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. What is it about fall and texture? Tweed, Suede, Moleskin, etc… Those textures aren’t limited to the fall. But that’s where they seem more at home. Here’s one way to put together a lot of the soft stuff, in one business casual outfit, with affordability at least somewhat in mind.
The Sportcoat: Nordstrom Men’s Shop Regular Fit Knit Sport Coat – $199. Fabric makeup is a surprising 84% viscose, 13% nylon, 3% spandex blend, that feels, honestly, great. It doesn’t feel greasy or papery, chintzy or cheap. It feels really, really nice. Soft with give. But still professional enough to wear in a business casual environment. Ships and returns for free. A medium on my 5’10” / 195 lb frame was a hair big, so either prep for a visit to the tailor, or, maybe order a size down. Order two sizes, and send the one that doesn’t fit back since Nordy does the free shipping and free returns thing.
The Shirt: Nordstrom 1901 Button Down Oxford in “Blue Brunnera” – $38.90 ($59.50). Plenty fair price, ships and returns for free (like the sportcoat) and comes in a perfect shade of blue. Want something fancier? Try Ledbury’s pinpoint oxford from their new essentials line. Goes for $98, but it’s really nice (that’s what’s shown at the top of the post, I’m a bit of a Ledbury fanboy).
The Watch: Hamilton 42mm Khaki Field Swiss Automatic Watch – $319.97 ($645). Very much on sale via Nordstrom Rack, so you should be getting all the boxes and papers and warranty stuff you would get from an authorized dealer. Great price here. Love the vintage/throwback beige dial.
The Pants: Banana Republic Brushed Traveler Pant in Whiskey Brown – $65.40 ($109). BR’s hugely popular traveler 5-pockets, only in a super soft, moleskin like, brushed fabric for fall. Available in slim, athletic tapered, and skinny fits. Often excluded, but BR is running a 40% off, exclusion free deal, as long as your purchase is more than $200. We need some more BR stuff here so…
The Belt: Banana Republic Leather Dress Belt in Espresso Brown – $35.70 ($59.50). That’ll do. Liking that antiqued, bronzed buckle too.
The Bag: Banana Republic Wool Blend Herringbone Large Tote – $89.40 ($149). Sometimes you need to carry stuff. This will aide you in carrying said stuff.
The Socks: Icebreaker Lifestyle Mountains 2-Pack Merino Wool Blend Light Crew Socks – $40. I understand that twenty bucks for a pair of socks is a lot of money. But these things are awesome. Just squishy enough to provide more cushioning than a standard, thin, wool dress sock, but not so bulky that your feet will be crowded in your normal shoes and boots. Made in Italy. Machine wash AND dry. I would recommend, for the outfit, that you choose two socks of the same color, even though you’re getting two pairs (one pair “jet heather” and one pair navy). I know, quite the strategy!
The Shoes: Jack Erwin Reade Chukkas in Dark Brown Suede – $145. A slightly futurized/more city-centric version, perhaps, of the UK Made Sanders Hi-Top chukka. The Sanders were worn by Daniel Craig in at least one if not more Bond movies? I think? Anyway, the Jack Erwins are made in Portugal, come with a custom rubber traction sole (better than crepe on slick surfaces any day), and are much, much cheaper. Ships and returns for free.