and when to break them

Written by JOANNE RICHARD for the Toronto Sun

Menswear can be a minefield. You have to know the fashion rules — and when to break them. So if you’re going casual, guys, go smart casual or go home.

Smart casual is a great way to introduce a less formal flair into the workplace and add a punch of personality. When business casual first entered the workplace, it was bad news as it “rapidly declined to ill-fitting khakis and over sized golf polos,” says Tia Katz, head stylist at gotstyle.ca.

Katz is on a mission to add smart to casual. “The vast majority of corporations are realizing that casual has been taken too far and now are strongly encouraging employees to dress up appropriately.”

When pulled off, smart casual sends a message of professional, well-dressed, comfortable and confident, says Katz.

“If the look is not constructed appropriately, it conveys a message of lost and confused. It usually looks something along the lines of ‘about to go meet a client’ and ‘about to take the kids to the park’ all in one outfit,” says Katz, of Gotstyle menswear stores in Toronto. “A bad outfit is usually more noticeable than a good one.”

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