“Just smart casual is fine.” It’s the five words capable of delivering the world’s biggest eye roll. A dress code that is as nebulous and hard to pin down as our great galaxy. When does it end? How can you smarten it up? With a collar? Can you wear shorts? Is it leather shoes only? Do I wear a tie? Thankfully, help is here.
With a jarring recommencement of red carpet appearances from Hollywood’s biggest names, the Venice Film Festival has been the first instance we’ve seen some (those that have agreements in place with SAG-AFTRA and the WGA) of these figures on the red carpet. The canals of Venice, while home to plenty of dazzling formal looks, have also played host to some more pared-back outfits as celebs buzz around the Italian city. Both off-duty and red carpet looks have been proving to be winners for those of the opinion that smart casual is a state of mind, and while the outfits are no less sizzling in their chicness, they are also a little easier for us to pull off back home.
These actors and directors arriving to the piers and red carpets, are serving up some of the louchest, rakishly alluring, and subsequently appealing examples of smart casual—ripe for the picking for our upcoming warmer weather in Australia. Top buttons are left undone, ties are tied loosely around necks, if worn at all. Trousers are baggy, linen shirts are perfectly wrinkled and worn untucked. There’s an air of formality—it is a Film Festival after all—but there’s the understanding that it’s hot, and comfort comes first. There’s sandals with suits, sneakers with suits, as well as seersucker suits. Smart casual inspiration doesn’t come any better than in Italy.