Are Jeans Business Casual? When (and How) to Wear Them

The traditional answer is “No. Jeans are 100 percent casual.”

Then again, there is no traditional approach to “business casual,” is there? It’s a famously vague, relatively new term (first used in the late 1960s) and its borders shift every day.

For this article, I asked three menswear experts, Alejandro Jomar, Peter’s Prism, and The Second Button, if jeans are business casual and one thing they all agreed on is that when you’re this far into the “business” end of dress codes, you should probably avoid them.

Whether it’s a workplace or a party, if the vibe could be described as “conservative,” it’s safer to wear chinos, the universally accepted business casual pants.

But maybe this “business casual” event really isn’t that serious, bro. If we’re talking about, like, a backyard 40th or anywhere in California, you can totally wear jeans.

So in this article we’ll talk about when and how you should wear jeans without completely discarding the business casual dress code you’re supposed to be following.

Jeans vs. Chinos: Why Chinos Are Better for Business Casual

After sweatpants, jeans are the most casual pants in the world. After pyjamas and sweats, anyway.

They were literally invented for manual labor, not offices. You are wearing construction worker clothes to a white collar job.

Now, jeans have evolved to a point where absolutely everyone wears them, so it’s a bit over-the-top to insist they’re only for jobsites.

But even if they’re explicitly allowed under an office’s dress code, jeans are certainly the most casual pants they’re allowing. Why not eliminate any risk, go just one step smarter, and wear chinos? They literally have a 100-percent chance of being permitted.

“I think chinos are always fine in the office, but jeans are definitely not always fine in the office,” says Peter.

Even though chinos also originated as workwear, there are many reasons why they’re considered smarter.

Jeans are more than denim pants: they have rivets at stress points, contrast stitching, and fit more closely to the body. All of these details communicate utility and durability.

“[Business casual] is a vague dress code, so there might be occasions where your classic jeans are appropriate,” says Dan Hakimi, writer at The Second Button. “I would generally err on the side of somewhat dressier. If you’re between jeans and chinos, lean toward the chinos. It’s safer, and you won’t miss the jeans.”

The fact: plenty of places don’t include jeans in their business casual dress code. There’s a non-zero chance that you’ll have a problem. It’s probably an occasion where it pays to play it safe, right?

Which Workplaces Are More Likely to Allow Jeans?

• Young, urban, and/or modern workplaces are more accepting of jeans
• But there’s no way to know for sure, so you should just ask

“It depends on how strict your office is,” says Alejandro. “I wouldn’t start with them. I’d go through a feeling-out process first and see what everyone else in the office is wearing before you make that step to jeans.”

Jeans are more commonly accepted as office wear in bigger cities, especially in startups, tech, and creative industries like media, marketing, and design.

They’re also more likely to be worn in jobs that are adjacent to work that requires them, like managers at a construction company who don’t want to look too far removed from their team.

Workplaces with a lot of old money, client meetings, conservative values or traditional practices are less likely to be cool with jeans. Think law firms, finance, government, and most jobs where it can’t hurt if your client considers you well presented.

“Most of my clients that wear business casual wear jeans to the office pretty much every day,” says Alejandro Jomar. “Unless they’re seeing a client outside of the office or something of this sort, and then they swap out for chinos.”

There’s absolutely no way of knowing if jeans are included in a business casual dress code unless you ask. So just ask!

Obviously, “business casual” rules vary not only by country but by the person. Peter, Alejandro, Dan, and I all disagreed on some questions, like whether it’s smart to wear white sneakers.

So What Kind of Jeans Are Business Casual?

• Wear dark denim, nothing faded or distressed
• Get a boring straight leg fit
• Make the rest of your outfit more “business” than “casual”

But if you’re pretty sure jeans are fine, here are a bunch of ways to make sure people don’t think you’ve completely ignored the dress code altogether.

The Safest Jeans for the Office: Dark Blue, Straight Leg Jeans

“You really have to think about what your jeans look like,” says Peter. “Do not go into the office wearing your beat up JNCO jeans from 1993, you’re going to look like an idiot.”

The short answer: jeans look less casual when they’re dark blue, straight leg, and have no fading or distressing.

Business Casual Outfits With Jeans: How to Do It

• Make everything else you’re wearing more business than casual
• But don’t go too dressy or the jeans will look too out of place
• Wear preppy classics like loafers or derbies, Oxford cloth button down, sport jacket, and tie

The more of these items you wear, the more likely you’ll be thought of as following the dress code.

Wear Nice Leather Shoes or Loafers

I filmed a great FAQ about business casual footwear at an Indian shoe factory, but to sum up: wear smart loafers or leather derbies. (Most shoes are derbies — it just means the laces close over the top, like Peter’s Paraboot Michaels.)

You might have dressy black shoes in your wardrobe, but they’re too smart for jeans. Suede is great, brown is great, and brown suede is great.

Good examples I’ve worn a lot are Grant Stone’s loafers, Oak Street’s Trench shoe, Trickers’ country shoes, Bridlen’s wingtips, and Thursday’s Chukkas.

Wear an Oxford Cloth Button Down Shirt (OCBD)

One hundred percent of business casual dress codes endorse the OCBD, the same way they all endorse chinos. But you’re wearing jeans, so make sure you wear the OCBD.

There are other shirts and fabrics that can work with this dress code, but since most guys would rather keep these things simple: just get the OCBD.

“The beauty of an Oxford cloth button down shirt is that you don’t have to iron them,” says Peter. “Straight out of the dryer, put it on a hanger, you’re done.”

Oxford cloth is wonderfully tough and easy to wash. It’s also a bit burly, so your climate might require a different fabric — just keep the button down collar. That’s what ensures it passes the business casual sniff test.

Wear a Jacket

A man looks more dressed when he has a jacket. And honestly, any jacket makes you look a little more presentable. Peter loves chore coats, and you could even make a field jacket work.

But if you’re wearing jeans to somewhere business casual, a sport jacket is indisputably the smartest move. (And every dad is selling a nice tweed one on eBay for under a hundred bucks.)

“You walk in with a sport jacket, you will instantly look way more pulled together than almost everybody else,” says Peter.

Wear a Tie

You don’t have to wear a tie, but wearing a tie will make sure your jeans don’t look too casual for your dress code.

“Make the tie a little bit more relaxed,” says Peter. “Like maybe a knit tie, not a fine silk tie.”

“I would go with a raw silk or a grenadine,” says Alejandro. “Or you could go with the cotton linen blend, I love those. Or during the winter time, especially with Harris tweeds, you can go with woolen ties, brushed flannels.”

Conclusion: The Easiest Workaround are Denim Trousers

“Rivets, contrast stitching, the five-pocket design, they all push toward the casual end of the spectrum,” says Dan.

But as he told The Wall Street Journal, some brands make denim trousers — slanted pockets, low contrast stitching — that look fantastic as office wear.

Peter, Alejandro, and I explored this extremely niche topic you might be interested in reading next.