Smart Casual

Whenever I go to parties (debutant balls, birthdays, reunions, anniversaries), I always almost wish that the invite would read "formal" or "semi-formal". For one, it requires me to purchase a dress and I can never be overdressed. And I'm sure, together with my dress, my mum would buy me a pair of sparkly strappy shoes to go with it. So when I see "Attire: Smart Casual", my brian kind of freezes up and refuses to wrap itself around the concept of "Smart Casual". What is it? Does it require to you look lax or professional? Should I wear my slick jeans or whip out my corporate skirts? Do I have to wear glasses to look smart? Ha ha ha.

I have approximately ten minutes to finish this post because in an hours time, I should be in a cab to Makati Shangri-la so my group and I can pass our portfolio so we can apply for a coveted internship slot. My professor, who we're going to meet up with, told us to go there at 8:30 am, bring our portfolio and be in Smart Casual. Uhm, what?

So this morning I actually asked my good friend Wikipedia to define what the hell smart casual is. This is what it said:

Smart casual (as distinct from Business casual) is a dress code which generally consists of a suit or sports jacket and/or a sweater (and other appropriate clothing). A tie is optional. As "smart casual" is not formally defined, the lines between it and the other casual styles are often blurred. See the link below, "Cracking the Dress Code", for details.

Current interpretations of Smart casual may vary from the more gentrified description above through to conservative, tailored street attire. This may include denim jeans with a collared shirt for men.

So uhm, what now? I'm still confused as ever and that's sad considering I turned to wiki and it tells me nothing.

So what do I do now? I'll rummage my closet and look for a safe and clean top with safe and clean slacks.

This entry has no resolution. It's just me telling how I hate "smart casual" because I'm pretty sure I have none in my wardrobe.

♥

UPDATE: A co-worker/batchmate defines it as "preppy and chic". Preppy I get, chic is just as obscure as smart casual and "sporty".