Style Scenario: The Cold Grey Day

What are you going to wear? Sometimes there’s an easy answer. Sometimes not. Sometimes it’s good to look at a few suggestions then add your own tweaks and ideas. That’s what these are for. The weather has turned and thicker fabrics and rougher textures have made their way into most of our wardrobes. This outfit combines a lot of those seasonal textures without making you look like Randy from A Christmas Story.

The Blazer: J. Crew Factory Thompson Tweed – $94.80 ($198) w/ EARLYBIRD. Here’s how this works. JCF is running a 40% off site-wide (no-code needed) sale right now. Prices are good. Not spectacular, but solid. But if you stack the 10% off 2 items / 20% off 3 items code EARLYBIRD, things get extra nice. So,there are three pieces from JCF in this scenario because: A. They look good, and B. we’re maximizing the code. Prices shown here reflect using that 20% off three items deal.

The Shirt: J. Crew Factory Heathered Plaid – $30.80 ($64.50) w/ EARLYBIRD. Plaid without the lubmerjack. Cooler tones help do that. No need to go with a full flannel shirt here, since that tweed blazer should keep you plenty warm.

The Socks: J. Crew Factory Wool Blend – $6.00 w/ EARLYBIRD ($12.50). On crappy days, even cheap wool socks trump cotton. Perfect for wearing with boots. Wool/Nylon/Spandex blend.

The Pants: GAP lived in Slim Moleskin Pants – $42.22 w/ MERRY. Moleskin is hugely underrated when it comes to pants. These should be soft, warm, and have a bit of a brushed feeling to them. Yet still tougher feeling. Like… the skin of a mole. Ah. So that’s why…

The Coat: Topman Wool Blend Trench – $180.00. SIZE UP. Topman runs real trim, plus, you’ll be layering underneath. A new addition to Nordstrom’s outerwear lineup. Almost just like the grey version that took best-in-show this year in the outerwear roundup… only navy and with a different collar. Terrific for under $200. Chest high handwarmer pockets. Feel free to ditch the belt if it’s not your thing. Ships and returns for free. UPDATE: Looks like this thing is 20% off at Topman through today, 11/19. Hat tip to Jose in the comments…

The Belt: GAP Basic Leather Belt – $19.47 w/ MERRY. Just a basic. Great price.

The Watch: Fossil Retro Traveller Silicon Strap Chrono – $74.87 ($115). Black? A rubber/silicone strap? Shouldn’t we be matching leathers here? Don’t think too hard about it. It’s a tougher, sport watch. Plus rubber strap watches usually get a pass since you’ll be wearing them casually. That, and rubber + suede somehow work well together… ? … sounded a little kinky didn’t it.

The Boots: Ralph Lauren Suede Norbeck – $89.99 ($179). Suede isn’t the best choice if you’re in a monsoon or a blizzard, but at this price, the rich texture of suede on a normal late fall or winter day is worth getting it mucked up a bit. Lots of sizes. Ships free too. UPDATE: Use the code CSS9460 to take an extra 10% off. Many thanks to BenR in the comments.

The Gloves: Ralph Lauren Quilted Moto Gloves – $88.00. Full price at Nordstrom, but hang out for a sale. These usually get discounted through Ralph Lauren direct or at Macy’s.