Mufti (dress)

It has been used by the British Army since 1816 and is thought to derive from the vaguely Eastern style dressing gowns and tasselled caps worn by off-duty officers in the early 19th century.

[3] The term is commonly used in many countries where students are required to wear uniform, including the United Kingdom, Canada, Fiji, Australia, India, New Zealand, Nigeria, Zimbabwe, South Africa, Pakistan and Bangladesh.

[citation needed] By extension, the term is used in reference to the practice of wearing "smart casual" attire to the office instead of business suits or other conventional clothing.

Australia takes this even further, where even if a suit or smart-casual attire is the norm, "Mufti Fridays" allow employees to wear jeans, a polo shirt or even a t-shirt.

Writes New Zealand historian Katie Pickles:It appears that officers started dressing in robes and slippers that they slightly mockingly thought resembled garments worn by Mufti.