With fall officially upon us it’s time to look at the “Must Haves for Men”. We’re going to work from the bottom up for this week. Just as I noted that flat front chinos are the staple for the spring and summer; thin-width cords are the staple for fall. You want to make sure that you do not go with the wide-width cords. The thinner-width cords are less casual and you have the flexibility to either dress them up by pairing them with a button-down woven and blazer or keep it simply casual by pairing it with a slim-fit sweater.
I am rarely a “fad-follower” but there is one undeniable trend that has to be addressed — the military shirt is one must-have for the fall that a lot of men are wearing but there is a way to wear it even better. Most military shirts have double pockets and epaulets on the shoulders. Every guy has this shirt in black and white. Go for a modern twist on a trendy favorite by choosing a shirt in a different color. Why not go for a chocolate brown or dark green and pair that with a brightly-colored tie. I love a bright orange tie with both of those colors. Keep it original by unbuttoning the top button and rolling up the sleeves. A simple loosely tied four in a hand knot and you are en vogue without having to worry about looking like a twin with the other guys that might have the same shirt.
You would be hard-pressed to find a more comfortable staple than the V-Neck Merion wool sweater. The wonderful thing about this sweater is the versatility. You can use it as a layering piece by wearing a fitted v-neck or crewneck tee underneath the sweater. You can then wear the combo under a blazer and you have a classic look. The alternative is to wear the sweater over a nice dress shirt and tie. I strongly prefer a v-neck sweater over a crewneck because it looks a lot better with a shirt and tie. The thickness of the sweater will also ensure that your patterned shirt does not show through the weave of the sweater.
I love suits just as much as the next man. But there comes a time when you have to allow your top and bottoms to part ways. That means you have to break up the same patterned top and bottom. You can do this with the purchase of a heavy twill blazer. My color of preference is khaki or light brown. This color can be paired with a multitude of options. Navy Blue, Brown, and Gray are all great combinations to wear with this blazer. You also have the option of wearing it with a true dress slack and embrace the differences in fabrics. The point of a true blazer is to appear like it was purchased separately and it is meant to be worn the same way. Avoid any pants that have the same color as your blazer. The only chinos that should be considered for wearing would be a dark navy or gray.
The final touch and item that I’d like to suggest you take a look at is the timeless University Scarf. Year after year, this wide striped and bright colored scarf has added a pop of color and swagger to a number of men’s fall attire. There is really no rule for wearing the scarf other than you don’t want to have a huge scarf knot when you wear it. The other common sense rule would be to not wear a university scarf with a heavily patterned or extremely bright outfit.
With these must haves you can do one of them or all of them but remember that it’s not always what you wear but how you wear them.
Fashionably Yours,
Mason
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