George Frazier’s “The Art of Wearing Clothes” is one of the best essays about classic men’s style. Originally published in a September 1960 issue of Esquire, it came right before the 1970s dress revolution when tailored clothing began its slow slide into irrelevancy. In his essay, Frazier singled out A. J. Drexel Biddle as the best-dressed man in the United States. By modern standards, Biddle’s wardrobe was monastic. It consisted of just seven so-called business suits, supplemented with a smattering of formalwear and outerwear. The lesson is that you don’t need much to be well dressed, just a skeletal wardrobe of beautifully tailored suits and maybe a black tie rig.

Since that essay was published, the world has changed, and the social space in which men can wear suits has dramatically shrunk. For most people, suits are formal attire that you wear to weddings, funerals, and court appearances. The only people who wear suits daily anymore are people who sell them. Yet, nothing flatters a person more. Unlike casualwear, suits are built up from layers of haircloth, canvassing, and padding, which allows a tailor to give you Vitruvian proportions if you don’t naturally have them.

So then, what’s the solution? If you struggle to wear suits in daily life, consider sport coats. Sport coats don’t lend themselves to the monasticism of Biddle’s wardrobe — after all, you need a separate wardrobe of various trousers. But they give you the same benefits of a suit jacket without making you look like you’re headed to a board meeting. They can be dressed up with a tie and tailored trousers, or worn more casually with chinos or jeans. They work just as well for the office or on weekends. And in softer cuts, they can look relaxed and semi-casual.

In this two-part series, we’ll cover how to build a sport coat wardrobe. It will include the basics and not-so-basics, go over fabric options, and discuss color. In the first part of our series, we’ll discuss how to build a sport coat wardrobe for spring and summer. Come back later this year for our fall and winter edition.

The Essential Sport Coat: Solid Navy

I’m reluctant to call anything a menswear essential nowadays because people have different needs and lifestyles. But if you only own one sport coat, make it solid navy. A navy sport coat is like the tofu of tailoring. It’s simple, bland, and not terribly interesting on its own, but it can also soak up the flavors around it, making it a useful ingredient in any outfit/ dish. A navy sport coat can be made to look professional if you team it with a white dress shirt, rep tie, wool trousers, and derbies. At the same time, it can look casual with a long-sleeved polo or oxford button-down, jeans or chinos, and suede chukkas or loafers. A navy sport coat is the sort of thing that you can wear multiple times a week with few people noticing, and it’s the sort of grab-and-go jacket that doesn’t require much coordination.

Most men should start with a navy sport coat that they can wear for most of the year. That means getting something in a midweight cloth somewhere between 12 to 14 oz, which will be comfortable on all but the hottest and coldest of days. Hopsack, serge, and doeskin are among the most common fabric options since they have a bit of texture, helping to distinguish your sport coat from finer suit jackets (which, of course, should never be worn on their own).

If you live in an area with real summers, you will also need a sport coat that can deal with the heat. Get something made from tropical wool, an airy, open weave fabric made from high-twist yarns. The open weave allows heat to easily escape, while the high-twist yarns give the material a natural level of wrinkle resistance (making these jackets also good for travel). You can tell if a fabric is breathable by holding it up to the light. If you see the light pouring through, it will wear cooler than something densely woven. Lastly, if breathability is a strong concern, make sure your navy sport coat is softly tailored. A lightweight sport coat made with a single layer of canvas inside will be more breathable than one made from multiple layers of haircloth, canvas, felt, and other materials.

Photos: Sanghoon Jang, Cavour, Fox Brothers, and Jesse Thorn

Second Summer Sport Coat: Wool-Silk-Linen

One of the problems with summer jacketings is the nature of worsted cloth itself. Fabric comes in two types: worsted and woolen. Maybe these categories should be renamed to combed and uncombed, however, because it’s the combing process that distinguishes them.

Combing wool is exactly what it sounds like. Before spinning yarn, a maker will comb out the fleece to set the hairs parallel to each other and remove any shorter fibers that would spoil the regularity characteristic of worsted. After the wool has been combed, it’s spun into yarn and then woven into a fabric. And by combing the hairs first, the resulting material will feel a bit smoother and crisper. On the other hand, woolens aren’t put through this preparation process. Thus, the fabric is spongier and loftier, as the wool fibers point in every possible direction. To give examples, wool gabardine is worsted, while tweed is typically woolen.

Summer fabrics are typically worsted because they don’t have the fuzzy nap that would otherwise trap heat. Worsted yarns can also be used to make lighter-weight materials, helpful for summer. The downside? Worsted patterns tend to be sharper and crisper, sometimes making them not very appealing. When you have a fuzzy fabric, you can hide the sharpness of the lines, sort of like how chalkstripe (typically a woolen) looks softer and more approachable than pinstripe (typically a worsted). This is why a lot of summer tailoring is more often about big, blocky colors, as sharply defined patterns can look dizzying in the muggy heat.

Yet, patterned sport coats can be useful because they add visual interest to simple outfits, especially if you mostly wear solid-colored shirts without a tie. So for your second or third summer sport coat, consider wool-silk-linen (WSL). WSL combines the best of all three fibers: the drape of wool, the luster of silk, and the crisp, dry handle of linen. When spun into yarn, these fibers are more than the sum of their parts. WSL fabrics tend to be airy and breathable, making them ideal for the dog days of summer. They straddle the line between formal and casual, so you can wear them to work and on weekends. Best of all, WSL fabrics typically have a unique texture and mottling — hatches and flecks of dark yarns mixed with lighter ones. Their distinctive appearance allows them to add visual interest to simple, solid-colored outfits. At the same time, they’re not so busy as to clash with patterns. Think of them as flecked Donegals for summer — sort of patterned, but also solid colored.

WSL sport coats tend to have an Italian sensibility, although British mills and fabric merchants also offer the cloth. They’re safest in neutral colors such as blue, brown, or sage. In a much larger wardrobe, you can go for bolder colors such as vermillion. However, bolder sport coats are harder to wear multiple times a week without people thinking, “here comes that guy in the crazy sport coat.” In a neutral tone, this gives you the grab-and-go versatility of a navy sport coat, just in a different color.

Photos: Sartoria Solito, Last & Lapel, Peter Zottolo, and Alan Flusser

Third Summer Sport Coat: Something in Cream

When shopping for sport coats, it’s always safer to buy things in darker colors. That’s because most men will feel more comfortable following a particular formula: a dark jacket paired with a light-colored shirt (often light blue or white), medium-colored trousers (grey or tan), and dark shoes (black or brown). When you buy a lighter-colored jacket, you have to be more thoughtful about how you combine shirts and trousers. This extra step means you may be discouraged from ever wearing your lighter-colored jackets, relying instead on a familiar formula.

But summer outfits often benefit from having lighter colors. So for your third or fourth purchase, consider something in beige or cream. This can range anywhere from buttermilk (cream with just a touch of yellow) to oatmeal (beige with a grey cast).

These colors naturally make an outfit feel summery. They are cheerful without being bold and add diversity to a sport coat wardrobe that relies on darker colors. Yet, they don’t take that much coordination to wear. There are two tricks to finding trousers for lighter-colored jackets. The first is to try them with medium or dark grey pants, which almost always works. The other is to take the base color in your jacket and go a few shades lighter or darker for the pants. You can wear a beige sport coat with either off-white or medium brown trousers. Doing so allows you to strike some harmony, as the two pieces share the same color family. At the same time, there’s enough contrast between your jacket and pants that you don’t look like you’re wearing a weirdly mismatched suit.

Photos: Atelier BRIO, The Armoury, Gus Walbolt, and No Man Walks Alone

Shoulder Season Sport Coat: Faux Tweed

You’ll never hear the term “faux tweed” from a fabric merchant or tailor, but people who visit menswear forums and tailoring blogs occasionally use it to describe a particular kind of fabric. These are worsted fabrics that are smooth but not silky and carry the colors and patterns many people associate with traditional tweeds. They are citified versions of country cloths.

Faux tweeds are useful in the shoulder season, such as early spring and mid-fall, when the weather isn’t cold enough for a traditional tweed, but you might want to wear something with that sensibility. They look great with everything from tropical wool to whipcord trousers. The downside is that they can feel like neither fish nor fowl. Their smoother texture and small-scale patterns can make them feel like they sit halfway between proper jacketings and suitings. (Small scale patterns are typically better for suits, whereas sport coats often benefit from having larger patterns to distinguish them from orphaned suit jackets). Additionally, if the colors are too bright and cheery, they don’t feel right in mid-autumn. If they are too somber, they don’t feel right in late spring.

Yet, these can be a good way to incorporate a pattern into a springtime outfit. Even though clear-finished worsted patterns tend to be sharp and vivid, faux tweeds feel familiar and safe because they’re reminiscent of the tweeds you may already have in your wardrobe. Ones with “toothy” checks will feel more British because they look like the gun clubs associated with Scottish estates. Italian patterns tend to look more like complicated ginghams (i.e., the check is smoother and doesn’t have the toothy corner of the British variety). Consider getting one of these if you like district checks and want something to wear around shoulder season.

Photos: The Armoury and Sid Mashburn

The Most Casual Sport Coat: Cotton and Linen

Cotton and linen are almost synonymous with summer. In spring/summer style guides, these fibers are often described as the most comfortable fibers you can wear in the heat. But the reality is a little more complicated. Since cotton is usually woven in a denser weave, such as drill, it can wear warmer than tropical wool. Both fibers also lack the crimp found in animal hair, so they feel stiff. If you put your hands into a wool jacket’s hip pockets, the material will feel springy. By contrast, cotton and linen don’t have any natural stretch unless they’ve been mixed with elastane. When getting a cotton or linen sport coat, button the coat and move your arms forward like you’re hugging someone. You want something that fits full enough to allow for comfortable movement. Otherwise, when you’re sitting at a table with your arms forward, the center back seam can feel like it’s about to rip.

There are other downsides to consider. Both materials age differently than wool; cotton fades in a patchy way, and linen develops a sheen.* When shopping for a cotton linen sport coat, consider lighter colors such as tan or stone, which will hide their age better over time than dark colors such as navy. You will also want to leave a little room when hemming. Since both fibers hold wrinkles, sleeves and legs will accordion with wear. If you get things hemmed just right in the beginning, they will be too short after a few months. This can be difficult to fix since cotton fades in places where it has been folded over, such as sleeve cuffs, and will show holes where there were once seams, making it difficult to let out the material.

Still, there’s something very charming about these jackets. If you’re worried about looking overly dressed up, no form of tailoring is more casual. Their rumply nature communicates the carefree attitude associated with summer. Get these made from midweight fabrics (between 12 and 14 ounces), so they rumple more than they wrinkle. Lightweight fabrics at or below 10 ounces will wrinkle like tissue paper, which can look charming in a shirt but less so in a jacket.

The main challenge is coordinating the different textures in your outfit. Sometimes a rumpled sport coat looks right with smooth wool trousers, and sometimes it doesn’t. It’s hard to pin this down to a rule, but the best way to figure this out is to practice with different combinations and develop an eye for what looks right. Some possible solutions: try wearing cotton or linen sport coats with tropical wool trousers. The crispness of tropical wool will complement linen better than fuzzy woolens such as flannel. You can also try denim (such as in the photo directly above). Mark Cho, the co-founder of The Armoury, is a big fan of his cream-colored linen sport coat. “Funnily enough, I find linen sport coats are easier to wear in cream,” he says. “Since cream is already such an unusual color, I don’t worry about the mismatch of the rumpled texture of linen with the smoothness of wool trousers. Whereas, if I was wearing a navy linen sport coat with gray wool trousers, I might pause for a bit.”

Personally, I find cotton sport coats to be easier to wear than pure linen, although I’ve been eyeing the patterns at Maison Hellard, a newly launched French linen company. Some of their fabrics have soft, subtle patterns reminiscent of easy-to-wear woolens. Many look like they would make for handsome sport coats.

* Pro-tip: if you have bespoke garments made and use dark linen, consider asking the tailor to use the reverse side of the cloth, rather than the face side. The face side of dark linen can sometimes have a heavy sheen, whereas if you reverse the fabric, it can be a little more matte.

Photos: The Anthology, The Armoury, and P. Johnson Tailors

The Preppy Sport Coat: Madras, Seersucker, and Boating Blazers

If the options above are too conservative for you, consider the preppy clothes once made for the gainfully unemployed. Ivy league students, Old Money millionaires, and the otherwise privileged have worn extravagant, expressive things with their sedate trousers, paving the way for a style that’s simultaneously wild and classic. 

There are three options here. The first is regatta striped rowing blazers, which our sponsor Jack Carlson, founder of the brand Rowing Blazers, has written about in a book. Rowing club members and spectators once wore these unusually striped blazers at sporting events. Over time, like navy blazers and rep striped ties, which used to be signifiers of belonging, they are now just worn for aesthetic reasons. In a strange way, since they don’t pair with anything, they go with everything. In the YouTube video above, Mark Cho of The Armoury shows how you can wear one of his company’s rowing blazers (now sold out) with everything from tan chinos to light blue trousers to jeans. 

You can also try seersucker, the puckered, milk-and-sugar striped fabric that’s synonymous with Southern style. I think seersucker works best as a suit, but you can also wear seersucker jackets with tan chinos and white button-downs (black knit ties look strangely good with seersucker jackets). Lastly, for something relatively easy to wear, try madras. These designs hail from India, where locals once reinterpreted Scottish tartans using vegetable dyes and the colors traditional to their communities. Historically, madras tended to bleed, but the modern versions are almost always colorfast. They typically have riotous colors that scream summer and look best on bright afternoons and Sundays. 

Photos: Peter Zottolo, Sartorial Notes, and Rowing Blazers

The Hobbyist Sport Coat: Raw Silk

Tailoring used to be a much more diverse field a generation ago. Back when it was more common for men to wear suits and sport coats, stores stocked clothes in everything from slippery wool gabardine to hardwearing Thornproofs. Today, much of that inventory has been reduced to four-season suits and a couple of Harris Tweeds.

Raw silk is one of those fabrics that used to be more common in men’s tailoring but has since all but disappeared. In the past, the stuff has been worn by Elvis, Jack Lemmon, Roger Moore, Mick Jagger, and Tennesse Williams. You may have seen it in the film Godfather II, where Michael Corleone wore an elephant-gray silk suit made with black and white flecks. From the film, you can see why raw silk was among the first things stores dropped. They are often, although not always, a bit shimmery. Depending on their weight and weave, they can wear a little warm in the summer, despite only being appropriate in summer. The flecks and slubs are also a little unusual and, in today’s world, might be mistaken for pulls and snags.

For tailoring hobbyists, however, a raw silk suit or sport coat can be a nice addition to a wardrobe already full of basics. Their unique texture lends visual interest to plainer summer outfits, and the fabric come in a range of weaves and finishes, including Matka, tussah, and dupioni. But good luck finding something. It’s difficult to find raw silk fabrics suitable for men’s tailoring (this includes getting something in the right weight and finish). Besnard briefly offered a navy dupioni coat (now sold out). Clients of custom tailors can also check fabric merchants such as Holland & Sherry and Ariston. Alan Flusser Custom shop owner Jonathan Sigmon has a sport coat made from one of Ariston’s silk-linen blends, and while it’s not technically raw silk, it has a similarly slubby texture. 

Photos: Liverano & Liverano, Alan Flusser, and Besnard

The post Spring/Summer Sport Coat Guide appeared first on Put This On.

As the weather outside has gotten chilly, many of us will find ourselves reaching for our favorite knitwear. But just as you’re about to put your sweater on, you may notice a small hole. Perhaps your belt buckle rubbed against it while you were washing dishes. Or your cat swiped at you. Maybe worst of all, a moth found its way to a delicious meal despite your best sweater-keeping methods. No matter the reason, finding a hole in your knitwear is disheartening. 

However, it’s not hopeless. Although holes can appear devastating, you can repair them using darning. Darning is a repair technique that fills a gap with new material, rather than requiring you to patch it or sew it closed. When done with yarn that resembles the original material, the repair can be almost undetectable. 

There are two ways to repair a hole in a garment: pay a professional or do it yourself. A professional mender will make holes literally vanish. Some specialize in what’s known as French reweaving or invisible reweaving, where individual strands of thread are woven into the original cloth. You can use these companies for holes you find in woven materials, such as what you’ll find on suits, sport coats, or trousers. As you can imagine, such services are not inexpensive — a hole the size of a pencil eraser can easily cost $50 or more to repair. These companies can also fix knitted sweaters, although the same logic applies. The finer the knit, the more expensive the repair, and in some cases, the repair cost may exceed the sweater’s price. 

This leaves us with the most economical and arguably, the most rewarding option. If you’re working with a hole in a sweater, you can learn how to darn it yourself. Thankfully, darning is not challenging to learn.

Here’s what you’ll need:

• Needle
• Scissors
• Thread

Optional:

• Darning mushroom. Alternatively, you can also use any hand-sized, round object, such as an orange or a tennis ball.

First, you want to make sure you’re working with a neat, clean hole. If there are any remaining threads or frays, cut them off to have a tidier starting area.

Next, thread your needle. If you’re trying to make your repair less noticeable, you’ll want to use yarn that matches the size and color of the original fabric. Some new sweaters actually come with an extra bit of yarn, so save those whenever you get them.

To start darning, apply a darning stitch, which is a simple running stitch where you weave the thread in rows along the grain of the fabric and reverse directions at the end of the row. Start by doing this horizontally or lengthwise. 

Left: the flow of the darning stitch; Right: darning stitch over the hole, highlighted in green

Make sure not to pull too tightly as you want your stitch to remain loose. Otherwise, you might create some creasing or puckering in the end. A darning mushroom or other round objects can help apply tension to the hole, making it spread out. Remember, the goal is to fill the gap, not close it.

Once completed, you then weave your yarn through the stitches you just completed. You’ll see that you’re weaving in new material as you progress. Eventually, when enough yarn has been incorporated, the hole will be filled.

Weaving pattern used over darning stitch, illustrated and over the actual hole

For more darning resources, check out this Reddit guide or Youtube video.

I think the last step is to acknowledge that not every repair will be perfect. Even with some practice, I have difficulty darning larger holes, which are less forgiving than smaller ones. However, even when the repair looks poor, I take great pride in it. Clothes are often an extension of our identity, so I find it noble to see someone has taken the time to repair a garment. You can even inject some character into your repairs by using different color threads or trying new stitches. In the end, you learn a new skill, help the environment by not throwing away a sweater, and hopefully gain a deeper connection with your clothes.

The post Darn It: A Guide On How To Fix Holes In Sweaters appeared first on Put This On.

We’ve all been there before: you buy a sport coat that looked tremendous on the rack. You may have been charmed by the jacket’s color, weave, and subtle details, along with admiring how the jacket looked on you at the store. But upon returning home, you’re not sure how to coordinate your new acquisition. Should you wear your jacket with tan trousers? Grey? Green? Turquoise? Chartreuse?

The nice thing about wearing suits is that this decision is made for you. When your coat and trousers are cut from the same cloth, you only have to coordinate your shirt, tie, and shoes. But with sport coats, the decision becomes a little more complicated. The internet is full of color coordination guides showing how to wear every fabric imaginable. I’ve always found these charts useless — who memorizes these combinations or breaks out a chart when dressing in the morning?

Instead, I think it’s easier to dress according to some basic principles. This guide will not cover every color combination possible — you may stumble upon some pleasing ones that don’t follow these guidelines below. The goal here is to simplify your wardrobe so that you can find the right pair of trousers for nearly any sport coat.

Stick to Grey and Brown

First, let’s start with the basics. Some men look tremendous in bright or oddly colored trousers. For example, Tom Chen is an interior designer based in Beijing and London. On Instagram, he occasionally posts photos of himself wearing pants in powder blue, honeydew, and eggplant. Bespoke tailor Tom Mahon also recently posted a photo of himself wearing sun-colored cords. Menswear icon Gerald Stratford wears dusty pink trousers. These colors often do better in casual materials, such as corduroy or cotton twill. It also helps if you have a preppy wardrobe, a certain kind of cheerful disposition, and a pastoral lifestyle that involves living on country estates (or at least seem to).

For most men, grey and brown will be much more useful trouser colors. You can get them in a variety of shades — from cream to chocolate, pearl grey to charcoal. However, be careful with going too dark for your trousers. Since most men primarily wear dark-colored sport coats, they’ll want trousers that give them enough contrast. That means mostly relying on the light to mid-shades of these two colors.

Get Variation From Material

You may be saying: “but grey and brown are boring!” This is true, and why such trousers are useful. The focus of a tailored outfit is traditionally on the v-shaped section just under your chin. This area is formed by your shirt, tie, and jacket’s open fronts. In this way, the trousers and shoes should visually fade into the background, keeping the viewer’s eyes up top, where they should naturally rest.

The good news is that you can still find a lot of variation in basic colors. In the photo above, you can see how grey expresses itself in different materials. From top to bottom, we have cavalry twill, tropical wool, fine worsted, and linen. Cavalry twill does well with fall and winter sport coats in hopsack, serge, and tweed. On the other hand, tropical wool trousers should be paired with summer jackets in open wools, linen, and cotton.

If you’re just starting to build a trouser wardrobe, stick to grey and brown. Get different shades of each, erring on the lighter to mid-shades. And choose materials that suit your climate. Wool flannel, calvary twill, and whipcord are lovely in the colder months. High-twist tropical wools, cotton, and linen are better when it’s warm. Not only will you feel more comfortable in these materials, but they will also complete sport coat ensembles you’ll wear during those seasons.

Note, some materials lend themselves better to specific colors. Corduroy, for instance, is a naturally rustic martial, so it does better in earthy colors such as tan or brown rather than grey. When choosing trousers, think about whether the material leans country or city, and choose colors appropriately.

When you’ve limited yourself to grey and tan trousers, you’ve already made one step towards a simpler, more elegant wardrobe. It’s a bit like limiting yourself to white and light blue dress shirts, or black and brown dress shoes. These limitations help you get dressed in the morning. They also increase the chances of you creating a pleasing outfit.

In the photos above, you can see how well grey pants work with a range of sport coats in blue, grey, and brown. Nearly all of these outfits rely on flannel trousers. Instead of getting your variety from other colors, get it from different materials (whipcord is my favorite flannel alternative). It has been said that, if a sport coat can’t be worn with grey trousers, you probably shouldn’t buy it. I wouldn’t go that far, but it’s a good rule of thumb given the importance of grey pants in a classic wardrobe.

Of course, even the most conservative of dressers can’t always rely on grey trousers. This is where you’ll want to supplement with different shades of brown. The most versatile shades will be on the lighter end of the spectrum — from tan to mid-brown. But even in the photos above, you can see how well a slightly darker brown can work with country jackets. When building out your wardrobe, supplement with the more useful shades and materials: tan chinos, tan cavalry twill, and mid-brown whipcord. For something more casual, try brown five-pocket cords.

Same Color But Lighter or Darker

At some point, you may acquire a sport coat that falls outside of your usual range of navy blazers and brown tweeds. On StyleForum, some people use the term “Northern Lights” to reference when sport coats are lighter than the trousers — a reverse of the usual dark-colored jacket with a lighter trouser combination. Such jackets can sometimes be challenging to wear. 

In these cases, the easiest solution is to identify the primary color in your sport coat and then go one or two shades darker or lighter for your pants. For many men, their first “nonstandard” sport coat is in tan or cream, such as the ones you see hanging on the rack in the photo above. If you have a jacket like this, No Man Walks Alone’s Draper’s four-ply is a wonderful solution. It’s a grey-ish shade of brown. The grey cast keeps this grounded and conservative, helping the trousers play more in the background of the outfit. At the same time, since these are dark brown, they naturally complement tan jackets. 

You can see this solution implemented in the various outfits above. With lighter grey checked sport coats, Greg Lellouche and Andreas Weinås wear darker grey pants. With similar cream/ brown houndstooth sport coats, Andreas Weinås and Yukio Akamine went with either cream flannels or dark brown moleskins. When the jacket and pants are in the same color family, you have harmony. When you vary the shades and materials, you get contrast. These are the only two dimensions you need to make a sport coat and trouser combination work.

Pay Attention to Intensity and Temperature

The term “color temperature” is used to describe when a color feels warm or cold. Roughly, it refers to when a color moves from an open flame to an open sky. Think of what happens when you add yellow or red to a base color such as blue or brown. A warm brown will be something such as terracotta. A cold brown is taupe. 

Nearly every color has a temperature, and getting the right sport coat + trouser pairing will require sensitivity to whether a color feels warm or cold. Take a look at the photo above: the cold brown jacket on the far left can only be worn with the stone or cream-colored trousers on the left and center. However, the intense, bright blue sport coat on the right has to be worn with the similarly intense, slightly warm, yellowish trousers on the right or the cream trousers in the center. If you were to swap the positions of the jackets, the outfits wouldn’t feel as coherent. 

Try Off-White, Stone, or Cream

Finally, if nothing works, try off off-white, stone, or cream. These colors are fairly neutral and will work with a wide range of sport coats — from more traditional colors such as navy or dark brown to unusual colors such as tan or sage. Just beware that, sometimes, a pair of white pants can show the pocket bags underneath. If you’re ordering custom pants, consider the translucency, and go for a heavier fabric or slightly darker color when in doubt. Draper’s stone-colored, wool-cotton tricotine is a good starting place. All things equal, twills are generally more opaque than their plain weave counterparts, partly because they’re more tightly woven.

To be sure, these are not hard rules. Some men may find that they get a lot of use out of olive chinos (a popular choice, and for good reason). Preppy guys love their Nantucket Reds. Other guys may find that a warm, golden brown tweed looks tremendous with cold grey flannels. As ever, it’s always best to go by your eye. But you can simplify the process by following the ideas above:

• Stick to solid-colored trousers in grey or tan for most of your wardrobe.
• Vary things by weave and material. When choosing different fabrics, start with what makes the most sense for your climate. 
• When in doubt, choose trousers that are the same color as your jacket, but go a few shades lighter or darker.
• Pay attention to color temperature and intensity.
• If all else fails, try off-white, stone, or cream-colored pants. Those colors are so neutral, they can hold almost anything.

The post How To Choose Trousers For Any Sport Coat appeared first on Put This On.

When I started getting into fountain pens about eight years ago, I was overwhelmed by the number of options. The world of fountain pens is full of different filing systems, nib sizes and grinds, barrel materials, and even after-market customizers who can turn your pen into something really special. Fountain pens can cost anywhere from $20 to nearly $50,000. And if you’re prepared to pay the kind of money necessary for a handmade pen from Japan, there are sometimes multi-year waiting lists.

Since I was new to this subject at the time, I found myself browsing online for various shopping guides. I simply wanted to know: “What’s the best fountain pen for my budget?” I needed someone to tell me what to buy.

When it comes to clothing, a subject where I have more footing, I really hate these sorts of guides. Clothing is so deeply tied to identity, taste, emotion, and lifestyle; no wardrobe will work for everyone. Such lists always send people down the wrong path, as they encourage them to buy things they don’t need. A few years ago, when I interviewed some stylish men about what they wear most, I was surprised to see that no one mentioned anything that can be described as an “essential.”

Yet, such lists can be helpful. Somewhere between being dictatorial and overly democratic, there’s a narrow space where you can guide someone towards better purchases. I’ve been thinking of this in terms of a “springboard wardrobe.”

A springboard wardrobe isn’t meant to be a forever wardrobe. It’s not about “Buying It For Life” or “Things Every Man Must Own.” It’s intended to give you a baseline that allows you to explore different aesthetics — a jumping-off point — so you can develop a personal sense of style. It’s possible to dress well by only ever wearing “springboard” items. At the same time, you can also use these items to explore different looks — from Italian tailoring to workwear to offbeat Japanese brands — so that you can get a better sense of what works for you.

The idea here is to build a certain baseline so that you can play around with different looks when you acquire something new. With fountain pens, I eventually found that I don’t like scratchy nibs (what some call feedback) or overly inky flex pens (wet noodles). However, to get to that place, you have to sample different things, sort of like tasting different dishes at a buffet. Here are some things that can help you build coherent outfits as you’re sampling around.

Tan Chinos or Blue Jeans

Most men are either a Chino Guy or Denim Guy, rarely both to equal degrees. Knowing where you fall can save you a bit of time and money when building a new wardrobe.

If your style leans rugged, get a pair of slim-straight jeans made from raw denim. The term raw simply means the fabric hasn’t been pre-washed or -distressed. Raw denim tends to be heavier and stiffer, and comes in a deeper, darker blue color than its washed counterparts. It also develops better and more authentic looking fades over time. You can wear raw denim jeans with almost anything that can be described as workwear or Americana: bomber jackets, trucker jackets, leather jackets, thick flannel shirts, oxford button-downs, and of course, t-shirts. Depending on the cut of your jeans and sport coats, you may even be able to dress them up with a tailored jacket (getting this combo right is tricky, but it can be done if you pay attention to some details).

On the other hand, if your style leans preppy, conservative, or refined, you may want to get chinos instead. There are three types of chinos: workwear, dressy, and what I like to call “knockaround.” For this guide, we’ll ignore workwear chinos. Dressy chinos are the cotton version of tailored trousers. They’re made with single needle side-seams, sit higher on the waist, and are designed to be worn with sport coats. You can find these from companies such as Rota or our sponsor Dapper Classics. Knockaround chinos, on the other hand, are the kind of pants you find at J. Crew. They have puckered double-needle side seams that make them look more casual. While it’s possible to wear these with sport coats, they’re often better kept to casualwear. Start with a basic chino color, such as stone or khaki. Darker chinos in colors such as gray or navy are not only harder to style, but they can look patchy over time, as cotton fades quickly and readily.

Navy Sport Coat

For most people, a suit is too formal for everyday occasions. If you’re interested in exploring tailored clothing, get a solid-colored, single-breasted navy sport coat instead. This is something you can dress up or down with a wide variety of things: tailored trousers or jeans, oxford button-downs or long-sleeved polos, leather shoes or plain white sneakers (stick to those that look like Common Projects Achilles). Depending on your environment, navy sport coats can almost disappear from view, which means you can wear them on consecutive days without anyone noticing. With brass buttons, such as you see on Tim above, it becomes a blazer. With any other kind of button, it’s just a plain navy sport coat. Most men will find the plain variety easier to wear, although a brass button blazer can look good if you’re willing to lean into a preppier or more traditional look.

Even if your style one day veers away from tailored clothing, a navy sport coat is the sort of thing you can wear to nice restaurants, important meetings, or on Mother’s Day. If you find you wear your navy sport coat often, you can get more: a brown wool-silk-linen or cream checked sport coat for summer; various tweeds for winter. But start with a navy sport coat, and you can see whether tailoring works for your lifestyle.

Gray Wool Trousers

If you have a navy sport coat in your wardrobe, you’ll obviously need some appropriate pants. Start with two or three pairs of gray trousers made from various weaves. Woolen flannel is excellent for winter; tropical wool has the breathability you’ll appreciate in summer. Mid- to light-gray works best, as charcoal doesn’t have enough contrast against dark-colored coats.

Like navy sport coats, gray pants are the sort of thing that almost disappear from view. You can wear them with sport coats in brown, olive, navy, and even citrusy colors. Gray trousers are so versatile, some say that you should never buy a sport coat that can’t be worn with them (I wouldn’t go that far, but this advice underscores the importance of having a solid rotation of gray pants). If you find that you wear gray tailored trousers often, expand into brown — tan cavalry twill and mid-brown whipcord for winter; sandy tropical wool for summer. Most men have more brown sport coats than gray, and it takes a bit of careful coordination to pair tan pants with a brown sport coat. This is why gray should be your first two or three purchases. But brown trousers are also versatile and will lend something different to a wardrobe that’s already full of gray pants.

Oxford Cloth Button Down

Men who are just starting to build a better wardrobe often make the mistake of thinking they should get a pile of white dress shirts and things in different colors for when they want to be more expressive. The truth is, white dress shirts aren’t the blank slate that people assume. They go wonderfully with suits, and in the right cloth (oxford or linen), they can be worn with slightly more casual attire. However, unless you wear suits on a regular basis, you’re better off with light blue shirts (maybe add some blue and white stripes down the road). For experimentation, I think oxford cloth is best.

Since oxford button-downs have such a long history in American style, you can wear them cohesively with everything from tailored clothing to workwear to prep. As a color, light blue looks more causal than stark white, which helps it span a wider range of things in today’s casual world. You can wear light blue oxford button-downs with everything from sport coats to olive field jackets.

If your style stays traditional and tailored, you’ll always be able to wear light blue oxford button-downs with your sport coats and suits. If you end up wearing offbeat Japanese workwear brands such as Engineered Garments, you can still wear oxford button-downs with casual jackets. Like other items on this list, light blue oxford button-downs have a certain kind of versatility that allows you to play around with different looks.

Shetland Sweaters

They’ve been a staple at Brooks Brothers for over a hundred years, but you’d be surprised at how often Shetland sweaters crop up in almost every other line (trad or otherwise). Shetland knits have been part of Aspesi’s military-inspired collections, Lemaire’s contemporary wear, Margaret Howell’s rustic British designs, Our Legacy’s minimalism, NN07’s Japanese basics, and so forth. Dries Van Noten even made a line of Shetland sweaters a few years ago with archival labels from famous British mills. Shetlands work just as well with oversized topcoats as they do with waxed cotton Barbours, slim tailored trousers or raw denim jeans, experimental outfits or stalwart classics. Their spongey texture lends visual interest to outfits, while their solid color makes them easy to wear. Aside from gray sweatshirts, few knitwear styles stretch across so many aesthetic spaces.

Shetlands also offer more bang for your buck, which is useful early on in this process since you likely have to buy many things. As a fiber, Shetland wool is hardy and durable, so it doesn’t easily pill. You can often find vintage Shetlands on eBay that look like they’ve never been worn. Plus, whereas top-end cashmere sweaters start at $400, a good Shetland tops out at around $150. Get one in a color that contrasts with the pants you wear most. If you mostly wear gray wool trousers, get a sweater in brown, olive, or navy. If you mostly wear blue jeans, then buy a Shetland in gray, beige, or brown. By choosing a contrasting color, you can easily grab your sweater in the morning without second-guessing your outfit.

Gray Sweatshirt

A sturdy cotton sweatshirt is your workhorse knit. You can wear cotton sweatshirts with olive field jackets, brown leather jackets, and blue chore coats. Like oxford button-downs, they have such a long tradition in almost every casual aesthetic, you can wear them without thinking. I like ones with the triangular guest at the neck — sometimes called The Dorito because of its shape — but it’s purely an aesthetic preference. Heathered gray is your most versatile color, but black works surprisingly well too.

Prices here can range from the basic to ultra-expensive. If you’re on a budget, focus your money on the parts of your wardrobe that will make the most impact, such as outerwear and shoes. A cheaper sweatshirt from J. Crew will work out just fine. If it ends up stretching out, you can throw it into the wash and then the dryer. Cotton fades in the dryer, but this can look charming in a sweatshirt (and in a color such as heather gray, nearly undetectable).

Three Pairs of Shoes

You should always give your shoes a day of rest between each wearing. Sweat tends to collect inside your shoes, and with enough flexing, the material can break down like wet cardboard. Additionally, having a few pairs of shoes will allow you to create more cohesive outfits. I recommend starting with three pairs.

No footwear style will do everything, but a pair of suede chukkas will do more than most. This is something you can wear in the fall and winter months with rustic, casual clothes such as Barbour jackets and five-pocket cords. Our friend Graeme in Australia used to wear unlined Alden chukkas in the summertime with olive field jackets (we also like unlined chukkas, but they give less support than lined ones, so beware). You can wear suede chukkas with sport coats and tailored trousers, or more casual ensembles such as slim-straight jeans with a topcoat. I prefer them in brown suede, as the textured material visually breaks up the expanse of leather that sits on top of your foot.

For your second pair of shoes, consider brown derbies if your style leans classic and tailored, penny loafers if you’re preppy or trad, and work boots if you gravitate towards workwear. Among derbies, I like Norwegian split toes because they’re more interesting than plain toes and less common than wingtips. Some guys wear them with jeans, but I think they look more at home with tailored trousers. You can wear these with suits or sport coats.

For penny loafers, we have an entire guide on how to choose the right pair. Subtle details such as the last, stitching, and leather type can swing a pair of loafers towards the dressy or more casual side of the spectrum. For your first pair, I recommend sticking with a classic pair of brown penny loafers that’s around the level of formality where you usually dress. Something like Rancourts if you’re primarily in jeans and knockaround chinos, Meermin for tailored trousers and sport coats, and Alden’s LHS if you want something that works across these two worlds.

For work boots, the world is your oyster. Authentic work boots from Red Wing and Wolverine have been staples in the workwear community for decades (note, Red Wings can be tough to break in). If you have a bit more money to spend, Viberg’s service boots have a certain look and shape that allows them to be worn with authentic repro workwear and even some streetwear.

Finally, most guys can use a pair of sneakers. You don’t have to go high-end here. A pair of all-white Supergas, Chuck Taylors, or Vans can work with many classic wardrobes. German Army Trainers go well with everything from Rugged Ivy to contemporary lines such as Margiela. For guys who like the look of Common Projects, but don’t want to spend all that money, Gustin makes a great alternative.

Three Casual Jackets

A good jacket or coat is both the centerpiece and finishing touch on an outfit. Without one, an outfit can often look dull, sometimes even bordering on business casual. However, it’s hard to make blanket recommendations for outerwear (even more so than the other categories). Few jackets are so bland that they work for everyone — and when they do, they also don’t look very good. But for the point of discussion, I’ll recommend three: an olive field jacket for summer, a wool topcoat for winter, and a third jacket that allows you to play around with your casual wardrobe (e.g., denim trucker jackets, chore coats, peacoats, leather jackets, waxed Barbours, and others can be wonderful additions).

You can wear an olive field jacket in the spring and summer months with jeans, chinos, casual button-up shirts, and even t-shirts. When the weather gets colder in autumn, an olive field jacket can be layered over your gray cotton sweatshirt for warmth. For winter, a heavy topcoat will give you some of the advantages of tailored clothing without the formality (although, the downside is that you are to take off the coat when indoors, so the effect is only for when you’re outside). Lightweight topcoats do well in temperatures ranging in the 50s and 60s; heavier overcoats are better for temps below. These coats usually look better when they’re layered over a thick knit, so take that into consideration.

For your third jacket, consider a chore coat or trucker jacket if your style leans rugged, a waxed cotton Barbour Bedale or Beaufort if you like prep, and brands such as Valstar, Private White VC, and Stoffa if you want a casual alternative to sport coats. Dabble here and there to find what’s right for you.

Some Other Suggestions

The springboard wardrobe mentioned above is intended to help you experiment and find your style. It also helps to keep some things in mind as you go through this process.

Focus on Fit and Then Silhouette

When you’re just starting, it’s helpful to learn some basic things about fit, such as knowing when your sleeves are too short, pants too long, and whether a coat doesn’t sit right on your neck. But these things are just the baseline. Even more important than fit is the silhouette, which is the general shape of your outfit when all the details have been taken away.

A good silhouette doesn’t always follow the rules about fit. Sometimes the shoulder seams are dropped or extended; sometimes, the sleeves are intentionally long. By paying attention to the silhouette, you’ll learn how to express yourself more creatively through clothes and find things that flatter your body. We have guides on how to think about silhouette in a traditional tailored outfit and casualwear.

Think About Resale Value

In the beginning, you will cycle in and out of a lot of clothes, as you try different things and realize they don’t work for you. Through this process, you may also end up selling a lot of stuff on sites such as eBay or Grailed (our sponsor LuxeSwap is an eBay consignor who takes all the work out of creating listings).

As such, think about resale value when you buy something. It’s easy to get sucked into the idea that you should always buy the best. The internet is littered with cliches, such as “buy it for life” or “quality is remembered long after price is forgotten.” Filson’s tagline is even “might as well have the best.”

However, for people who are just starting, the sweet spot is often at the lower or middle-tier entry points. Brands such as Meermin, Lof & Tung, and Carmina are not only more affordable than Edward Green, they won’t hurt as much when you resell your purchases and find you only get 25% to 50% of retail value. As you become more secure in your taste — a process that will be informed by many experiments — you will have better footing when buying uber-expensive items.

Be Realistic About Your Forever Wardrobe

Resist the idea that you’re currently building your Forever Wardrobe. The things that stick with you will reveal themselves over time, as they’ll be the things you reach for the most. It’s also possible — and even fine — to cycle through things once in a while, even if you have a strong sense of personal style. Be realistic about where you are in your process.

Stay Close to Basic Colors

There’s nothing wrong with buying a citrus-colored sport coat or a wild pair of purple pants down the road. But when you’re just starting, stick to basic colors such as navy, brown, gray, black, and olive. These colors can be easily combined with one another, which means you can do more with a limited wardrobe. Additionally, pay attention to color temperature. Blue can be complementary or clashing, depending on its hue.

Focus on Outfits; Don’t Fetishize Objects

It’s easy to forget this simple lesson, especially if you’re learning about clothes online. As you learn about different technical details — storm welting, canvassing, hand stitching, etc. — you’ll become curious about how these details look and feel in real life. This tension is then only resolved through experience (or shopping). There’s nothing wrong with buying new things to see how you like them, but it’s important to focus on creating stylish outfits. Be aware of how easily you can start to fetishize objects, disconnected from the rest of your wardrobe, as you learn about certain details and see them presented through carefully cropped, beautifully photographed images. When shopping and exploring, use image-heavy sites such as Instagram to see how people wear those items in stylish outfits.

Broaden Your Horizons

When you’re just starting, it can be helpful to learn some basic things about fit, proportion, and general ideas about “quality.” But as you go through this process, it also helps to not be so analytical and sterile about how you view style. Clothing is deeply tied to culture and identity. As you learn about clothes, read about historical fashion movements — the Mods of the 1960s, prep revival of the ‘80s, Armani’s tailoring, punk movements, Japanese avant-garde designers, etc. It also helps to learn about various social movements and artistic scenes, so you can see how people have expressed themselves through clothes.

We’ve long championed the idea that clothing is about language. A good outfit is not about combining random shapes and colors, like how an artist might paint on a blank canvas. Instead, it’s closer to writing a sentence. If you take a more sociological view of style, you’ll not only better appreciate how other people put together outfits, you’ll also have a larger vocabulary through which you can express yourself. Keep an open mind and expose yourself to new things.

The post The Springboard Wardrobe appeared first on Put This On.

If I could only have three pairs of shoes, I’d go with a pair of loafers, some Norwegian split-toes, and some kind of boot (either work boots or side-zips). Like most men, I rarely wear a “serious suit” nowadays. “Serious suits” are limited to weddings, funerals, and other “serious occasions,” which means I don’t have much use for formal shoes such as oxfords (which, to my eye, only look right with suits). Derbies, on the other hand, can be worn with suits or sport coats, which gives them some versatility.

Loafers are more casual still. For most people, they can be worn three seasons out of the year. They go just as well with summer sport coats as they do with autumnal tweeds. Depending on their design, they can also be worn with casual outfits. Loafers are easy to slip off and easier to slip on. And if you’re the type of person to wear shoes without socks, bare ankles look more natural with slip-ons than lace-ups.

Choosing the right pair, however, requires some sensitivity to different design elements. Some loafers look better with sharply tailored trousers, while others look more at home with faded jeans. Some lean traditional, while others are fashion-forward. There’s no such thing as an “ultimate loafer,” but there are some that are better suited to your needs, lifestyle, and wardrobe. Here are some choices, along with suggestions on how to think through these various design elements.

The Casual Penny Loafer

When you close your eyes and imagine a penny loafer, you’re probably thinking of something like Bass Weejuns. These are your most casual pennies. Depending on their design, you can wear them with tailored chinos and a safari jacket or something as simple as jeans and a Harrington. You can even wear them with shorts and a madras shirt (a very New England look).

When trying to discern a loafer’s formality, look first at the shape. Casual loafers will be rounder than their sleeker, more formal counterparts. They will often have minimal shaping near the waist (that part of the shoe that comes in near the arch of your foot). 

There may be other casualizing elements. Some penny loafers are made from a more casual leather, such as Horween’s Chromexcel. Others may be unlined, which means the uppers feel more comfortable, but they’ll reveal the shape of your foot more readily when worn (sort of like espadrilles). Many will have rougher stitching — a lower stitch count per inch, contrast colored threads, thicker threads, and saddle stitching around the apron (that part of the shoe that sits at the edge of the toe box). An apron with a raised lipped will look more casual than one that’s flatter and more discrete. Beefrolls on both sides of the penny strap, a stitched ridge at the heel cup, and flat rubber sole can also make a loafer look casual. 

You can find these from brands such as Rancourt, Oak Street Bootmakers, and Jay Butler. Slightly more refined versions, such as Aurland (supposedly the original penny loafer), will have a similar casual vibe, but look less trad. These are the type of loafers you’ll want to wear with jeans, chinos, or shorts when hanging out at a BBQ, relaxing in the neighborhood, or doing other casual activities. Keep them with casualwear, rather than tailoring. 

Options: Sid Mashburn, Ralph Lauren, Oak Street Bootmakers, Rancourt, Aurland, Shipton & Heneage Milan, and Jay Butler Cromwell

The Dressy Penny Loafer

If you want something you can wear with suits and sport coats, choose a sleeker, more shapely penny loafer made from fine calfskin or suede. Loafers with finer, tonal stitching look dressier than ones with rougher stitching. A flatter apron will often look dressier than one with a raised lip, but it’s all about execution. In the photo above, you can see a pair of Crockett & Jones Rosebery with a subtly raised lip that still looks relatively formal. It’s just not as raised or rough as what you see on these Ralph Laurens.

The design of the vamp here is often overlooked as a design element. The term vamp refers to that part of the shoe that sits on top of your foot. High-vamp loafers come up higher on your foot, while low-vamp loafers terminate closer to your toes. As Mark Cho of The Armoury demonstrates in the video above, even when loafers are built on the same last, a higher vamp can help elongate the shape of your foot. This makes the shoes look sleeker and thus dressier.

For me, Edward Green’s Piccadilly is the Platonic form of a dressy loafer. It’s sleek and shapely without being aggressively sharp. When made with the company’s dark oak leather, it’s something you can wear with nearly any tailored outfit. The only problem is the price. At about $1,300 retail, it’s painfully expensive. Even on eBay, you’ll find gently used versions going for about $750. Solid alternatives include Foster & Son Burford, The Armoury’s Duane, Carmina 80191, Sons of Henrey, and Meermin 114284.

Options: Edward Green Piccadilly, The Armoury Duane, George Cleverley Bradley, Crockett & Jones Rosebery, Löf & Tung Francisco, Löf & Tung Abreau, Morjas, Carmina 80708, Carmina 80191, Alden, TLB Mallorca Martin, TLB Mallorca Artista, Sons of Henrey, Shipton & Heneage Wilton, Meermin 114284, and Meermin 101484

The In-Betweener Penny Loafer

Dressy loafers look most at home with tailored clothing, while casual loafers look better when kept to casualwear. But what if you want a versatile loafer that can do both? Straddling these two worlds can be like threading a needle, but it can be done.

First, a lot depends on your wardrobe. If your tailoring leans trad (more straight-waisted American, rather sleek Italian or structured British) and your casualwear leans classic, it’s easier to find loafers that can do double duty. The key is to get loafers with a mix of the different design elements mentioned above: a rounder last, rather than sleek, and something with a combination of formal and informal elements. You want something made from a “dress shoe” leather, such as fine calfskin, scotch grain leather, or shell cordovan, rather than uber-casual material such as Horween’s Chromexcel. Raised lipped aprons and split-toe seams can make a dressy loafer look causal, but beefrolls would be a step too far.

There are two excellent options here. Alden’s Leisure Handsewn (colloquially known as the LHS) is ideal if your style leans trad. It’s perfect for wearing with things such as Shetland sweaters, oxford button-downs, and five-pocket cords. At the same time, you can dress it up with a sport coat and pair of flannel trousers. This is the post-war Ivy look — a style that perfectly expresses the dressed-down, tailored style that the United States made famous. Get the LHS in Horween’s #8 shell cordovan if you can afford it. Otherwise, it also looks great in brown suede.

Alternatively, you can also try JM Weston’s 180, a high-walled penny loafer that’s closely associated with the BCBG social group in France. In the United States, this JM Weston loafer doesn’t carry the same class connotations, so it’s easier to wear these with a mix of things. The 180 goes well with tailored trousers and a sport coat, sometimes even casual suits. At the same time, the chunky silhouette looks natural with jeans and casualwear from labels such as Camoshita, Private White VC, and De Bonne Facture. 

Options: Alden Leisure Handsewn, JM Weston 180, Crockett & Jones Boston, Crockett & Jones Harvard, Löf & Tung Xavier, John Lobb Lopez, Sid Mashburn, Carmina 80579, Carmina 10082, Allen Edmonds Randolph, Allen Edmonds Cavanaugh, Grant Stone Traveler, Barbanera, Shipton & Heneage Arran, and Vass Norweger

The Flashy Horsebit Loafer

In the world of slip-on shoes, no style is more controversial than the horsebit. The style is associated with flashy dressers, aggressive powerbrokers, and arrivistes. In the 2013 film The Wolf of Wall Street, New York stockbroker Jordan Belfort (played by Leonard DiCaprio) wears jet-black Gucci horsebit loafers with strong-shouldered pinstripe suits, starched white collars, and power ties. The silhouette perfectly conveys the sort of greed-is-good ethos that we associate with bankers in the 1980s, when this film was set.

Reasonably, many people shy away from snaffle bit loafers for these reasons. They can feel too aggressive and flashy, like wearing the footwear version of a gold Rolex. At the same time, the style has some important design elements that make it surprisingly versatile. The ridged apron and rounded toe allow it to look at home with jeans, while the dressy leather and shiny horsebit make dressy enough for suits. In his book Elegance, Bruce Boyer writes: “In short, it was the first shoe that bridged the gap between casual and business wear. This dressy slip-on was refined with fine, lightweight calfskin, a pared-down shape, and a metal snaffle bit, and as such, it became avenue-elegant and gained acceptance in corporate board rooms and country clubs alike.”

If you’re anything like me, you’ll probably never step foot in a country club or corporate board room. But there’s still something appealing about this loafer. It looks great with drapey suits or sport coats — ones cut with a broader shoulder line, longer coat, and pleated trousers — or even casualwear from brands such as Aime Leon Dore (this is a very Gucci horsebit outfit).

Since it’s the original, the Gucci 1953 is naturally the most iconic. It’s the shoe that has been in the costume collection of New York’s Metropolitan Museum, Lisa Birnbach’s 1980 tongue-in-cheek guide The Official Preppy Handbook, and countless films and TV shows. But there are also many worthwhile alternatives, including Carmina’s 580746 and Alden’s Cape Cod. Jay Butler’s Milbank is perhaps the most affordable of all. If you’re buying something because you want a cheaper version of the Gucci, then you will end up being disappointed because it’ll live in the shadow of the thing you want. But I think many of these other shoes are good on their own merits. Carmina’s are lined in calfskin, rather than Gucci’s use of canvas, while Alden’s have a made-in-USA cred that will be important in trad circles. Buy the one that appeals most to you.

Options: Gucci 1953, Carmina 580746, Carmina 80570, Jay Butler Milbank, Allen Edmonds Verona II, Beckett Simonon Beaumont, Oak Street Bootmakers, and Alden Cape Cod

The Conservative Tassel Loafer

A few years ago, I was hanging out with my friend Agyesh Madan, the owner and designer behind the Italian-inspired casualwear line Stoffa. That day, Agyesh wore a grey suede flight jacket, taupe cotton trousers, and a pair of blue suede Belgian loafers. Belgians aren’t an easy style to pull off. They’re a little dainty and ostentatious, with a ridiculous, miniature bow sitting on the vamp. You usually see them on white, upper-class preps hanging around the Hamptons (or, more likely, guys who like to affect the same pretenses). Agyesh can pull them off because he’s anything but. As an Indian man with a scruffy beard, who wears leather jackets as part of his daily uniform, Agyesh says Belgians help soften his look.

Which is how I feel about the question that gets asked every summer: “Are tassel loafers only for old guys?” The answer is yes, which is why anyone can wear them. Whether you’re 30 or 60 years old, into traditional American style or something more contemporary, tassel loafers can work so long as you know how to incorporate them into your wardrobe. It’s all about playing into or against the social stereotype. 

I fell in love with tassel loafers in much the same way that I fell in love with a lot of classic clothing: I got inspired by how other cultures adopted these items. I love how older Japanese guys in the tailoring industry wear tassel loafers, particularly those inspired by Italian men who copy British and American dressers. In this remixing of culture, you often see jaunty tassel loafers worn with soft-shouldered suits and sport coats, trad-y outfits involving Shetland sweaters, and even a bit of workwear.

For me, nothing beats Alden. Along with being the originator of this style, their tassel loafers have that perfect low-vamp shape and rounded toe box. This is the sort of shoe you see shuffling around dusty trad shops such as O’Connell’s. But there are also some other good contenders, such as the tassel loafers from Sid Mashburn, The Armoury, and Ralph Lauren. Brown will always be your most versatile color, but black tassel loafers are surprising chic and useful. You can wear them in any outfit where you can imagine wearing a black knit tie. They go with navy sport coats and grey trousers, brown tweeds paired with taupe whipcords, and any kind of suit. 

Options: Alden, Ralph Lauren Booth, Ralph Lauren Quillis, Allen Edmonds Grayson, Sid Mashburn, Carmina 80481, Edward Green Belgravia, The Armoury Hudson, Foster & Son Arlington, Morjas, Oak Street Bootmakers, TLB Mallorca Lancaster, Grant Stone, Barbanera, Shipton & Heneage Finchley, Meermin 101412, and Meermin 101381

The “Post Sneaker” Loafer

For a small community of men online, there has been a lot of chatter lately about whether we’re entering a “post sneaker world.” This prophetic phrase, fueled by Lawrence Schlossman and James’ Harris podcast Throwing Fits, suggests that some men are tired of entering and losing raffles for rare Nikes and subsequently paying inflated prices on the secondary market. They may also be looking to dress more appropriately for their age. As many move from shopping at Supreme to Aime Leon Dore, they’re searching for shoes to match.

Earlier this month, Jacob Gallagher of the Wall Street Journal wrote about this section of “very tapped-in twenty- or thirtysomething consumers.” “[T]he Throwing Fits listeners and their cohort are not interested in tasteful yet generic Allen Edmonds, or the sort of safely somber Salvatore Ferragamo dress loafers you might have worn for decades. They’re more intrigued by designs from upstart, mostly online-only brands that tweak loafers with aplomb.”

It’s difficult to describe the “post sneaker loafer,” but as Gallagher notes, these are not your traditional styles. These companies mix elements from various designs, such as the chunky, 360-degree welt you might find on a country brogue with an unusually designed tassel loafer. Or a camp moc with a snaffle bit on the strap. Fundamentally, these are designed to be worn with slightly more fashion-forward outfits, such as the workwear style you might find at Monitaly or Engineered Garments. 

You can see how these outfits are put together in Blackstock & Weber’s lookbook. The taupe, windowpane trousers, tan sweater, and long olive trenchcoat in the photo above is a reasonably classic outfit, but in a more modern color combination. It also looks great with the subtly updated Blackstock & Weber spectator loafers, which have a chunkier silhouette than traditional varieties. Crockett & Jones’ Crewe loafer looks too refined in comparison. I like Blackstock & Weber’s Mason horsebit loafer the most. Available pebble grain or embossed croc, it’s something you can wear with slim jeans and fuzzy mohair cardigans, camp collar shirts, or open lace tops. “They’re great if you like chunky shoes,” says No Man Walks Alone’s Greg Lellouche, who owns a pair in brown suede and with lug soles. “I think of them more as a Timberland 3-eye lug than a menswear loafer.” 

Options: Blackstock & Weber, Aime Leon Dore, Horatio, Vinny’s, and Yuketen

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Seemingly against all odds, it looks like the United States will reopen by July 4th. Once again, we’ll be able to gather in restaurants, go to parties, and perhaps even return to the office. In the last year, getting dressed has been so unsatisfying if you’re only putting on clothes for a few hours. In one of my favorite essays published in the previous year, New Yorker contributor Rachel Syme put it best. “The only time I dress up in ‘outdoors’ clothing now is to hop into a Zoom meeting,” she wrote of the unsatisfying act. “I toss on a satiny blouse, big earrings, and a swipe of red lipstick, but my heart isn’t fully in it. Is an outfit still stylish if it is only a simulacrum of what you would wear to go somewhere (and if you rip it off right after the call ends and change into a stained sweatshirt?). Fashion, for me, has always been about the experience of moving through the world in clothes.”

But soon, millions of Americans will return to public life. For the clothing obsessed, this means the opportunity to truly get dressed again. If you yearn for the feeling of wearing real clothes, but have settled into a routine of putting on sweatpants and three-day-old t-shirts, here’s a guide on how to dress for the spaces and occasions that have disappeared from our lives in the last year. From the formal to casual, this guide covers everything from how to dress for fine dining restaurants to pool parties. 

Dressy Evening

Settings: Dinner and drinks at upscale establishments, seated performances in the evening, and any time you want to dress up

There are only a handful of restaurants left in the United States that require patrons to wear a coat-and-tie. Even in New York City, arguably the largest fine dining scene in the country, there are fewer than ten such places. Even among those establishments, the rules are rarely enforced. But if you’re going somewhere fancy for the evening — say, to a ticketed show, an upscale restaurant, or a fancy bar — it still feels nice to dress up. For most men, there are so few opportunities anymore to wear a suit for celebratory reasons. Why not take advantage of the occasion?

A wool-mohair suit is perfect for this kind of thing. Mohair is a crisp, dry fiber with a slight sheen. It catches the light in all the right ways and looks tremendous at night, especially under artificial light in dimly lit bars and restaurants. When you close your eyes and image restaurant scenes in the 1960s or ‘80s, you often think of mohair suits even if you don’t know the term. Plus, mohair fabrics are typically made with an open weave. They’re favored in the summertime because of how well they deal with the heat and humidity. I also like them for crowded indoor events for this reason. Along with being the perfect restaurant or bar suit, it’s great for things such as art shows, film screenings, after parties, or any time you want to dress up for an indoor event.

The Armoury has a wool-mohair suit in what I think is the perfect shade of green. It has a slight grey cast, making it more conservative and easier to wear (mohair suits also do well in evening colors such as midnight blue and gray). This specific suit comes in The Armoury’s exclusive Model 3 cut. Manufactured by Ring Jacket in Japan, this cut has an extended shoulder line, a slightly fuller chest, and a very soft construction (there’s no shoulder pad, just a canvas that extends over the shoulder). You can wear this suit with a stark white shirt, black knit tie, and some black tassel loafers. Alternatively, you can also dress it down with a long-sleeved polo in white or black. Finish the look off with a neatly folded, white pocket square from our shop. The Armoury co-founder Mark Cho models this suit well on YouTube. 

Semi-Dressy Afternoon

Settings: Upscale restaurants and bars, art shows, museums, film screenings, seated events, day trips in the city, shopping downtown, and any time you want to dress up

If a suit feels too formal, you can always dress things down with a sport coat. By now, most Put This On readers will be familiar with the language of tailored clothing. Sport coats are inherently more casual than suits, and can be made to look more casual still if they’re softly tailored and feature details such as patch pockets. You can also play around with the textures, colors, and patterns in an outfit. Think of how a checked brown sport coat looks more casual than a solid navy jacket, or how a colorful striped shirt looks more casual than one in stark white poplin.

For a fun afternoon outfit, try dialing back all the colors. You can wear a tan checked sport coat instead of your usual navy, ivory trousers instead of grey, and tan shoes instead of dark brown. In this way, the colors in your outfit reflect the season (spring/summer) and time of day (afternoon). It will also look more interesting than your usual grey-and-navy combinations.

No Man Walks Alone has two great options right now: a tan Fox Air cloth with a grayish-brown check and then a tan Holland & Sherry gun club. Like The Armoury’s Model 3, No Man Walks Alone’s Sartoria Carrara jackets have an extended shoulder line, a slightly fuller chest, and very soft construction. However, they also have a slightly lowered gorge. The gorge, for those unfamiliar, is the seam that connects the collar to the lapel. It helps determine the placement and shape of the lapel’s notch. By having a lower gorge, No Man Walks Alone’s jackets look a little more old school. Mitchell at Menswear Musings has some good photos of how these jackets look when worn.

The tan gun club would do well in the early spring months, when you want some of the echos of autumnal tweed, but rendered in a fabric that’s lighter and more comfortable to wear. The Fox Air sport coat, on the other hand, would be better in the summertime when you’ll appreciate the breathability of that open-weave wool. Both can be worn with these oatmeal-colored Rota tropical wool trousers, a light blue Proper Cloth oxford button-down, and some grained Löf & Tung split toes. Wear this in the afternoon to upscale bars, restaurants, and shopping districts when a suit feels too formal.

Semi-Dressy Evening

Settings: Going to the city with expectations to get dinner or drinks in the evening, attending seated events, a night on the town, hotel bars, rooftop bars, fancy parties, and any time you want to dress up for the evening

Since the suit was born in London, we get our language of classic men’s dress from Britain. Historically, British men of a certain social class had a wardrobe that was divided between town and country. When relaxing or hunting in the countryside, they sported tweeds, brogues, and tattersall shirts. When doing business in the city, they wore dark worsted suits, black oxfords, and white shirts. This is where we get the phrase, “no brown in town” (town meaning London). These items used to be so firmly planted in their social environments, they never crossed that dividing line.

No one really follows these rules anymore, but this history casts a long shadow on how we interpret colors, patterns, and textures. This is why smooth, black calf leather is considered more formal than brown pebble grain. Or why navy sport coats look smarter than brown tweeds. When putting together a tailored outfit, an understanding of this history can help you create coherent combinations and achieve different effects.

For example, when going out in the evening in a sport coat, it can be nice to wear something more “citified.” Evening events often feel a little more formal than their afternoon counterparts, so it can good to wear something that feels a little more refined. The Armoury’s slate blue sport coat is perfect for this sort of thing. When paired with a navy polo, mid-gray trousers, and a pair of black horsebit loafers, this can be something you wear in the evening to upscale bars, restaurants, theatre shows, or even parties. If you’re going out in the afternoon and know you’ll be getting drinks at night, I would do something that straddles the two time periods — the same slate blue sport coat with khaki chinos, a striped holiday collar shirt, and some brown penny loafers. The mid-blue sport coat will feel a little more at home in a dimly lit bar than a brown tweed.

Smart Casual

Settings: Museums, art galleries, film screenings, first dates, shopping, seated performances, and eating or drinking at upscale, but casual establishments

A step down further on the formality spectrum is what some call “smart casual.” This look often gets expressed in very conservative ways — a light blue oxford cloth shirt or long-sleeved polo paired with linen or tropical wool trousers. Shoes are usually classic, such as loafers or derbies. To be sure, there’s nothing wrong with this outfit, but it often feels a little too close to business casual to be inspiring. To help elevate things, try layering a shirt jacket or a safari jacket. In the last five years, clothiers such as The Armoury, Lutays, Drake’s, G. Inglese, and Besnard have all come out with their versions, each of which can help “finish” that look.

You can push things further by wearing slightly more directional pieces without losing the refinement many people find appealing in “dressy” clothes. For example, De Bonne Facture specializes in simple, serene clothes with a strong focus on quality materials. Their organic cotton “architect jacket” and taupe plaid “painter jacket” look like more sophisticated versions of the iconic French chore coat. They also have an elegant golf jacket that you can pair with a tucked white t-shirt, a thin brown belt, a pair of ivory ts(s) fatigues, and some all-white sneakers. The Coolest Man You Know, a menswear shop based in Paris, has some great photos of that golf jacket being worn.

Stoffa is also wonderful for this slightly directional “smart casual” look. Their cropped flight jacket has distinctive hip pockets, a two-way zipper, and a soft, large collar that looks tremendous when popped from the back. This is the kind of directional, but reasonably classic design that’s hard to find from more traditional clothiers. You can pair it with your regular choices in tailored trousers and semi-casual footwear, such as The Armoury’s navy sport chinos and some unlined Meermin loafers.

For something a little more adventurous, try a pair of drapey, wide-legged trousers. Lemaire is arguably the best for this sort of style. As the former artistic director at Hermes, Lemaire excels at sourcing materials and creating just-right patterns. Somehow, his clothes always fit, move, and drape in the right ways. This is especially true of his wide-legged trousers, which have all the elegance of 1980s Armani, but none of the 1990s baggage. This season, he has self-belted trousers in walnut brown (insanely expensive) and carbon grey (on sale and much more affordable). You can pair these with Colhay’s vintage-inspired “sports sweater.” The short, ribbed sleeves and wide, ribbed waistband can help you create a slightly more interesting look without the use of outerwear. Beam’s linen camp collar shirts or Stoffa’s big-pocketed sport shirts would also work well.

Workwear

Settings: Outdoor performances, festivals, dive bars, spectator sports, picnics in the park, flea markets, zoos, aquariums, and lazy days when you don’t want to worry about your clothes

“Smart casual” can be great when you want a more casual alternative to sport coats. But dressy casualwear often requires some maintenance, such as ironing and dry cleaning. Depending on your activities for the day, you may also not want to have to worry about dirty hands, grass stains, or errant food drippings. For fuss-free clothes you can wear and feel good about, workwear makes for a great casual uniform. These better-with-age clothes are rugged, durable, geographically neutral, and play well into most people’s lifestyles. You can wear these for outdoor festivals, picnics in the park, or spectator sports. Since workwear jackets often have ample pocket space, they’re also good for rummaging through flea markets (a great summertime activity).

There are a few staples that go into this uniform. It helps to have some raw denim jeans, a stack of flannel shirts, and a pair of reliable, but stylish work boots. Classic outerwear choices include olive field jackets, blue chore coats, and denim truckers. I also like plain white and printed tees, especially those from 3sixteen, Lady White, and Imogene + Willie. They have small details, such as the unique pockets or triple-stitched, never-sag collars, which help them slot in better with a workwear uniform. And it helps to have a sweatshirt you can wear when knocking around. Buzz Rickson makes my favorite, but Wallace & Barnes is arguably the best value for money.

There are also some unique outerwear options this season. Ralph Lauren has a tan wading jacket that’s finished with a corduroy collar, a shearling patch, and a half-belted back. J. Peterman has a fishing jacket and a British SBS canoe smock (one of my favorite designs from Wallace & Barnes, back when they still sold it). You can wear these with any number of pant options: vintage Levi’s 501s (search for the ones made in the USA), Dickie’s painter pants, Stan Ray’s fatigues or painter pants, RRL’s officer chinos, or Sid Mashburn’s five-pocket cords. Nigel Cabourn, a sponsor on this site, also makes a pleated chino with a roomy top block — a cut that’s surprisingly hard to find in today’s slim-fit world, but looks refreshingly stylish and feels exceptionally comfortable.

Very Casual

Settings: Beach towns, pool parties, BBQs, outdoorsy activities, hanging out in the neighborhood on hot days, and any time you just want to relax

Finally, we have shorts. There’s no topic in the world of men’s style more controversial than whether men should be allowed to show skin below the waistline. Shorts are considered a no-no because they reveal men’s gams; sandals are frowned upon because they show toes. Even today, people still debate whether it’s OK for a man to not wear socks. I think these things are contextual. If you’re going to a pool party, BBQ, or hanging out at a beach town, I can’t think of anything better than a pair of shorts. Even on sweltering hot days, everything else seems second-best. Suits and sport coats are too formal, smart casual risks getting stained, and heavy workwear can feel stifling.

The good news is that shorts can be worn well. Avoid things that look like slim chinos that have been carefully hemmed at the knee. When shorts look too slim, long, or otherwise perfectly tailored, the outfit ends up looking too uptight. Instead, if you’re going to wear shorts, lean into the look. Shorts often do better when they end mid-thigh, which tends to be somewhere between a five- and seven-inch inseam (inclusive) for most men. I personally like mid-thigh shorts that flare out a little, as they give the illusion of leg muscles.

There are countless options for good shorts. Todd Snyder, J. Crew, Save Khaki United, and Patagonia are all solid starting places. American Trench makes washed linen shorts with an elasticated waistband, which will feel more comfortable than button closures. You can wear them with a retro-styled polo, camp collar shirt, Cuban collar shirt, or long-sleeved tee. For footwear, either white canvas sneakers or leather camp mocs will give you some good Harrison Ford vibes.

Alternatively, you can throw this look in different directions. Freenote Cloth’s olive deck shorts paired with an OAS terrycloth shirt and some Chamula huaraches look like the sort of thing you’d want to wear when getting tacos in a beach town. For something you can wear at home while listening to Yusef Lateef LPs, I would do Niche’s flower-cut work shorts paired with Double Rainbouu’s Western shirt and some Birkenstocks. Either the Arizonas or Bostons work well, depending on how you feel about your toes.

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Yet, year after year, I find myself mostly relying on the same ones: Shetlands, sweatshirts, and occasionally a patterned knit or turtleneck for specific ensembles. Building a good knitwear wardrobe requires a little about knowing how quality is determined. Sometimes there are telltale signs, such as the lack of side seams, which will suggest that the manufacturer put in a bit more time and effort into making the garment (which, in turn, may also suggest that the materials are higher quality and less likely to pill). But the quality of knitwear is mostly read off the brand’s reputation. Cheap knits from Zara will be obviously bad; higher-end Scottish knits are almost always good. The rest will be about the design and how well something works for your wardrobe. Like a lot of things regarding clothes, there’s a bit of wisdom about relying on basics, but then also some wisdom about finding unique things that simply work for you and your wardrobe.

If you’re shopping around for some knits this season, here are some that I’ve found useful, going in descending order of importance. For more basic sweater shopping tips, see our five tips on how to buy better knitwear and our post on how to spot quality.

The Very Versatile Shetland

In the far north, off the coast of Scotland, lie the Shetland Islands. These thinly populated islands have plenty of pasture, which farmers use to raise short-tailed sheep. This is where we get Shetland wool, a sturdy, lightweight, slightly prickly fiber that’s typically plucked, not shorn, and then firmly spun into yarn before being transformed into garments. Shetland tweed is known for its insulating qualities. Shetland sweaters are famous for their durability. In the old days, women here used to knit sweaters in the home, which is why Shetland sweaters often came with the strong smell of smoked fish.

Sometime around the early 1900s, Brooks Brothers imported these sweaters and sold them through their New York City store. This is how they eventually made it into the American dress canon. Classically, Shetland sweaters are paired with flat-front chinos and tweed sport coats, but in the 1970s, university students started pairing them with five-pocket cords and mountain parkas. Today, they can be worn with almost anything, so long as your outfit calls for a sweater. The only downside is that they’re quite scratchy, which is why you’ll need to layer it over a long-sleeved shirt (preferably a collared shirt).

Shetland sweaters are a great starting place for building a quality knitwear wardrobe. For one, they’re harder wearing and more affordable than cashmere. Being that they’re so lofty and textured, they’re visually more interesting than plain merinos. Most importantly, a Shetland sweater can stay in your wardrobe even as your taste evolves in unexpected directions. You can wear one with waxed cotton Barbours, heavy topcoats, French chore coats, milsurp field jackets, and offbeat workwear. That’s partly why they’ve shown up everywhere — from Brooks Brothers to Dries Van Noten, everyone can use a textured sweater. Get one in a color that contrasts with most of your trousers: blue or brown if you wear grey flannel trousers, or grey if you prefer blue jeans.

Options: Harley’s, O’Connell’s, Anglo Italian, Junior’s, J. Press, Drake’s, Jaimeson’s, Wythe, Trunk Clothiers, Anderson & Sheppard, Kingsman, Aspesi, Howlin, William Lockie, Laurence J. Smith, and Genuine Scottish Knits

A Reliable Sweatshirt

The internet is full of stylish and inspirational photos of well-dressed men walking around various fashion weeks, clothing showrooms, and far away places. Many of these men are dressed in impeccably tailored suits, avant-garde casualwear, and hard-to-find vintage. But when I think of more relatable style heroes, I think of guys like Andrew Chen, the co-founder of 3sixteen. Andrew has been in the clothing business forever. Still, he has always relied on a fairly simple uniform: heavy denim, plaid flannel shirts, white t-shirts, boots, sneakers, and sturdy cotton sweatshirts.

Andrew tells me that he likes cotton sweatshirts and hoodies partly because he finds wool knitwear too itchy against bare skin. Additionally, as a father of two young boys, cotton sweats are easy to care for, machine washable, and suit a busy lifestyle. “Except for outerwear, my clothes are things that can be thrown into the wash,” says Andrew. “The boots you see here, I don’t think I’ve wiped them down even once. The only time they’ve gotten any care was when they went in for a resoling. I don’t like babying my stuff.” This is the kind of practical clothing that our writer Pete has recommended for fathers.

When I’m in jeans, chinos, or fatigues, I often reach for something sturdy and dependable: a grey cotton sweatshirt that I know I can easily machine wash. Last year, when I found that my J. Crew sweatshirt had a small hole near the collar, I just patched it up. As Andrew notes, the key is finding clothes that fit well (having a bit of good outerwear helps, as well). If you wear jeans at all, I recommend at least getting one good cotton sweatshirt. The first one should be grey, the most versatile color, although I find collegiate colors such as pine, burgundy, navy, and black also to be useful.

Naturally, many people may be wondering what’s the difference between a ~$150 sweatshirt and something that you can find for ~$50. Some of this will be in the detailing, such as some having a loopwheeled construction (which is an older way of making these garments). Some of this will be in the quality of the materials. My Buzz Rickson sweatshirt, for example, is nice and dense, and doesn’t stretch out as easily as the one I bought from J. Crew. It also has a “vintage” fit that I like, which is slightly boxy and short. I think it goes well with the kind of boots, jeans, and jackets I like to wear. In the end, however, you just need to find something that fits you well and works for your budget. If you find that your sweatshirt stretches out easily, throw it in the wash and put it in the dryer to shrink it back to shape. The color might dull from being in the dryer so much, but … it’s a sweatshirt. These look better beat up.

Options: 3sixteen, J. Crew, Buzz Rickson, Unrecorded, Blank Expression, Levi’s Vintage Clothing, Sunspel, Reigning Champ, National Athletic Goods, RRL, Velva Sheen, Camber, Camoshita, Ikiji, The Real McCoys, Strike Gold, Todd Snyder x Champion, Lady White, Uniqlo, Ebbets Field Flannels, Aime Leon Dore, and Wythe. Also, don’t forget to check-in with vintage shops, such as Wooden Sleepers, Velour, and Raggedy Threads. They often have very cool, beat-up vintage pieces that have a lot more character (all three of those stores can take phone orders).

A Second or Third Textured Knit

To the degree there’s still a male uniform in the United States, it’s the dress shirt with a pair of dark jeans and a smooth merino knit. It’s the final outfit for men who don’t wear tailored jackets – the thing they can use to go to churches, offices, and other conservative settings without fear of drawing unwanted attention. It’s the thing your mother wanted you to wear when it came time to have your yearbook portrait taken. And likely what many men will wear next month to Thanksgiving dinner.

The uniform persists for a reason. Shallow v-necks with dress collars underneath frame the face in a way that t-shirts can’t, and the combination gives a vague sense of formality without actually being formal. The look is nearly failsafe, but it’s also devoid of personality. A finely knit sweater in plain navy or gray is about as good of a candidate as any for a menswear staple, but I find I rarely wear mine.

Instead, I think knitwear looks better when it’s textured. Along with the Shetlands mentioned earlier, there are countless options: cream-colored Arans, beautifully twisted cables, flecked Donegals, lower-gauge knits, and various designer options. You can pair these with a Barbour jacket, field coat, leather bomber, chore coat, or parka. They look great sitting above a pair of grey flannels, five-pocket cords, or jeans. And much like how a solid-colored grenadine can be worn with almost anything, I find textured sweaters to be easier to wear than patterned ones (although, those are great too). Textured sweaters lend visual interest to plain colored jackets, but help tone down the look of more complicated designs.

After you have a Shetland sweater, consider getting one or two other textured knits. The Armoury and SNS Herning offer unique basketweave and moss-stitched sweaters. Inis Meain, Colhay’s, Drake’s, and our sponsor Proper Cloth have luxurious Arans. Vintage stores and trad boutiques, such as Wooden Sleepers, Velour, and O’Connell’s, often have vintage or deadstock Arans that are a bit more textured than machine-knit varities (call to inquire). This Blurhms has a beautiful, hairy surface. One of my favorite sweaters is a cream-colored A Kind of Guise knit with a chunky zig-zag pattern. That design has been long sold out, but don’t be afraid of going a little outside the box. In staple colors such as cream, navy, and grey, a solid-colored knit should be reasonably versatile if it’s textured.

Options: Proper Cloth, Colhay’s, Genuine Scottish Knits, The Armoury, Scott & Charters, William Lockie, SNS Herning, O’Connell’s, Blurhms, Inis Meain, Glad Hand, Christian Kimber, Andersen-Andersen, 3sixteen, RRL, Inverallan, Howlin, LL Bean, Aime Leon Dore, and John Smedley

Possibly a Patterned Knit

Here’s where we get specialized. Patterned sweaters can be as classic or trendy as you desire, depending on their motifs. Certain patterns are completely unassailable and can be worn with nearly any classic ensemble. I love LL Bean’s Norweigan knit, for example, with five-pocket cords and oxford cloth button-downs. They add a bit of visual interest when layered underneath a waxed cotton Barbour. Others, such as Nordic and Fair Isles, can look great during the holiday season, whether worn with jeans or flannel trousers. Jaimeson’s makes handsome, traditional Fair Isles. J. Crew is also a good source for these sorts of things if you want something that rides the thin line between classic and contemporary.

Take a look at the photo of Jonathan Edwards above, which Jamie Ferguson shot for his wonderful book This Guy (a great holiday gift, by the way). Although Edwards has a suede cafe racer draped over his arm, you can see how much the sweater adds to his outfit. It’s a chunky Ralph Lauren turtleneck with a Southwestern pattern, which can be worn with something as simple as a baseball cap and some jeans. A plain merino crewneck just wouldn’t have the same effect. Ralph Lauren is great for these sorts of things. They have everything from Fair Isles to Polo bear knits to various iterations of their iconic flag sweater. Shortly after the attacks on September 11th, the company released a special edition sweater as a tribute to first responders and this country’s resilience.

For something a little more offbeat, our sponsor Rowing Blazers recently re-released two sweaters that Princess Diana made famous in the 1980s: a black sheep sweater and her kitschy “I’m a Luxury.” Both were made in collaboration with the knitwear designers who originally made them, Gyles & George and Warm & Wonderful’s Joanna Osborne and Sally Mui. I have a black version of this Chamula flag knit, which I wear every Fourth of July and every chance I get during an election year. And I still covet this Palace x Ralph Lauren Polo bear sweater, although the resale price is prohibitive.

Patterned knits can be dicey, and the right motif will depend on the rest of your wardrobe. These aren’t the first knits I would buy, but they can make for a fun addition down the road.

Options: Rowing Blazers, Jaimeson’s, J. Crew, Chamula, Bryceland’s, LL Bean, Drake’s, Ralph Lauren, Isabel Marant, and Aime Leon Dore

Maybe a Turtleneck

In 1996, Tom Junod wrote a piece for GQ Magazine, which was nominated for a National Magazine Award. Simply titled “My Father’s Fashion Tips,” it was about his father’s impeccable style, as well as the opinions of a man who felt strongly about clothes. The article is a wonderful read, but the best part is his father’s unwavering confidence that a turtleneck is the most flattering thing a man can wear – an inflexible and enduring axiom that, Tom writes, his father believed in more than the existence of God. “The turtleneck is the most flattering thing a man can wear because it strips a man down to himself – because it forces a man to project himself,” he wrote. “The turtleneck does not decorate, like a tie, or augment, like a sport coat, or in any way distract from what my father calls a man’s ‘presentation;’ rather, it fits a man in sharp relief and puts his face on a pedestal – first literally, then figuratively. It is about isolation, the turtleneck is; it is about essences and first causes; it is about the body and the face, and that’s all it’s about; and when worn by Lou Junod, it is about Lou Junod.”

I’m not as pro-turt as Lou Junod, but I’m a cautious fan of the style. If you want to know how the turtleneck is commonly viewed today, don’t turn to the trimly militant one Steve McQueen wore as a sleuth in the 1968 thriller Bulliet. Or ones Richard Roundtree paired with long leather coats in Shaft. Instead, look to more modern references. The turtleneck is at the center of countless comedy scenes, including ones from SNL, Seinfeld, Dinner for Smucks, and Will Ferrell’s parody of the 1970s. When hip hop star Drake danced to the beat of his own drum machine in “Hotline Bling,” he was mocked not only for his awkward dad-moves, but also the slouchy gray lambswool knit that came up to his beard.

Still, turtlenecks can be a great way to dress down a sport coat, as the raised neckline helps make up for the lack of a necktie. I also think that chunky turtlenecks look great with any outerwear that has a contrasting collar — a Lee’s Storm Rider, a bomber with a sherpa-lined collar, or even a mountain parka that shows a contrasting color on the reverse. See Peter Zottolo, George Wang, and Tony Sylvester for some great turt-inspiration. “A turtleneck is the sweater equivalent of a collared shirt; it frames your face,” says Peter. “Once you think of it that way, it’s easy to see ways to pair one. Bulky Arans or other thick knits go naturally with stout outerwear, such as a Melton topcoat or plaid Ulster. Smaller-gauge ones look fantastic with casual suits, and you can’t beat a beefy navy or grey turtleneck with a pair of jeans. I like the practicality of turtlenecks. When it’s cold, you could pop on a crewneck and scarf, but a turtleneck is both.”

The key is getting the right weight. Not only do chunky turtlenecks wear much warmer, but they have a vaguely rugged, Maine Guy attitude. By contrast, thinner turtlenecks are better for when you’re indoors and around central heating, but they also exude a certain bohemian, intelligentsia energy. Get one that suits your lifestyle, personality, and wardrobe. Mark Cho of The Armoury recommends that you can always wear a shorter turtleneck if you’re unsure of the style. “I like to roll mine as far as I can, to the point where I’m doubling over the turtleneck, and it almost looks like a mock neck,” he says. “I wear them with a shirt, such that the collar is peeking out a bit, but not so much that the collar points are popping out.” Heimat’s rollnecks work well, too.

Options: Proper Cloth, Colhay’s, Heimat, Caruso, Anglo Italian, Bryceland’s, Inis Meain, Doppiaa, Drake’s, Berg & Berg, Rubato, William Lockie, John Smedley, Full Count, Orvis, and Orgueil

A Shawl Collar Cardigan (Mostly for Home)

OK. You have a Shetland, a sweatshirt, and one or two more textured knits in staple colors such as navy, brown, or grey. You may also have a patterned knit that you wear on occasion, and a turtleneck you’re not sure about, but like to wear anyway. For a subsequent purchase, consider a chunky shawl collar cardigan.

Shawl collar cardigans can be found in almost any mall or clothing boutique nowadays. But the best ones often have a thicker collar that drapes like a wrap-around neck pillow or a doughy roll. In cashmere, they’re wildly expensive — often over $1,000. In lambswool, they hover between $250 and $500. These tend to be costly, but you’d be hard-pressed to find something so insulating and comfortable to wear around the home. You can wear one over an oxford cloth button-down, a t-shirt, or even a thin turtleneck (layering knitwear is a great move). They can be paired with everything from jeans to chinos to grey flannel trousers. You can also get slightly contemporary with it. In some of the photos above, you can see how Greg Lellouche of No Man Walks Alone pairs a dark brown Scott & Charters cardigan with brown trousers and a brown scarf. A similar NMWA lookbook photo shows a man lounging at home in a black cardigan, charcoal trousers, and a mid-gray shirt.

Chunky shawl collar cardigans are especially useful this time of year for holiday parties (at least during those years when such gatherings are safe). If you’re hosting an at-home party or going to one, you can wear a chunky shawl collar knit instead of a tailored jacket. It will look more inviting and friendly; less dressed up. At the same time, the chunky collar helps frame your face better than a standalone crewneck or v-neck sweater. I mostly wear mine at home, although Dehnen 1920, RRL, Kanata, and Chamula have hardier, denser cardigans that can be worn outside like a jacket.

Options: Rowing Blazers, The Armoury, Drake’s, Todd Snyder x Drake’s, Scott & Charters, Colhay’s, Spier & Mackay, Kent Wang, Cordings, Orgueil, Campbell’s of Beauly, Winston & Company, O’Connell’s, Dehen 1920, Chamula, Kanata, RRL, Todd Snyder, and Zanone.

The Surprisingly Useful Solid Black Sweater

In the 1959 book Try for Elegance, which centers around a men’s clothing shop based on Brooks Brothers, a man asks for a black sweater and is given a disapproving glare by the protagonist. Among Ivy Style traditionalists, black is verboten for anything beyond leather shoes and matching belts. But when asked about it in The Rake, Alan Flusser said: “Black can be very chic, and guys who are into tradition are generally not into chic.”

I’ve found black to be a tremendously useful color for knitwear, although it’s true that it plays better with contemporary wardrobes than traditional ones. Black knits are chic and sophisticated. They look better at night, when you might actually need a sweater. And they provide an excellent neutral background for coats and jackets in dusty olives, faded tans, and stone grays. In fact, you often see them use in runway shows and lookbook presentations because of how they help highlight a good piece of outerwear.

Whenever I’m not sure what kind of sweater to layer under a jacket, I usually reach for a slightly textured, black Our Legacy knit. It goes well underneath tan suede cafe racers, olive bomber jackets, French chore coats, grey topcoats, and even black leather jackets. A deep black, cotton sweatshirt goes great with any olive or brown military-style outerwear. A more refined, black cashmere crewneck sweater can be a base for smarter tonal outfits. 3sixteen has a black sweater this season made with a half cardigan stitch, which has a bit more body and a touch of texture. It would go well across a range of wardrobes. A black Shetland would also work in the same ways. 

This effect is similar to the one seen here on our friend Peter, who pairs a black Western shirt with black jeans and a tan suede Ralph Lauren trucker jacket. See how the jacket pops against the black background. Black dress shirts can be dicey, as they can make you look like a prom date or cruise ship magician. But black knitwear is surprisingly useful.

Options: Proper Cloth, Unrecorded, 3sixteen, Aime Leon Dore, Margaret Howell, Drake’s, John Smedley, Todd Snyder, J. Crew, and Jamieson’s

The post A Basic Guide To Useful Knitwear appeared first on Put This On.

We’ve written a ton of guides on how to dress for a wedding. In this one, I’ll give some tips on how to avoid that nightmare scenario where you’re stuck with a bad wedding suit and don’t have time to fix it. To be sure, many of these tips will sound familiar to longtime readers, as they’re not that different from how to shop for a good suit in general. But hopefully, this guide will be useful for men who are just starting to dip their toes into tailoring.

Start Early; Start Now

Back in 2010, Jesse wrote a great post about the old engineering saying, “Good, Fast, Cheap: Pick Two.” The concept also applies to shopping. If you’re reading this site, I’ll assume you want to get a good suit. The choice is then between getting one fast or cheap.

To be honest, fast may not even be an option anymore. The best suits are generally made bespoke by one of the few remaining tailors who are skilled in this craft (notably, not all bespoke suits are good, which is something I’ll touch on later). But those tailors tend to be based in Western Europe, and more often than not, around certain cities such as Naples and London. If you’re not local to them, then you’ll have to rely on traveling operations, who will visit you once every three to four months. If this is your first order with that tailor, it can take more than a year for a suit to be delivered (factor in the first meeting along with three fittings).

For ready-to-wear, you’ll want to leave yourself about the same amount of time to shop for a suit. It takes a while to try on different models and get a sense of what looks good on you. Buying jeans is hard enough. Tailoring is distinct in that small differences in the cut and proportion can make a significant impact on how you look. If you want to buy something good, but affordable, then you need to put yourself in a position to win. Be able to walk away from a deal until the right opportunity presents itself. Don’t put yourself in a situation where you have to compromise. That means shopping early and shopping now.

Sartoria Formosa at No Man Walks Alone

Start With Ready To Wear

As this is a special event, you probably want a suit that’s special enough to match the occasion. Many men will assume this means getting something custom-made, as they equate custom tailoring with quality and exclusivity. This is a mistake. If you break the suit market up into three categories — ready-to-wear, made-to-measure, and bespoke — there’s enough heterogeneity within each category to make it hard, if not impossible, to generalize between them. There’s good ready-to-wear and bad ready-to-wear. The same is true for the other categories. Custom tailoring just means that a pattern has been adjusted for you. That comes with as many potential pitfalls as it does benefits.

In the end, you may be one of those people who needs a custom suit. But your best bet is to always start with ready-to-wear. Off-the-rack suits have one tremendous benefit: you can put things back on the rack if you don’t like how they look. By trying on different suits, you can get a sense of how you feel about the cut and proportions of certain silhouettes, different fabrics, and various stylistic details such as shoulder treatment and pocket shapes. You’ll also learn your specific fit challenges and whether they can be solved with some basic alterations.

If you decide to go custom, make sure you research the company thoroughly. Know the difference between made-to-measure and bespoke. Find out if your cutter, or at least an experienced tailor, will be present at your fittings. See if you can get candid opinions from previous clients. If it’s a made-to-measure operation, ask if they’ll just measure you or fit you first in a sample garment. On average, companies that fit their clients in sample garments have a better batting average than those who just measure.

Keep it Classic

I’d like to think that we’re pretty open-minded here at Put This On. We’re aware of some basic rules when it comes to tailoring, but we’re not sticklers about them. We also understand that a wedding ceremony ought to be personalized in ways that make them meaningful for the people involved.

That said, consider keeping things classic. Wedding photos are forever; trends are not. If you got married ten years ago, a slim, short jacket with skinny lapels might have been en vogue because of the uptick in Mad Men inspired clothing. In hindsight, many of those cuts didn’t look very flattering. Slim, short suits tend to make men look heavier than they are.

Instead of dressing according to trends, think about how you should dress for your body type. We have guides on how to think about fit and silhouette, how to read formality in tailored clothing, and how to get things altered. Keep things moderate: lapels that are neither too skinny or wide, jackets that terminate halfway between your collar and the floor, and trousers that aren’t too baggy or tight. Will over at A Suitable Wardrobe once joked: “Your first marriage is probably your one opportunity for great wedding photos (if you marry more than once, you’re likely to avoid making a spectacle of the subsequent occasions).” Make sure those photos age well.

Torsten at Sartorial Notes

Suggestions On What To Wear

Much as I like formalwear, it’s hard to recommend morning dress for weddings when they cost a fortune, and most men are unlikely to wear their rig a second time before losing their figure. The same is true for tuxedos, although you may get some use out of them for New Year’s Eve parties (still, even then, good tuxedos are expensive, and you should only wear them if the ceremony is at night).

Most men will be better off in a dark suit, ideally in navy or charcoal, which they can wear again later. Try to stay away from black, however, as it can look too somber. Pair the outfit with a white, semi-spread collar shirt, a polished pair of black oxfords, and conservative neckwear (remember, you’re here to celebrate the ties that bind, not ties that blind). Throw a folded, white linen pocket square into your breast pocket and live happily ever after.

Reasonably, some men will feel this makes them look like they’re headed into a Monday meeting, rather than exchanging vows with someone they love. Here are some ways to personalize your ensemble around the edges, so that you can still make the day feel special:

• Consider a double-breasted or three-piece: Traditionally speaking, a double-breasted coat is considered one notch down on the formality scale from a single-breasted because of how men’s tailoring is oriented in formalwear. That said, for all practical intents and purposes, a DB is simply considered a bit more unusual these days and thus dressy. For most men, a double-breasted suit will be the kind of thing they save for special occasions, rather than the office. Which makes it perfect for weddings. You may find that you can wear it again later for graduations, christenings, and other important events in life. Simon Crompton and his friend Oliver both wore double-breasted suits to their weddings, and they look fantastic. Alternatively, you can also go for a three-piece suit and use it as a two-piece later.
• Brighten the Suit: If the wedding is being held during the daytime, go one shade lighter for the suit – maybe a dark blue instead of navy, or mid-grey instead of charcoal. Keep the polished oxfords and a white shirt to keep things formal. Beach and barn weddings, similarly, can have more creative solutions: maybe a tan cotton suit instead of a navy worsted, or a tweed sport coat for more rustic environments.

Drake’s glen check tie

• Wear a Wedding Tie: Wedding ties have historically been black or silver to harmonize with a black morning coat. Today, contemporary colors tend to be the same kind of thing you’d wear with a business suit — burgundy, navy, or dark green. To make a wedding feel special, however, go for a tie that doesn’t look like the one you’d wear to an office. Try to find a silvery tie or one with black-and-white patterns that resolve to grey from a distance. A houndstooth, shepherds check, or glen plaid can be perfect for this sort of thing. I also like silver grenadines. Keep things discreet, but cheerful.
• Other Accouterments: Consider other ways you can personalize the outfit. You can wear a special watch that day, or a double cuff shirt that will allow you to use a pair of cufflinks. Extra points if you can wear a family heirloom passed onto you from your father. A white gardenia or carnation through the buttonhole can be a great finishing touch. Just be sure you insert it correctly. Torsten at Sartorial Notes has a guide on how to wear a boutonniere. To get it right, you will likely need a skilled florist or learn how to adjust the flower yourself.

Find the Right Stores

Don’t try to do everything yourself. In the end, you have to find stores and tailors that you can trust. Rely on them for their service and advice, as they can best guide you towards a better-looking suit. These days, I like No Man Walks Alone and The Armory for higher-end tailoring. Suitsupply and Spier & Mackay can be great for budget options. If you need something custom made, I really like  Steed. They have a bespoke and made-to-measure program (I use their bespoke services for most of my suits and sport coats). I’ve also been impressed with the things I’ve seen from MyTailor, a more affordable traveling outfit based in California (like Steed, they visit many cities in the United States). Additionally, we have two guides on where you can turn to first for a suit.

Whatever you choose, it’s important to remember that the suit honors both the occasion and your commitment to your partner. Let your choices be a reflection of that commitment and find something that works for both of you.

The post Tips For Buying A Wedding Suit appeared first on Put This On.

Last week, Simon Crompton published a post on how he’d shop on a budget. Simon’s blog, Permanent Style, focuses on the upper-most tier of luxury men’s clothing — bespoke suits from Savile Row, accessories from Hermes, and ready-to-wear from the likes of Loro Piana. So it wasn’t that surprising to see that, on his list of “affordable” menswear, Simon suggested a relatively more modest $10,000 Cartier watch and saving up for just one bespoke overcoat, rather than splurging on three.

In my years writing about men’s clothing, I’ve learned that affordability is the third rail of blog topics. Budgets are relative, and thus contentious. If I had a dollar for every time someone sent me an angry email over something I called affordable, I could buy maybe one item on Simon’s list.

That said, Put This On has always been geared towards a broader audience. And one that, I think, hews closer to my income level (I do not own any $10k watches). So, I thought it would be worthwhile to think of how I’d shop on a budget — a budget considerably smaller than Simon’s.

Focus On Building A Base

Most guys go into this process thinking that they need to build towards some ultimate wardrobe — they need a navy suit, pair of black oxfords, ten white dress shirts, and so forth, which they assume they’ll keep forever. We think most guys need a suit, but instead of over-investing in whatever you think will be your “forever wardrobe,” build a base that allows you to develop a personal sense of style. It’s very likely that your taste will rapidly evolve over these next few years. Go into this open-minded and take the time to explore.

A pair of suede chukkas, for example, can be worn with Americana, prep, tailoring, and more forward-facing casualwear. This allows you to explore different areas without having to reinvent your wardrobe every time. In five years, you may find that you still like wearing a navy sport coat with flannel trousers, in which case you can still wear those chukkas. But if in five years, you find that you prefer Engineered Garments and Orslow, those chukkas will still work.

Build this base quickly and keep it small. Use it as a springboard to explore, and slowly develop a wardrobe over some years with considered choices. Allow yourself room to experiment — buy that strange jacket, if you’d like. Or stay close to things that you’ve found works for you. But think of this process more about honing your taste. The times I’ve interviewed well-dressed men about what they wear most, few people name the kind of “essentials” seen on every “how to dress well” guide.

Think Of Clothing As Social Language

When you’re just starting, the idea of dressing well can be somewhat nebulous. Your first set of purchases, maybe going into the first couple of years, will be full of naive and poorly informed decisions because you’re just starting to learn a kind of visual language. You may purchase a pair of purple jeans and canary yellow pants because you thought they looked colorful and fun, but later realize … they’re purple jeans and canary yellow pants. You may also run in the opposite direction, buying everything deemed classic and timeless because you assume that means they’re unimpeachable.

You’ll make mistakes, but to limit the number made, focus on developing your eye. Think of clothing as social language. There’s some art to this, and you need room for personal expression, but a lot of what makes an outfit work is about how it connects to some other part of culture — classic Italian tailoring, the 1970s rock ’n roll look, revitalized ’80s prep, and so forth. You don’t have to dress in costume, but understanding how to express yourself using already established visual language will allow you to make better shopping choices.

Also, be realistic about what works for your budget and lifestyle. There’s so much possibility when it comes to men’s style, don’t get hung up on just one aesthetic. If you want to dress like some Italian magnate, it will be hard to do that on a budget. But workwear? Pretty easy.

As you develop your sense of dress, pay attention to art, music, films, TV, history, sport, and other areas of culture. Read about Mods and preps and Armani and Helmut Lang. Learn how to think about color and how to read formality in tailored clothing. Read our guides on how to build a casual wardrobe and how to do business casual without looking like a schmuck. We also have a post on how to put together a successful outfit. Save photos that inspire you (Instagram and Pinterest can be useful resources). Our onboarding page is designed to help you get started towards building a better wardrobe.

Stick To Ready-To-Wear

Here’s where I diverge from Simon, who encourages his readers to shop for custom clothing, even if they’re on a budget. The idea is that custom-made clothing fits better than ready-to-wear, and you’d be better served by getting something good at the outset.

I have less experience with custom clothing than Simon, but I’d like to think that I have some. I’ve used big-name makers (e.g., Anderson & Sheppard, GJ Cleverley), as well as smaller firms (e.g., Steed, Napoli Su Musira, Solito, Ascot Chang, Nicholas Templeman). I enjoy getting things custom made, but I’ve also found that the bespoke process is fraught with potential pitfalls.

It’s beyond the scope fo this post, but the simple issue is that things rarely turn out the way you expect, and finding a good maker is extremely difficult (going to a big name firm doesn’t get you out of this problem). In my years writing about bespoke clothing, I find that horror stories are often hidden from public view. They’re traded privately through email, or told over dinner, rather than posted online. It may be that the tailor isn’t very good, or that the customer doesn’t like the house style. I’ll save this for another post, but suffice to say: you’re better off thinking of bespoke not as getting some magical, top-of-the-pyramid item, but like trying a restaurant. Ever step into a fancy restaurant and leave unimpressed or even disappointed? Bespoke is like that, but a lot more expensive. Sometimes things turn out great; sometimes, they don’t. Custom clothing can be very rewarding, but I wouldn’t recommend it for anyone who’s thinking about budgets.

Few people can’t fit into ready-to-wear with some alterations. Plus, ready-to-wear has one tremendous advantage: you can put it back on the rack if you don’t like it. Bespoke is useful if you enjoy the process and are obsessive about specific details — and you’re willing to pay through the nose. The only exception is made-to-measure shirts, which are often easier to get right than suits and sport coats but don’t cost that much more than their ready-made counterparts.

Know Where to Splurge

The centerpiece of almost any ensemble tends to be outermost layer. It’s what people see most easily, and what covers up everything else underneath. This means, if you splurge on outerwear and knitwear, you can often get away with spending little on everything else. It’s also worth stretching the wallet a little more for good shoes. When you have good shoes, they’ll look better with wear, whereas with cheap shoes, you’ll want to bin them after a year.

If you have to cut back on one of those three, know how to make strategic decisions. A cheap grey cotton sweatshirt can be just as useful as plain merino knit, but it’s easier to wash and can be had for little money. If you can’t afford $200 Meermins, don’t get cheap, corrected grain leather shoes. Buy a pair of basic canvas sneakers — plain white Supergas, Chuck Taylors, or Jack Purcells. If you really need leather dress shoes, go for suede, which is often better on the lower end of the market than smooth calf.

The rest can be had for a lot less money. Gustin has raw denim jeans for about $70; Spier & MacKay has button-up shirts starting at $50. Uniqlo is good for almost any kind of wardrobe basic. Even after all these years, I still mostly wear Hanes’ grey socks with my casualwear. They’re like ten bucks for a pack of a billion.

Shop Used Where You Can

Look, we get it. Some people are understandably squeamish about buying second-hand clothing. If it makes you feel better, the world is full of germs, and nearly none that matter will survive a trip to the dry cleaner or a run through your washing machine. And if you buy something second-hand, you’ll want to clean it first before putting it in your closet (just in case it has moth eggs).

Not only is shopping second-hand more affordable and better for the planet, but vintage items often just look cooler. It can be hard to shop for vintage suits because of the particularities in getting the fit right. But certain things are a no-brainer: regimental ties, peacoats, milsurp, chore coats, leather belts, bags, and cufflinks are often better on the used market. Unless you’re shopping at the very high-end of the market, a beat-up, 1980s era Levi’s trucker jacket will look cooler than most things you can find brand spanking new. (Although, I prefer vintage Lee’s to Levi’s).

Check our guide for how to thrift for menswear. We also have a post on how to thrift from the comfort of your couch. Ebay, Etsy, and Grailed are among the many sites these days where you can get great clothes at a fraction of their retail price. We do two eBay roundups per week, and send out a special newsletter to subscribers.

Know What Can Be Altered

You’d be surprised what you can achieve on a budget if you have a good alterations tailor. The trick is finding a good one (we have tips). Also, know what are your particular fit issues, so you’re in a better position to figure out how to solve them.

You may find, for example, that suits and sport coats consistently exhibit a collar gap on you. Perhaps that gap is a result of your shoulders being too square or sloped, or maybe you stand with a different posture than what the coat was cut for. By figuring out your particular fit issues, you can buy better stuff off-the-rack and know what can be altered.

Check our guides on alterations. You should also review our guides on fit and silhouettes, which will give you a foundation for knowing when something is worth purchasing. Always be careful of going too slim. Be honest about what looks good on you in the end.

Shop in the Mid-Tier

I’ve learned over the years that the best purchases are the ones where you just buy the thing you want — even if it means ponying up a little more than you wanted to spend initially. You’ll often get the most value out of something if you love wearing it.

But when you’re starting and don’t yet have a strong view on things, it’s often better to shop in the mid-tier. The main difference between Meermin, Crockett & Jones, and Edward Green is about aesthetics. Until you have a strong view on brogues, chukkas, and penny loafers, however, shopping in the mid-tier allows you to make a mistake without it being finically ruinous. Plus, while quality correlates to price, it certainly doesn’t correlate to price directly. Should you decide to sell your stuff later, you’ll also get a higher percentage of your money back on mid-tier purchases. Oh, and learn how to sell your old clothes. Regular closet cleaning is a good way to minimize your expenditures.

Be Careful With Deal Hunting

The thing about good deal hunting is that you can’t think of what you’re doing as deal hunting. Don’t buy something just because it’s on sale. Don’t always look for the lowest-priced item. Beware of outlets, which these days are often just stocking lower quality lines made especially for them. It can be tough to resist that orange cashmere sweater marked from $490 to $49 – that’s 90% off. But how valuable is an orange cashmere sweater to you?

A good way to avoid lousy impulse shopping is to plan ahead. Think about what you need for the year and pay attention to what stores are carrying before things go on sale. Consider what you’ve been wearing and where you’d like to take your wardrobe. If you have to attend a wedding next year, start shopping for a suit now, rather than three months before the event. If you accept that you might not get something now, you can buy from a position of strength. As Jesse wrote years ago, “good, fast, cheap — pick two.”

Buy What’s Good

A lot of the above is to encourage you to make smarter, more financially responsible choices. Don’t immediately build out a large suit wardrobe if you haven’t yet worn suits for a while and know what works for you. Don’t feel the need to buy top-end items or even custom clothing when mid-tier ready-to-wear, and sometimes even vintage, can be better value for your money.

At the same time, know what’s good. I’ve found that sometimes the most costly items were the ones where I compromised. I bought something as a substitute for the thing I really wanted. And in the end, I just ended up buying that other thing anyway, while having to resell the original purchase at a loss. It’s also often better to have one good item that works, rather than five things that don’t work at all. Knowing what’s good is a skill — it takes time, knowledge, and experience to develop. But be intentional about it and learn what’s worth purchasing. KonMari doesn’t have to be just about tidying up; it can also be about knowing what you should acquire. Buy things that spark joy.

Start With These Basics

I hesitate to give a list since everyone has different needs, but for a generic starting wardrobe, I think it you could do worse than with the following:

A proper suit: Almost everyone needs a sincere suit. Get one in solid grey or navy, then all the things you need to wear with it, including a white spread collar shirt, white linen pocket square, and a dark tie (our sponsor Chipp sells reasonably affordable grenadines). Buy a pair of black oxfords if you wear suits often, dark brown derbies if you don’t.

Slim-straight, raw denim jeans: The foundation of most casual wardrobes these days. Raw denim often looks better over time than pre-washed or pre-distressed denim. The fading just has more character and looks more natural.

Grey sweatshirt: Inexpensive and useful. J. Crew and Camber are pretty inexpensive. Todd Snyder’s collaboration with Champion is nice, but a little more expensive. Like jeans, these are the sort of knock-around clothes that look better with wear and tear.

Light-blue, oxford-cloth button-downs: Get one with a proper collar. Brooks Brothers, J. Press, O’Connell’s, Spier & Mackay, Kamakura, Michael Spencer, and our sponsor Proper Cloth are all excellent options.

Versatile shoes: Get shoes that can do double-duty across a range of outfits. Brown derbies are on the slightly dressier side of the spectrum, but useful if you mainly find yourself in tailored clothing. Plain white sneakers are better if you find yourself mostly in casualwear. Chukkas, particularly in suede or pebble grain, sit somewhere in the middle. Avoid bright and unusual colors — tan included. Shoes are often easier to wear in subtle colors, such as dark brown for leather lace-ups or white for sneakers. We have a post on how to find affordable footwear (Meermin and searching for Ralph Lauren on eBay are among the best options).

Navy sport coat: The neti pot of tailored clothing. Most people could use a good one.

Grey flannel trousers: The navy sport coat of pants.

Shetland sweater: Possibly the most versatile sweater you can own. More textured than plain merino and more durable than cheap cashmere. In simple colors such as navy, dark brown, or mid-gray, these will work across a surprisingly wide range of outfits. Shetlands work just as well with oversized topcoats as they do with waxed cotton Barbours, slim tailored trousers or raw denim jeans, experimental outfits or stalwart classics.

Casual jacket: Get something basic at first to fill your wardrobe, then let your taste guide you. A good starting jacket could be a peacoat, an olive military surplus jacket, a waxed cotton Barbour Bedale or Beaufort, a brown cafe racer, or a wool topcoat. Some of these things can be had for fairly cheap at vintage stores, second-hand thrifts, and milsurp depots. We also have guides on affordable outerwear.

The post How To Shop On A Budget appeared first on Put This On.

Russell plaid is one of those patterns you rarely see anymore, but it’s a classic check. It’s like a large scale glen plaid, except the horizontal sections of the check have been stripped away so that only the vertical lines dominate. For the lateral parts, there are just thin stripes, which are typically done in dark brown, burgundy, or rust orange. Those colors complement the ground of the fabric, which usually ranges from pale wheat to golden tan. (I choose the golden tan version).

These seem like the perfect colors for a fall/ winter sport coat, but truthfully, after having owned the jacket for a few years, I rarely ever wore it. Then one day, it dawned on me why: I don’t have the right pants. Frazier got his Russell plaid done up as a suit, but as a sport coat, I had to think harder about color temperature. Some colors run warm; others are cool. Where your jacket and trouser combination isn’t a forgone conclusion, as it would be with a suit, you have to think about how a color visually “feels.”

Neutral Tan

Every color has a temperature, but let’s focus on tan to make this simpler. The photos above show some tan suits. The tan here is pretty neutral — neither warm nor cool. It sits in the middle of the road like a spring day. This is the hue you probably imagine when you hear the word tan.

Warm Tan

Now, let’s add some yellow to it. Suddenly, the color becomes brighter, stronger, and, most importantly, warmer. Luca Rubinacci often posts photos of himself on Instagram wearing the radiant tan double-breasted suit you see above. Notice how he chooses his accessories: the rust-colored tie and burgundy colored shoes. You can wear a cooler brown in these instances or even a cool navy tie, but his choice in warm-colored accessories shows he gets this concept. Everything is visually strong.

Cool Tan

Here’s Obama in his infamous tan suit. Notice here, the tan feels very cold, almost like a pale grey. The color is colder than the neutral tan we posted in the first set of examples and certainly colder than the bright, goldenrod suit Luca Rubinacci is sporting. Like Luca, Obama is wearing accessories that match his suit — a cold, taupe-colored tie and dark brown shoes.

Pairing Color Temperatures

You can add visual interest to an outfit by adding accessories in contrasting temperatures. A warm, gold-colored pocket square, for example, can look fantastic with a navy suit. Similarly, cool navy ties go with anything, including warm-colored suits. But generally, you want your jacket and trousers to match in terms of color temperature. Simon Crompton, who’s always impeccably dressed, can be seen above wearing a warm-colored double-breasted coat with grey trousers. Simon still looks excellent here, but the outfit could probably be improved if he were wearing Mark’s white pants or something warmer (say a lighter shade of khaki with a similar yellow cast).

You can sense temperature more clearly when fabrics are placed next to each other. The Loro Piana fabric book above shows three varying shades of tan, going from darkest on the bottom to the brightest in the third swatch at the back. But you can also see how the colors start to feel warmer. The middle swatch almost has a slightly red undertone.

In the second photo, David Isle at No Man Walks Alone shows how three different shades of off-white can be used to support different kinds of sport coats. They plug into each other like correctly set Legos — switch the positions of the taupe and blue sport coats, and the combinations wouldn’t work as well.“The photo shows what I would consider the three different kinds of off-white: grayish-white, brownish-white, and yellowish-white,” David writes. “The most useful off-white shade to have is brownish-white – what I would call ‘natural,’ the color of undyed linen. You can see it in the middle of the photo above. This is a just-right happy medium between the too-warm color of yellowish-white and too-cool color of grayish-white. If you were to get only one pair of linen trousers, you would want these.”

The yellowish trousers are the least versatile, partly because their yellowness draws too much attention. To make the pants work, you need a coat that’s vibrant enough to hold its own. This can be done in bright colors, such as David has here with a bright blue jacket. Or a ruddy, warm color, such as rust. Finally, the greyish-white trousers on the far left, what retailers sometimes refer to as “stone,” are a natural complement to cool navy and taupe brown.

This concept works in other ways. Brown shoes are famous for this because, if the temperature is slightly off, they sometimes don’t match as well to certain outfits. The brown suede boots in the first photo are relatively neutral, and consequently will be the easiest to wear in terms of color. But the other images show how mid-brown suede can have red or yellow undertones, which make them feel brighter or warmer. Dark burgundy shoes can look great with navy suits because there’s a social convention for that pairing. But certain red hues can be more difficult because most men don’t have the trousers or coats necessary to support such a warm color.

There aren’t any hard and fast rules for this. Sometimes a warmer shade of tan can work with grey trousers. Sometimes you need something stronger. Your best bet is always just to develop your eye. Next time you’re at the store, take a look through just the selection of dark blue fabrics — some will have a purple undertone, which makes them feel warmer, while others will be a truer and cooler blue. Once you pay attention to color temperature, you can figure out why a particular combination may not look right and where you can turn to improve.

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