Times have been changing fast, and fashion has evolved with time. Outfits that were considered as business wear probably a decade ago do not hold the same meaning today. New trends and styles are ever emerging in this fast-paced world, which means it is always best to keep yourself abreast with the latest trends and outfits so that you don’t look out of place. After all, you certainly don’t want to end up with the wrong outfit for any event.

Many of us know about the traditional business wear that is widely accepted in any professional environment, primarily in white-collar professions like banking and law firms. The term business casual, on the other hand, is a relatively new term, as this particular attire did not exist until recently. There were only day wear and evening wear, wherein men would sport a standard coat and suit for the workday and probably change into a tuxedo in the evening, mostly for dinners. These were the standard outfits for decades in the country and most of all the other western countries of the world.

History of business casual wear
During the 1960s, casual wear was worn only on weekends at home, and it was appropriate basically anywhere away from a professional environment, up until the concept of Aloha Fridays began in the country. At this point, local business owners were fine with their employees wearing a Hawaiian shirt and started allowing them to come to work in them, but only on Fridays. What initially started off as a practice at the local businesses went on to become a major trendsetter in the corporate world of the country. With time, business casuals emerged as a separate type of outfits by itself and went on to gain pace outside the country as well.

In a nutshell, business casuals can be categorized as sporting an outfit without the suit but also without the jeans, which meant a fine balance between both the worlds. This is just the general guideline, and getting into the specifics of business casuals would require one to understand the company and its culture, and how old is the person is as this would dictate how formal the outfit should be.

On a broader spectrum, there are certain outfits that would fit the description well even without knowing the specifics:

• A single-breasted blazer or sports coat in navy color can be considered as the single most essential element of a business casual outfit.
• A pair of neatly tucked in grey, charcoal, or navy pants are the essential choice for a business casual look. Also, a pair of chinos or khakis, sometimes even corduroy is appropriate.
• Shirts like a long-sleeved cotton Oxford dress shirt in light colors like blue or pastel with their top button undone.
• Shoes and boots other than the classic oxfords and derbies like a nice pair of loafers and such should perfectly finish the overall look.