Smart Casual... Without the corporate costume.
How to Keep Your Mod Style at the Office
Office dress codes have become a funny old thing.
The full suit and tie has disappeared from plenty of workplaces, but turning up in whatever happened to be lying on the bedroom floor isn't quite the answer either.
Enter smart casual – possibly the vaguest dress code ever invented.
The good news is that if you're partial to Mod style, you're already halfway there. Clean lines, proper collars, good knitwear and a decent pair of trousers have always been part of the look. The trick is keeping the heritage and personality while making it clear that, yes, you have actually come to work.
Here are five Quadrophenia Alley picks that'll do the job nicely.
Sergio Tacchini Young Line Polo – Peyote / Shitake Brown
A polo shirt might just be the unofficial king of smart casual, and we have this corker of a new arrival...
The Sergio Tacchini Young Line Polo brings a bit of retro sportswear into proceedings without looking like you're about to nip off for a game of five-a-side at lunch. Its classic polo shape and understated Sergio Tacchini branding keep things clean, while the Peyote and Shitake Brown colour combination feels particularly right as we head into autumn.
How to wear it: Pair it with dark brown, navy or charcoal chinos and clean, understated trainers. Add a lightweight Harrington for the commute and you've got an outfit that works just as well for Friday drinks as it does for the Friday morning meeting.
Basically, you're making an effort. Just not too much of one.
Gabicci Vintage Duke Turtle Neck Knit Jumper – Nutmeg Brown
Now we're getting properly sophisticated.
The Gabicci Vintage Duke Turtle Neck has that unmistakably sharp, retro feel without requiring a three-piece suit to accompany it. The clean turtle-neck silhouette gives you something smarter than the usual jumper, while the lightweight knit makes it easy to layer.
The Nutmeg Brown colourway also gives it a rich, autumnal feel without wandering into full pumpkin-spiced-latte territory. Better still, it's currently in the sale, making it an even smarter choice for your wardrobe and your wallet.
How to wear it: Try it with tailored black or charcoal trousers and black Chelsea boots or loafers. When it gets colder, throw a smart overcoat or Harrington over the top.
This is probably the pick for those days when there's an important meeting in the diary and you'd quite like to look as though you know what's going on.
Even if you don't.
Trojan Records Stripe Front Piqué Polo – Green
A little bit of Trojan heritage never hurt anyone's nine-to-five.
The Trojan Records Stripe Front Piqué Polo takes the traditional polo silhouette and gives it a bit more personality with stripe detailing across the front. It's exactly the sort of piece that works when a plain polo feels a little too safe but you don't particularly want your shirt announcing your arrival five minutes before you enter the room.
Trojan's clothing has its roots firmly in British youth culture, ska and reggae, so there's plenty of heritage behind the look too.
How to wear it: Keep everything else simple. Dark straight-leg trousers or chinos, clean shoes and perhaps a Harrington on top. Let the stripes do the interesting bit.
Smart enough for work. Still recognisably you.
Lambretta SS4026 Houndstooth Polo Shirt – Dark Blue
If you're after something with a little more pattern, reach for the Lambretta SS4026 Houndstooth Polo Shirt in Dark Blue.
The dark blue base keeps it smart and easy to wear, while the houndstooth pattern adds a distinctive Mod-inspired finish without making the outfit feel too loud for the office.
It is a great choice when the dress code says "smart casual" and nobody has bothered to explain what that actually means.
How to wear it: Pair it with navy tailored trousers or dark chinos for a sharp, tonal look. Finish with loafers, desert boots or clean trainers depending on just how casual your particular office considers "casual".
And perhaps keep a jacket nearby. It is Britain, after all.
Lambretta RWIS1472 SS Check Shirt – Burgundy/Gold
Sometimes only a proper shirt will do.
The Lambretta RWIS1472 SS Check Shirt in Burgundy/Gold brings a bit more pattern into the office without sacrificing that classic Mod influence. Check shirts have long sat comfortably alongside Harringtons, stay-pressed trousers and loafers, so this one shouldn't have any trouble earning its place in a heritage wardrobe.
It's also an easy way to add some personality when everyone else in the meeting appears to have received a memo instructing them to wear pale blue.
How to wear it: Keep the trousers plain and relatively tailored – black, navy or charcoal work nicely. Wear the shirt buttoned neatly rather than open over a tee, and finish with loafers or smart boots.
The check is already doing plenty. No need to give it competition.
MOD STYLE DOESN'T CLOCK OFF AT NINE
Dressing for work doesn't have to mean leaving your personality at home.
In fact, the foundations of classic Mod dressing – sharp collars, clean silhouettes, good knitwear, smart trousers and an obsessive attention to looking put together – make it surprisingly well suited to the modern office.
The secret is balance.
If the top has plenty of detail, keep the trousers simple. If you're wearing something cleaner like the Gabicci turtle neck, you can afford to sharpen things up with tailored trousers and smarter footwear. And if your workplace is particularly relaxed, a good polo with dark denim and clean trainers can be more than enough.
You're aiming for "effortlessly sharp", rather than "I've got a performance review at 10 and a Mod Weekender at 11."
Although, to be fair, we'd quite like to see that outfit.
SHOP THE LOOK AT QUADROPHENIA ALLEY
Bring a little more style to the working week and explore our polos, shirts and knitwear for smart-casual dressing with a proper bit of character.
Because nobody ever got promoted for wearing a boring polo.
Probably.