressing.