What is Florida casual dress?
Florida Casual
Usually referred to as "resort casual", this dress code includes the same colorful blouse for ladies and the same polo or button down shirt for men (Tommy Bahama shirts are okay here) as the Casual dress code, but you'll want to choose khaki's or linen pants over jeans. Shoes optional for beach weddings.
Casual: A Definition
This includes jeans, sweaters, t-shirts, sneakers, and much more. However, it usually excludes flip-flops, sweats or gym clothes, revealing clothes, stained clothes, heavily distressed or ripped items, and graphic shirts with offensive or controversial statements on them.
Examples of an Informal Dress Code
A casual dress code means that employees are permitted to dress in comfortable, informal clothing. Although the employees' comfort is a priority, certain standards are required—clothing must be appropriate and still professional.
While the attire is casual, resort casual is neither too casual nor too formal. Resort casual is like an upgrade above normal daywear but a step below formal evening wear. Resort casual is both relaxed yet has an understated sophistication to it that normal everyday wear lacks.
Resort Casual
You can comfortably wear swimsuit coverups, jeans, capris, and shorts with a t-shirt or polo. Tennis shoes, sneakers, and sandals, are all acceptable as well. You can even wear flip flops with this relaxed dress code!
Travelers tend to think of Florida as sporty and informal. While bathing suits, shorts and T-shirts, and fishing or golf gear are commonplace enough during the day, sophisticated restaurants, bars, and clubs can necessitate dresses and button downs, and even the occasional sports jacket.
It's a more relaxed version of business professional. For young men it's usually slacks or khakis and a button down. You can wear a tie or a sport coat if you want to but it's not required. For young ladies it can be a wide variety of things: slacks and a nice blouse, a skirt with a nice top, or a dress with a blazer.
To me, "Florida" suggests something bright (or white), relaxed and resorty: a sundress or capri pants plus trendy top and cute sandals. But "chic" has a dressier, more-stylish connotation. It definitely suggests black — including a little black dress — but not a lot of glitz.
Resort Casual in its simplest terms means casual clothing that is appropriate for the resort (when you are not at the beach). Resort casual is usually a daytime look worn for activities and even if you are exploring.
'We put 'Dress Miami chic' on our invitations. And 'Dress like you're going to a nice dinner' is what I always tell people who ask what it means. No jeans, no sneakers, no flip-flops, no tanks, no hats.
