I had a conversation with my classmate today about 'smart casual'To her it was the perfect style. She could go to work, then go out after work and feel dressed appropriately for each occasion.
Fair enough. A perfectly respectable and understandably pragmatic view.
Not my view though.
Whenever I'm not at work I like to dress casually. When I'm at work, I'm happy to dress smartly and put on a suit if needs be.
Anything in between feels like an unhappy halfway house.
My classmate asked me if I really wanted to keep my 'work' and my 'life' separate?
The trouble is for me that 'smart casual' feels like work values encroaching onto my personal life rather than the other way around. I want a more happy marriage between my 'work' and 'life'. But for me, that means doing work in clothes that I like to wear.
Maybe it really all comes down to a question of style and associations. After all, smart casual suits my classmate and for my friend I'm guessing it represented sophistication and to a certain extent glamour. For women in general, there seems to be a lot more flexibility, a lot more choice and a lot more expression when it comes to dressing for the office.
For me though, the whole idea smacks of corporate values and 'business as usual. Its the illusion of wearing what you want at work. Its work trying to make itself appear more friendly and relaxed and personal when in reality its no such thing. Its work trying to pretend that its no different from your private life. Its work trying to make its values the center of your life. And it requires the purchase of a whole new wardrobe for the privilege.
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