Short answer: business casual for men means a collared shirt, non-denim trousers and leather shoes, with no tie and no suit. A button-down or polo with chinos or dress pants is the reliable version. Dark, clean jeans pass at many offices but not all, so confirm before relying on them.

It's the dress code most American offices use and the one with the least agreement about what it means. Here's the working version, plus five outfits you can build from a small number of pieces.

The three-part formula

Every business casual outfit is the same three decisions:

1. A collared shirt. Button-down, dress shirt, or polo.
2. Trousers that aren't jeans. Chinos, khakis or dress pants. (Jeans get their own section below.)
3. Leather shoes. Loafers, derbies, chukkas, or clean minimal leather sneakers where the office allows them.

No tie. No suit. That's the whole dress code. Everything else is refinement.

Shirts: where to put the personality

Business casual is the one work dress code that invites pattern and color, because there's no tie or suit competing for attention.

• Solid colors — light blue, white, grey, navy. The safest, and the ones that layer best under a quarter zip or sweater.
• Small patterns — gingham, micro-check, pinstripe, small grid. These read as considered rather than loud, and they hide a lunch mishap better than a solid does.
• Polos — fully acceptable at most business casual offices, especially between May and September. See Can You Wear a Polo to Work?

The one shirt that needs a thought: a crisp white dress shirt can read a notch formal on its own. Pair it with chinos rather than dress trousers, or roll the sleeves, and it settles into the dress code.

The jeans question

Denim is the single most variable item in business casual. The honest answer is that it depends on your office, and you should find out rather than guess.

Where jeans are accepted, the ones that work are dark, uniform in color, free of rips, fading and whiskering, and cut straight or slim rather than baggy. Black and dark indigo pass in more places than mid-wash blue.

Where they aren't, chinos in stone, khaki or olive do the same job and are never questioned.

Five outfits from a small closet

These five cover a work week and share most of their pieces.

1. The default. Light blue solid shirt, stone chinos, brown leather loafers, brown belt.
2. The step up. White dress shirt, charcoal dress pants, black derbies, black belt. Add a tie and this becomes business professional; leave it off and it's the dressiest thing in the rotation.
3. The pattern day. Gingham or micro-check shirt, navy chinos, brown loafers. The pattern is doing the work, so keep everything else plain.
4. Warm weather. Solid polo, stone or khaki chinos, leather sneakers or loafers. No socks showing, or low-profile ones.
5. Cold weather. Solid shirt under a quarter zip, dark chinos or dress pants, leather boots or derbies. The quarter zip is the layer that makes a plain shirt look deliberate.

Total pieces: three shirts, one polo, one quarter zip, three pairs of trousers, two pairs of shoes, two belts.

What to avoid

• A tie. It pushes the outfit into smart casual or business professional. If you want that, add a blazer too.
• Athletic sneakers and athletic wear. Performance fabric in a dress shirt is fine; a running shoe under chinos is not the same thing.
• Shorts, unless someone senior to you has already established they're acceptable.
• Anything that needs ironing you won't do. A wrinkled shirt undoes the rest of the outfit, and it's the most common failure in this dress code by a wide margin.
• Poor fit. Billowing through the body or pulling at the buttons reads louder than any pattern choice. How a dress shirt should fit.

How business casual sits against the other dress codes

The full ladder is in Dress Codes for Men, Explained.

Common questions

Are jeans business casual?

At many offices, yes, if they're dark, well-fitted and free of rips or fading. It varies more than any other item, so confirm your workplace's norm rather than assuming it.

Is a polo shirt business casual?

Yes. A polo is a collared shirt and meets the dress code at most business casual offices. Chinos or dress pants underneath keep it on the formal side of the line.

Do you wear a tie with business casual?

No. A tie moves the outfit into smart casual or business professional. Business casual is specifically the collared-shirt-no-tie dress code.

Can you wear sneakers with business casual?

Clean, minimal leather sneakers pass at a lot of offices. Athletic running shoes generally don't. If the shoe would look at home in a gym, leave it there.

What shoes work for business casual?

Loafers, derbies, chukka boots and clean leather sneakers. Match the belt to the shoe color.

Is a white dress shirt too formal for business casual?

Not at all, though it reads slightly more formal than a colored or patterned shirt. Pairing it with chinos rather than dress trousers keeps it in the dress code.

What we make

&Collar makes performance dress shirts in solids, patterns and white, polos, dress pants, quarter zips, belts and socks — a full business casual wardrobe in fabric that's wrinkle-resistant, stain-repellent and machine washable, with four-way stretch.

Shirts are $49.99 or any three for $99. Range Pants are $59.99. Sizes XS–5XL in slim and athletic fits, with tall sizing. Returns are 45 days from delivery.