Professional, smart casual, and stylish casual: What to wear for each occasion
DIFFERENT events call for a different dress code but sometimes understanding what to wear for each occasion can be stressful. Trinity College Foundation Studies students Victor Zhu, Tess Zheng and Michael Lee guide students on what to wear for the right occasion!
Sometimes deciding what to wear can be difficult but when you receive an invitation or alert stating to come dressed professionally, casually or the head-scratching category that is smart casual, it can exasperate the dressing dilemma.
To quell students worries on what to wear and how to properly dress yourself for various occasions, our guide and advice for students wishing to impress for every occasion will no doubt have you standing out from the crowd.
Model: Victor Zhu | Photo: Michael Lee
Professional
This can be quite simple but also impressive. First, professional styles always mean suits with ties paired with a solid coloured shirt, which leaves people an impression of being sharp and competent.
If you want to add an extra sense of style to your outfit, shirts with delicate and colourful prints can also be great. Also, it is important that you choose footwear of neutral colours because the harmony of the whole attire is highly emphasised by one’s professional standards.
Most importantly, do not forget to pay attention to the details. Iron your shirts regularly and keep yourself well groomed. It is the details that make you a true gentleman.
Model: Myra Chen | Photo: Tess Zheng
Smart casual
Smart casual can be usually quite tricky to define, especially for young women. If you’re fed up with wearing an indistinctive t-shirt, jeans and plimsolls, try these alternatives.
For easy dressing and every day looks, try a striated sweater and pair it a washed denim jacket worn on the outside, giving a more chic design aesthetic overall. A washed denim jacket follows the current trend of retro style and for those worried about their figure, a big jacket like that can help make you look slimmer.
As for the pants, instead of skinny jeans, culottes are expected to be the requisite fashionable items for the smart casual fashion daring. This type of leggier will help create slender ankles thus uncovering feet and helping you look taller; adding a more stylishly agile image.
Lastly, black leather ankle boots create a nifty and attractive temperament.
Model: John Jang | Photo: Michael Lee
Stylish casual
As university students, you want to dress smart and comfortably everyday. Coordinating your outfit to look good and, while knowing that you’ve kept affordable, is the key to looking stylish for class.
That being said, sometimes you do have to spend a little to impress and bomber jackets like the one worn on our model can go as high as $200. Investments on certain clothing can bring positive effects as a higher priced item can suggest better quality and better design. However branded clothing doesn’t necessarily mean you will get a strong composition. It is all about understanding your style and characteristics and if your tastes are expensive then investments may be recommended.
One of the recommended compositions we suggest include the combination of a bomber jacket, denim shirt, long pants, sneakers, and horn shades — an easy look that any guy can replicate.
The combination between denim shirt and black long pants has always been one of the priorities. In addition, a bomber jacket on top of this combination perfectly amplifies both aspects from vintage and classics. It also provides a sense of composure from the top to the bottom. Sneakers and horn shades are collateral however do help make the overall outfit more classy.
Did this guide help? Which outfits do you normally wear? And what would you recommend to students is the definitive definition behind each dress code? Sound off in the comments below if you have fashion tips for guys and girls for different dress situations.
This story was produced by Media and Communication students at Trinity College Foundation Studies as part of Meld’s community newsroom collaboration. Education institutions, student clubs/societies and community groups interested in being involved can get in touch with us via meld@meldmagazine.com.au.