smart casualadj.n.
/ˌsmɑːt ˈkaʒʊəl/, /ˌsmɑːt ˈkaʒjᵿl/, /ˌsmɑːt ˈkazjʊ(ə)l/, /ˌsmɑːt ˈkaʒ(ə)l/, U.S. /ˈsmɑrt ˌkæʒ(ə)wəl/, /ˌsmɑrt ˈkæʒ(ə)wəl/, Australian English /smʌːt ˈkæʒ(ə)wəl/ Originally North American; now chiefly British and Australian.
A. adj.
Designating or characteristic of (a style of) dress which is informal yet smart, esp. smart enough to conform to a particular dress code.In quot. 1924 not a fixed collocation.
ΚΠ
1924 Davenport (Iowa) Democrat & Leader 24 Mar. 11 The sleeveless dress..gives a smart casual appearance.]
1936 Toronto Daily Star 17 Mar. (advt.) All the smart casual brims ‘Caverley’ does so well—in colours that accent your tweeds and prints.
1945 N.Y. Times 18 June 16/5 Slim, tall and athletic of build, she is the ‘shirtwaist and suit’ type. Perhaps that accounts in a measure for her understanding of what the smart casual look in dress requires.
1966 Times 16 Dec. 15/6 Smart casual wear..form [sic] the basis of a man's après ski wardrobe, but he should take more than a change of polo-necked sweaters.
1988 Courier-Mail (Brisbane) 27 Sept. 17/2 Jennifer is a 20-year-old Alternative, with short platinum hair.., bright face, smart casual clothes and heavy worker's boots.
1996 World's Fair 11 Oct. 10/3 (advt.) Over 18s. Smart casual dress. Music to please all.
B. n.
A garment or outfit in this style; (also) this style of dress.
ΘΚΠ
the world > textiles and clothing > clothing > types or styles of clothing > [noun] > other
disguise1340
disguisingc1386
shiftc1570
French cut1606
knaverya1616
small clothes1625
small storesa1643
nugging-dress1699
kilting1721
fancy dress1770
under-habit1772
man-millinery1790
sheen1802
costume1818
ingubu1833
bedizenment1837
tat1839
extravaganza1860
rational dress1873
rubber1876
pearly1890
new look1920
collection1921
Daks1933
smart casual1943
separates1945
trapeze1958
Carnaby Street1965
haute boutique1966
kinderwhore1994
the world > textiles and clothing > clothing > types or styles of clothing > [noun] > other > article of
surplice1382
cento1610
fit1831
Tom and Jerry1832
breaster1841
princess cut1877
frump1886
trail1896
turn-down1896
peekaboo1908
see-through1937
zip-up1942
smart casual1943
classic1948
hipster1948
A-line1955
polo1967
tube1975
1943 Toronto Daily Star 1 Sept. 21 (advt.) Here's a smart casual that can commute from classroom to campus.
1969 R. Morris Island Treasure 103 They drink in separate bars at the harbourside Mermaid pub, and dress differently—the Regency crew in smart casuals, the Penzance crew in salty fishermen's sweaters.
1982 Financial Times (Nexis) 25 May iii. 12 Resorts have a definition of: ‘smart-casual’ in the evening, that is, in shorts, jeans or T-shirts.
1995 S. Nye Best of Men behaving Badly (2000) 4th Ser. Episode 3. 137/1 I thought we agreed on smart-casual for this evening. I think you're edging into casual-casual there.
2003 Church Times 14 Mar. 15/4 A trendy don, sporting what we might now call smart-casual.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, March 2013; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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adj.n.1936