So, I received an invitation to a fantastic event I am very much looking forward to going to, but the dress code on the invite says "business/smart casual".
Now, I've always thought smart-casual should be hyphenated, but that's another matter altogether and much of the world seems to disagree with me, but my question is: what the clucking bell does "business/smart casual" actually mean? I can only imagine it refers to some very specific suit and shorts combo that is only usually seen on catwalks and amongst the sartorially ridiculous.
I've made smart-casual mistakes before. One of the first press trips I ever embarked on involved this sort of dress. I asked a PR what it meant, and she unhelpfully said: 'Well, it means smart or casual. Don't be too smart but don't be too casual'. Knowing that, variously, teachers have described me as 'not too smart' and 'overly casual' I opted for a suit and shirt... predictably everyone else had gone for jeans and I looked like a bit of a twit.
Anyway, to solve the "business/smart casual" problem I've opted for the following outfit:
