Style Scenario: Smart Casual while Avoiding the Winter Doldrums

What are you going to wear? Sometimes it’s good to look at a few suggestions then add your own tweaks and ideas. That’s what these are for. It’s cold. It’s dank. The sun hasn’t shown itself in some parts of the Northern Hemisphere for what feels like forever. What better time to inject a little bit of subtle color into your look? We’ll cover three levels of dress over the next couple of days (smart casual, dressed up, and dressed down). Cheer up buttercup. We’ll get through this together.

The Sportcoat: B.R. Slim Fit Light Grey Knit Wool Sportcoat – $106.49 ($250). Is grey/gray a “color?” Maybe not depending on your perspective, but a super light, almost dove grey shade like this really jumps out during this time of year. Caught this in person in store the other day, and it was impressive. Has a bit of a flecked look to it, but the shell is wool (not a sweatshirt like material). It’s almost… felt-like? Slim fit here. Sleeve buttons are functional. Currently on sale and the extra 40% off (to get the $127.29 price point) happens at checkout. Thanks to Rich C. for the tip on the sale!

The Shirt: J. Crew Factory Slim Fit Spruce Green Button Down – $35.50. Want to add color but do so in a subtle way? Then a darker green is the way to go.

The Topcoat: Vince Camuto Wool Blend Topcoat in Camel – $198.90 ($398). Camel, despite its lightness, is a traditional winter color. And check out that extra ticket pocket. Ships and returns free through Nordstrom. Now half off.

The Watch: Armogan Le Mans – $220. This particular color combination, with those navy blue sub dials, is a Huckberry exclusive. Full review here.

The Belt: Ralph Lauren Webbed D-Ring Belt in Olive Green / Black – $34.99 ($75). No, it doesn’t match the shoes. But since the belt itself isn’t leather, that’s fine. A little more color without getting nuts, and olive green leans warmer than the cooler forest green of the shirt. Avoids the matchy-matchy thing.

The Sunglasses: Suitsupply Acetate Keyhole Sunglasses – $39 FINAL ($79). Currently in the outlet, so, final sale and you’ll need the code FIRSTACCESS to get in. UPDATE: Looks like the Suitsupply outlet has closed. Drat.

The Briefcase: Suitsupply Burgundy Pebbled Leather Brief – $149 FINAL ($299). A little spendy for the quality at full price, but more palatable at the outlet price point. Final sale though. Nice shade of burgundy should stand out quietly. UPDATE: See above.

The Boots: Stafford Harrow Cap-Toe Boots – $55.99 w/ 3EXTRA ($120). Finally. A bit of a price break. They’re not quite back down to where Stafford boots are usually priced ($50 – $60ish) but this is much more easy on the wallet than the regular price. Also worth a look is J. Crew’s Goodyear Welted Pacer boot. A little more work-boot like, but still awfully handsome with a rich shade of leather. Huge thanks to reader Brandon D. for sending in the tip on the 20% off code!

The Jeans: Levi’s 541 Athletic Fit Jean in “The Rich” – $49.99. A darker wash, but not so inky blue that they’d be confused for black. The name of this particular shade is accurate. They are a richer shade of dark blue. Or, whatever straight or athletic fit jeans you prefer. 541 = the Levi’s fit for the athletic dudes. 99% cotton and 1% elastane, but the blend does feel much more comfortable than you’d expect. Extra room for bootyliciousness and thunder-thighs.

Coming up tomorrow, we’ll brighten things up during the doldrums with a dressed up outfit. Then on Wednesday, we’ll flip the script and go way dressed down, while still adding color.

Joe

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