Deciphering Dress Codes: Defining “Business Casual” in 2025
Four Canada-based business professionals shed light into the current climate of corporate dress codes and what they feel best wearing to work.
What does “business casual” mean to you? Chances are, your answer’s different to the next person’s – even if they’re your coworker.
Hybrid office schedules, remote roles, and an overall casualization of workplace dress codes has left us in a precarious position as it relates to what we wear to work. The dubious definition of “business casual” has eluded clarity for years, while those who regularly venture into the office tend to value clothes that ‘fit in’ more than make a statement.
The truth is, depending on your industry, profession, and personal style, “business casual” can mean a variety of things. Once unanimous in meaning, the current definition is closer to ambiguity than certainty, and with uncertainty comes opportunity – in this case, to set your own guidelines.
Whether it serves as outfit inspiration or simply a glass door into an industry of interest, we’ve asked four Canadian professionals working in fields from Management Consulting to Construction Management to describe their workplace dress code, how they interpret it, and what they feel best wearing to work.
BL: “I work in interior design and construction project management.”
DS: “Management Consulting with a focus on Customer and Employee Experience Design.”
ATWA: “I’m in the strategy consulting/advising ecosystem, primarily working directly with Chief Marketing Officers of Fortune 500 corporations, large not-for-profits, and culturally relevant emergents. Clients are agnostic of industry – tech, finance, gaming, fashion, CPG, etc.”
NS: “I work in the tech industry and run a Managed Service Provider. MSPs are typically used to manage IT services like security, networking, and applications. My service provides cost-effective technology solutions, increased productivity, and reduced downtime.”
BL: “I provide interior architecture and decoration for various residential and commercial spaces. I present layouts, concepts, and materials to clients and then order them and oversee delivery and implementation.”
DS: “My advisory firm, The Experience Advisors, helps organizations to improve their customer and employee experiences. In my role as Managing Partner, I oversee teams of consultants and designers who help our clients improve their operations. I am constantly meeting with industry leaders in both a knowledge sharing and business development capacity and I work with our internal partners to set the vision and direction of the business.”
ATWA: “Principally, I advise stakeholders (usually CMOs and Head of Brands, sometimes CEOs) of large enterprises on brand and product work for their business. However, when you become a trusted advisor/problem solver for a senior exec and the ethos of the work is transformational, the scope often extends to be closer to the business – to GTM strategy and organizational design for example.”
NS: “I’m one of the founders of LOOP IT Group, a high-performance Managed Service Provider designed to save new, existing, or transitioning businesses from tech mishaps. My role exists to provide my clients with the inside scoop and expert advice on cost-effective technology solutions, grail products, how to secure data, and more.”
BL: “My work is split between my office and visiting job sites. I spend a lot of time in the car! I try to keep my hours within the standard Monday-to-Friday, nine-to-five, but to accommodate busy schedules I will occasionally meet clients on evenings and weekends.”
DS: “Our team lives and works across Canada in a remote-by-default setup where we meet-up in person with our team or clients as required. While I'm a huge believer of the power in-person connections, I also love the ability to grow our team in all regions of Canada.
“We live in Toronto and I work from home. A typical day for me can include a client workshop, an interview with a new recruit, some strategic time thinking/working on improving our business, and possibly a networking dinner. We have a 4-month-old baby boy at home, so my new normal is quite different than life pre-kids and I try to help out, especially around bedtime from 5 - 7:30 p.m.”
ATWA: “You could argue that my work week looks like a series of meetings. And if meetings (done well) are a way to communicate with others, then my work week mostly consists of yapping and listening to others yap. Boardrooms, meeting rooms, virtual rooms, a bar or restaurant, etc."
NS: “My work week changes day by day. I have an active agenda and destinations can be anywhere from client sites, our HQ, or the counterpoint workstation WFH. We’re not just around for “business hours”—LOOP IT’s services are offered up anytime and anywhere. Our clients turn to us for our reliable support and fast response time whenever they need it, which keeps me and the rest of our team alert at all times.”
BL: “Designers and tradespeople dress very differently, so I'll stick to commenting on designers only. Work dress is typically smart-casual, with an eye to safety particularly when it comes to footwear. I like to keep my style cool and approachable, whereas other people may dress more formally. I like to stay chic and current to convey a sense of contemporary fashion, which my clients may look to me for.”
DS: “We work with a range of clients in the public and private sector in industries such as Finance, Insurance, Consumer Goods, Transportation, and Logistics. When meeting with new clients, the dress code is a slightly elevated business-casual (e.g., dark denim, dress shirts, sports jacket) and then we typically settle into smart-casual (e.g., knitted polos or dress shirts) once we get into project work.
“We organize a lot of events, so those tend to be more business-casual and sometimes more formal. And, I'll never say no to a black-tie charity event!”
ATWA: “My industry probably varies more than many others. Where you are in the ecosystem, your function, and seniority are often the most meaningful variables.
The consultant types lean into the finance bro uniform (read: Patagonia vests), the creatives show off their recognition of the zeitgeist by dressing like a patron of Queen West, and tailoring is introduced by those who lean more senior and/or business-y.
Folks often signal which lane they belong to, and the lanes are well defined (with a small sandbox for discretion). There are many exceptions to the rule but an attempt at a truly novel style perspective is rare. Categorizing whether it’s business casual, smart casual, or everyday casual is not an easy exercise because none of the distinctions between these categories are immediately recognizable or consistent.”
NS: “Smart casual. My definition? A relaxed ‘working’ look that needs to keep up with the active (breakneck) pace of the industry. The drawback is, relaxed in attitude can mean technophiles sleep on trends, so I try to be original.
“It’s a sartorial decision but I like to dress uncomplicated, uncontrived, and quietly attractive to keep the focus on work. I reach for pieces with timeless, everlasting appeal... staples that move in and out of my closet all year long. It’s important to be ready for anything, anytime – desk to dinner to disco.”
BL: “I feel best in a comfortable pair of work appropriate pants or dark jeans, and shirts that have a collar – typically either lightweight knits or casual dress shirts. I wear a lot of baseball hats to keep things relaxed, and I like to accessorize with gold jewellery. I think most outfits look more elegant in darker colours so I tend to stick with those!”
DS: “I miss my days of wearing suits and ties to work, but sadly those would be seen as overly formal with our clients. My go to preference is a dark pair of jeans, dress shirt, and stylish sports jacket as the standard base.
“Depending on the season, I'll wear some more stylish sneakers, dress shoes, or boots. I believe it's the little extras (e.g., footwear, belts, pocket squares, outerwear) that can really pull a look together. I've also been wearing a lot more light knitted shirts and long-sleeve polos when working remotely on video calls.”
ATWA: “Relaxed tailoring is the central pillar of my wardrobe; think cozy high-napped fabrics like cashmere or flannel, unstructured shoulders, floating lining collars, and drapey cuts. About 80% of the time, one or two pieces of my ‘fit are tailoring – often a sports coat and/or trousers – paired with a more casual piece like denim, a cashmere sweater or vest, a goat suede cropped blouson, a knitted polo, etc.
“The rest of the time is fancy pants time, when I need to facilitate the boardroom, present to the management committee, close a deal, etc. Here I’ll likely be in a full suit, a spread collar shirt and a tie (hand rolled and unlined, don’t worry!).”
NS: “Investment buys are preferred. I want things that work hard and, if possible, work more than one way. My style playbook for a great workday wardrobe is separating a two-piece suit and making the split official by sliding the jacket over jeans or pairing the pants with a classic white t-shirt or cable knit sweater. I gravitate towards pieces with long-term quality that work longer and harder and finish off every look by injecting some personality through accessories.”
