The great irony of our present age is that newly loosened dress codes, often identified as “business casual,” smart casual,” etc, leave attendees scratching their heads rather than feeling relaxed. It’s because these guidelines, unlike the old-world directives including “business” or “black tie”, don’t mandate a single suit of clothes. Instead, they leave it up to the wearer to decide what trouser should be paired to which jacket, creating just a bit more work in the process.

But as you’ll soon learn, pairing casual separates is much less of a challenge than you might think. In addition, it allows the wearer to blend a greater number of fabrics, patterns and colors into a single ensemble, greatly enhancing the number of possible outfits and the fun in creating them.

What are Casual Separates? 

Broadly defined, the term “casual separates” or “smart casual” most often refers to a sport jacket worn with non-matching trousers and a shirt without a tie. It’s an attractive way to differentiate the wearer from the purely casual street clothes worn by many on a day-to-day basis, while still falling below the formality level of a suit. 

What casual separates shouldn’t be are the elements of a typical business suit worn independently of one another. Business suits are typically made of finer, worsted wools, while fabrics that have a more identifiable texture such as tweed woolens, hopsacks and linens have an easier time matching to odd trousers or even jeans. 

If you wear a sleek wool suit jacket with denim, the combination will instantly appear “off” to any onlooker, no matter their range of sartorial knowledge. Conversely, the same rule applies to suit pants worn with any other jacket aside from their own.

In addition to textures, there’s also the question of shine. Finely spun fabrics with a bit of sheen will always look “suity”, while fabrics that are more matte in appearance will read more casual and can be worn separately with far more success. 

Casual Separates for Spring and Summer

Following the advice laid out above, the warm weather fabrics with the greatest smart casual utility are linen, hopsack, high-twist wool, and blends such as wool, silk and linen. Linen stands on its own as a matte fabric with an open weave that naturally signals dressed-down nonchalance. 

Wools such as hopsack and high-twist, meanwhile, differentiate themselves from glossy worsted wools or Super 150s thanks to open weaves that leave them more textural (and naturally breathable and wrinkle-resistant). Finally, wool silk linens have earned their spot in the spring and summer rotation thanks to a hybrid blend that leaves them looking matte, feeling crisp, and most importantly, airy and lightweight. 

Casual Separates for Fall and Winter

Casual separate options for fall and winter abound, most notably in the instance of tweed. However, that particular woolen fabric does not have a monopoly on smart casual for the colder months. One might also wish to consider a more richly textured wool such as flannel or even cashmere, while also leaving room for the raised wales of corduroy or the tactility of a heavy brushed cotton.

Fabrics

As mentioned earlier, the wearer is spoiled for choice when considering their options for casual separates. But there are a few places we’d recommend they began the search.

Of particular warm-weather interest is Proposte Abiti by Loro Piana, which is composed of elegant wool, silk and linen blends. Meanwhile, Comfort Zone from Huddersfield Fine Worsteds elegantly trades in corduroys, moleskins and cotton twills that could make up a fall/winter trouser or sport jacket. And finally, Dugdale’s Tropicalair supplies high twists and mock lenos that prove the ideal raw material to a spring/summer sport coat.