SMART CASUAL MONDAY

"Smart Casual" dressing  is a middle ground between business formal wear and street wear. It is a loosely defined dress code, casual, yet smart enough to conform to the particular standards of certain social groups.The whole idea behind "smart casual" outfits is to make the employees more relaxed and to allow them to better express themselves. This is all to make them more productive and happy at their workplace.

As a college instructor, there’s not a lot of pressure on me to dress up. If anything, it’s just the opposite. For one thing, I interact regularly with younger people and besides wearing business attire can be daunting and boring sometimes. Yet, there are days that  I want to set the sartorial bar high and express myself in a more corporate dress code. Days I just want to violate my bohemian standards of dressing.  It's a great thing that there's enough smart casual pieces in my "treasure trove" that I can incorporate in  my  day to day dressing to enjoy  my work in a more conservative yet stylish manner. Rule of the thumb: When you dress to impress, make sure that your confidence shows not only in your gait but in how you carry your business attire, as well.

THE SHAWL CARDIGAN

Rain keeps on pouring down here in the Philippines, but that doesn't mean you can't rock a slamming outfit while keeping yourself cozy & dry this season. Penshoppe, a local clothing company has conceived an amazing collection. The label offers some sort of shawl cardigan throwback, a reminisce of Steve McQueen effortlessly cool style. This classic sweater is noted with a rolled neck line, is reworked with a slimmer, more modern look than the old square cardigans.

The iconic Steve McQueen

Shawl Cardigan from J.Crew

Brad Pitt with Cate Blanchett (The Curious Case of Benjamin Button)

Shawl Cardigan from Ralph Lauren

Zac Efron

Daniel Craig