Somewhere in the last decade, "business casual" stopped meaning anything precise. Every office seems to draw the line in a different place, and most people are left guessing where relaxed ends and sloppy begins.
Here's a way to think about it that actually holds up: relaxed clothing still shows intention. Careless clothing shows the absence of it. A well-fitted polo, clean and properly cared for, reads as relaxed — someone who's chosen comfort deliberately. The same polo, faded, stretched at the collar, clearly reached for without a second thought, reads as careless — not because the garment changed, but because the evidence of neglect became visible.
This is really a proxy question, and everyone in a room answers it unconsciously: does this person pay attention to detail? Clothing is one of the most visible, most constant signals of that answer, because it's the one thing everyone in a meeting can see for the entire duration, without exception. A wrinkled shirt or a stretched-out collar doesn't just say "this person is comfortable." Rightly or wrongly, it invites the question of what else might be getting the same low level of attention.
The good news is the fix isn't about dressing more formally. It's about maintaining what you already wear. Fabric that holds its shape after repeated washing does more for this line than any amount of ironing — because the whole point of "relaxed but intentional" is that it should look effortless, not like effort went into hiding the wear.
Corporate culture in India has shifted meaningfully toward comfort over formality in the last several years, and that's a good thing. But comfort was never meant to be an excuse for carelessness. The line isn't about how casual you dress. It's about whether the casual still looks chosen.