[General] smartly attired

[kwfine]

Dear teachers,

My best friend, David has recently received an invitation letter from a school. He was so happy, but he was confused by a few words in the letter: you should be smartly attired, tie is not compulsory...

What is "smartly attired"?

Please help teacher.

 

[Nightmare85]

***Neither a teacher nor a native speaker.***

He should look elegant.
(A suitable dress.)

P.S. My best friend, David,...

Cheers!

 

[georgemartin22]

Yeah, it means you should dress in neat attractive clothes. I think the American equivalent for smart must be "sharp".

 

[kwfine]

Thanks teachers for the help.

I am not sure whether David will look smart or not if he is wearing a suit without a tie. Is it alright for a man to wear a suit without a tie?

 

[Rover_KE]

Is it alright for a man to wear a suit without a tie?

Yes, it is - in the context of this thread.

No, it's not - for more formal occasions.

Rover

 

[Ouisch]

As a rule, in AmE, "smartly attired" would be a suit and tie. Since this example mentions "tie not required," I'm presuming that "smartly attired" means no blue jeans, no sneakers, no T-shirts. In other words, business casual.

 

[kwfine]

As a rule, in AmE, "smartly attired" would be a suit and tie. Since this example mentions "tie not required," I'm presuming that "smartly attired" means no blue jeans, no sneakers, no T-shirts. In other words, business casual.

Thank you so much for this helpful information, Ouisch. :up: