Simply Layered

We have all walked through the mall and looked at posters with the guy wearing his perfectly combined many layered fall/winter outfit. And then you wonder, how does he make it look so effortless? Men typically default to wearing one layer (say, a traditional dress shirt and pants). Most men usually only wear them during special occasions. They’re annoyed when told to wear a tie; forget telling them about a sports coat.

Well I am here to give two tips on easy layering that hopefully will make you feel great but will also make you look amazing!

Don’t be afraid to add a sweater…

First things first, lets add a little color to that ordinary white collared shirt or traditional blue you’re probably wearing. By adding a sweater over your shirt, not only does it give you warmth but adds a little bit of flare. If you are like me and get really warm easily, don’t worry; many companies make thin sweaters out of merino wool. Check out Banana Republic V-neck merino sweaters.

Also, don’t be afraid to play with patterns or color. Realize that your inner layer is like your canvas and now you need to add to that canvas. Remember, if you keep that inner layer very basic, you have so much freedom to experiment and play on the outside. And the same can be said in reverse. For example, if you are wearing a plaid blue button down shirt, you can wear a solid color sweater over the shirt to tone the boldness of the shirt down and add some attention to the accented areas. And in reverse, if you are wearing a basic color dress shirt, bring some excitement to your wardrobe by adding an argyle sweater over it. The colors and patterns will bring attention to the center of your body and in turn complement your face; make sure to wear a smile.

Every Gentleman should have a great go-to sports coat.

Lets face it guys, we all know that feeling of awesomeness we get when wearing that sports jacket or blazer that fits just right and we know we look great in. Sports jackets and blazers are a pivotal piece of menswear. You can find quality ones by just shopping around and don’t forget to take advantage of those coupons…we are typically known to be bad with these things as guys – try bringing a friend who always has some on them.

When deciding on what coat to wear, keep one thing in mind: scale your colors. You can go in either direction with this one, but try to make the relative strength of your patterns a steady grade. That is, if your overcoat is a big herringbone tweed with lots of mottled color (heavy pattern), wear a more restrained sports jacket and a solid-color shirt so that you have less and less pattern toward your core. Alternatively, if you’ve got a plaid shirt on, wear a sweater or jacket with a little visible texture and then a solid, smooth overcoat on top. Either way, the change is gentle and graduated rather than an abrupt, jarring back-and-forth. “Don’t forget a pocket square any time you wearing a blazer-style jacket.”

Although layering clothes can sometimes be confusing, it doesn’t necessarily need to be hard. If you follow these simple tips and tricks, you should be able to layer any outfit. As the colder months approach, layering clothes becomes less of a choice and more of a necessity. So let’s try to make it fun and add some variety to your looks. Remember to make sure that every piece can stand on its own and to layer lightest to darkest colors. If your shirt is very bold, remember to be a bit more modest on the next layered piece. Go out, be bold and layer up!