It is arguably the best style season of the year. Fall. Cool enough to wear layers and perhaps mix in some patterns, but not so bitter that the goal is to ward off hypothermia instead of looking your best. Boots, suits, outerwear and more. It’s a good time. And even if the climate in your neck of the woods hasn’t even begun to approach autumn yet, that doesn’t mean you can’t look forward to it doing so. So get ready, get excited, and get to scrolling through the best of this year’s affordable men’s style autumnal crop. As always, the new arrivals can usually take a little while to drop in price, so keep that in mind.
They look a lot like a pair of Hestras Mrs. Dappered gave me for Christmas last year (don’t guffaw, they were on sale at the time). Only these cost way, way less. Also available in black. A bit on the long side (from tip of fingers to the far end of the cuff), but breaking them in will have them mold to your hands in time. Note that BR is running a half off deal through today (10/14), probably to compete with Prime Day.
So Spier might have made the perfect house sweater. Not cheap, but it can double as outerwear if you’d like it to. Look at that friggin’ texture to the knit. 100% merino wool here. Six shades to pick from.
That sound you just heard was our guy Jason (who is a Hamilton watch fan) barking with delight over this thing, and then gasping at the cost/throwing his wallet across the room. (Fetch it for him Lucy!) A new addition to the Hamilton lineup. Pilot’s watch good looks, 42mm diameter so it’s not grossly oversized, and it even comes with a slide rule around the bezel. Who knew you needed one? Okay, nobody needs one. Who knew you wanted a slide rule on your watch? Apparently Hamilton did. 80 hour power reserve? Holy crud. Nice.
It’s finally cool enough to bring back back out the business mullet. Sportcoat up top, dark wash jeans on the bottom. And the Bonobos Italian Wool Unconstructed Sportcoat is the perfect jacket to get this job done. Channel your inner Ray Donovan. Just leave the baseball bat at home, please.
The AE German sourced Weatherproof leather is a revelation. Super soft. Super supple. And ready to handle the elements along with the interior membrane sandwiched between the leather lining and exterior. Incredibly comfortable. Available in brown, and now also available in the reddish brown “chili” option.
Double breasted! For those who like that look but don’t want to shell out for higher end brands. Wool poly blend. Don’t know the exact %’s, but, could be a winner. Could be a stiff burlap bag. Just not sure. Drops to $180 during a 40% off sale. Might want to wait for one of those.
Hot heck on toast that knife is gorgeous. And spendy. And it doesn’t lock. It’s a traditional style pocket knife, so, no locking mechanism. Again, did we mention the $120 price point? But look at it. Wow. Splurge-gift worthy.
None of that synthetic shine to the shells here… because they’re not synthetic. The exteriors are 70% wool / 30% poly as well as being water resistant. Fill is 90% Duck Down, 10% Feathers. Those things look super classy. Available in either navy or gray.
Incredible comfort. Classic but still modern looks. (How the heck did they do that?) Waterproof. The next generation of Huckberry’s super popular duckboots have arrived, and they’re ready for all that fall and winter weather can throw at them. Full review here.
Another annual favorite. One of the best cold weather items that J. Crew makes. Wool/cotton tweed is sourced from the UK, where they know more than a little something about that seasonal, rugged fabric.
Doesn’t appear to be final sale? They still have some of these? They can be returned? It really is a heck of a Swiss automatic wristwatch. Full review can be found here.
On sale. Ships and returns for free. About as fall/autumn as it gets. A little more streamlined than a traditional field jacket? Maybe?
These things are straight up awesome. Weirdly impressive, being that they’re from a company who made their name making cheap ties. Perfect weight of merino. Thicker than UNIQLO’s paper thin, but not weighty. Great piping/retro accents. Not cheap, but not so high end that you’d have to take out a loan. Awfully nice when you consider the Todd Snyder Looks for a heck of a lot less cash.
A Dappered space pick, that’ll fit right in with your fisherman’s sweaters and Edison bulbs (c’mon, I’m there too, embrace it). Pretty much a perfect wall hanging. Great for those with the explorer spirit, or those who just love Captain Nemo and his choice to give the world the bird and head underwater. On sale via Huckberry.
Cheap but nice all the same. Five colors to choose from, but it’s hard not to love this “pomegranate” dark red. With two chest pockets and two buttoned slash pockets, there’s lots of storage options, all while maintaining a fairly slim profile. The back sports a three-column design, and the gray contrast liner is sharp as nails. Zipper is a tad flimsy, though. But, it’s thirty bucks. AND it goes on sale from time to time.
It’s the obligatory annual camel coat from Banana Republic. They just seem to nail it every year. Man, a good camel coat just looks good. Wear it with anything. Suits. Jeans. Whatever. Drops to $240 when 40% off.
Flint and Tinder’s hugely popular 365 pant, only cut and sewn from fall and winter appropriate corduroy. Slim or straight fits. Sadly, these aren’t made in the US anymore. Seems to now be the norm for the 365 line.
Restocked over the weekend but almost surely to be sold out soon. Retro looks without going over the top. Love that big crown on the Neptune. Head here for a review of the Falcon, and head here for a review of the previous incarnation of the Neptune.
Dappered is already pro-cardigan (and you should be, too!), but this is taking it to another level. Shawl collar. Colorblock. Faux horn buttons. Even nifty contrast buttonhole detail. This has everything a sharp sweater should. And at $29.99, perfectly affordable. Size shown here is a small on 5’9″ / 155.
Because some days taking a break from the whiskey (for, y’know, the day) is not a bad idea. Might just lead to better habits overall (okay, that’s a stretch). Humans have been indulging in the ritual that is making tea for… ever. Lots of areas have local tea shops that sell loose leaf to suit any and all palates. Get into it, get good at making a spot of it, and warm up this fall and winter without getting intoxicated. Y’know, for today. Sold via Bespoke Post, and includes everything shown above but the tea. Double walled glasses don’t get hot to the touch, so don’t worry about that. Could be a great gift idea to add to a box of awesome depending on what comes up on November 1st.
Ohhhh lordy. Those are something. A good chunk of cashmere should mean a very, very nice fabric. Plus it’s Spier, so you know the attention to detail is gonna be top-notch. Hand pockets are the slash variety, which are much MUCH easier to use than basic horizontal flap pockets. A terrific choice by the Spier folks in terms of design. 3 roll 2 button front. Lightly padded shoulders.
Can’t say enough good things about these boots. As someone who has worn his fair share of all styles of boots in all conditions (from full rubber mega insulated arctic try-not-to-die it’s -6 boots, to unlined Massdrop Chukkas in 100+ degree oven-heat)… these are my favorite. Sneaker comfortable with support and protection. Waterproof and breathable. And they weirdly “go” with a lot of outfits.
Sherpa and truckers. You can’t escape them this year. And they look terrific. Give credit where credit is due. GAP nailed it here. Affordable, casual, timeless and rugged outerwear.
Amazon’s 100% merino sweaters have quietly become one of the best affordable options on the market. All merino wool, fair price, ships fast and free if you have prime. And they make these in SIXTEEN different colors.
It’s really, really hard not to like the Havana fit from Suitsupply. Not super tight, but still not boxy, and the fabrics and construction are top notch. All Italian wools and wool blends. Also shown at the top of this post.
A legend in its own right, but… BR… where’s the Rapid Movement denim? Supply chain issues like the rest of the world? Probably the case. Dang.
A seasonal favorite from everyone’s favorite affordable-as-hell necktie emporium. Now, I don’t think I’d wear one of these with a wool suit (it just wouldn’t have enough contrast, texture wise with the jacket and pants), but with more casual cotton sportcoats or under a v-neck sweater or cardigan? Absolutely. Terrific for the smart casual workplace. Or, from the random WFH day where you just. need. to. feel. normal.
More than a few picked up a pair of these for $168 during the big Nordstrom Anniversary Sale in August. And now? It’s finally cool enough to wear them (for most). Made in the USA. Has shown up in big Nordy sales in the last year or two. Does run the full $280 outside of those big sale events though. A nice price for a hell of a boot. Big fan of the “concrete” shade of leather shown above.
BR knows what they’re doing when it comes to these things. They’ve been cranking out substantial but not overly bulky or stiff topcoats for years. More than a few of us have a BR topcoat in our closet that we wear with everything during the cold months.
No sale since they just launched, and they don’t go on sale as often as their tailored wear, but they do seem to come up for codes every once in a while. But boy is the value there already. Efforting an in-person of this run of shoes. Here’s Adam (our shoe expert) on their 2019 run. Goodyear welted. Made in Portugal. Nice leather. Fair price. Ships and returns free if it’s your first suit, sportcoat, or shoes purchase. Otherwise you’re on the hook for returns.
Goodfellow takes their great 5-pocket fit and applies some fall texture goodness to get some truly great pants. Nice fabric, good wale (not to thick, not too thin “lines” of corduroy), and nice brassy hardware. Be warned that Goodfellow continues to have some sizing inconsistencies. Fit can vary widely, or not… from size to size. So, once again, gotta recommend trying a few sizes to make sure you get that perfect fit.
All cashmere. No direct experience, but Uncle Nordy usually knows what’s up. And if it arrives and it doesn’t fit? You can send it back for free.
Looks great, construction/feel is… okay. The crown is a bit small. Winding feels just so-so. There are some concerns there. But yeah, it LOOKS awesome. And feels great on the wrist too. Full review in the works, but there’s the TL:DR version.
100% fall. Autumn-y as autumn gets.
Hyper affordable. All those shades of gray. Perfect for the guy who wants an updated bomber without paying an arm and a leg.
A fall-ready, “heathered” version of their extremely popular traveler pant. 81% cotton, 18% polyester, 1% elastane. Both cozy and comfy, yet still polished. Also available in athletic tapered.
Wait for a sale. But… Holy buckets they took their totally unstructured, totally unlined “unsuit” model and made it out of Italian Wool Flannel? Man that’s steep, but, there’s always a sale around the corner with J. Crew. Maybe. Hopefully. I think we could all see this thing being excluded for a while.
90% wool and 10% cashmere. If past is prologue, don’t expect these to be heavyweight. Or even medium weight. They are lightweight topcoats, which is GREAT for those guys who live in warmer weather climates and love the look of traditional winter outerwear… but would sweat to death in a standard insulated coat. Shown above left is a camel option from a few years back. Not sure if their new “brown” (which looks like a rich camel) is quite the same shade in person.
Been coming and going in regards to stock, but we finally got a pair in the hands of our shoe expert, Adam. Stand by for a review.
These are the best. And they are just… really expensive. There are no compromises in this pair of jeans. The quality is superb from the fabric to stitching to metal quality. The stretch is just right- natural movement, without feeling like spandex. Fabric blend is 94% cotton, 5% Polyester, 1% Elastane. That last bit is the stretchy portion, and it works beautifully. If all things were equal, this would be the pair that dominates all of our closets. That said, they don’t. Because they cost $148.
Not too big, not too small. Not too sporty, not too dressy. Not cheap, not luxury absurd expensive. The USA-assembled Contrail from Nodus is, frankly, a pretty close to perfect every day watch. And they’ve just re-released it with a few tweaks and upgrades. Full marks to the hard working small team at Nodus.
Camo! Dark colors! Manly so manly BRUAAAAHHHHH MANLY MEN. Look, whatever gets someone to wear one. Masks work. They knock down our coughs and sneezes and shouts just enough that the radius of possible infection tightens up. It’s not rocket science. If you’re still a mask denier, and you have no medical or psychological condition that prevents you from wearing a mask, you’re a straight up goober. Legitimately kinda cool lookin’ masks though. Want less camo? Try this four pack instead.
Part of our round up of Goodthreads goods for fall. Form meets function. If you’re all-in on the outdoorsy, mountain man trend, you will love this jacket. Shown here in a size Medium on 5’7″ / 175, this jacket is 100% polyester fabric, but it’s a high-quality soft touch fleece. My guess is that this will keep you warm through November during the day, and can serve the role of a “house sweater” if the traditional shawl collar cardigan or chunky fisherman sweater isn’t your style. Goodthreads absolutely nailed the construction, fabric, fit, overall style and value proposition on this one.
Ah come on. Look at it. Anyone for a quick overnight road trip to leaf peep? Eh? It’s a pre-order though, so, won’t ship until November or December. Good gracious though is it a looker. 18″ x 11″ x 9″.
Back for another year. And it’s the bee’s knees. This time around they’re utilizing their “circular wool” program that minimizes waste. Super soft, substantial Italian wool flannel, in a pale gray shade that catches plenty of eyes. Not only does it look luxurious (yet oddly tough) paired as a suit, both pieces look great when split up and worn with other items of clothing. Shown above is the model from a couple years back.
Seawool sounds like it smells. But it’s actually pretty cool. Seawool = a fabric spun from recycled plastic bottles and oyster shells, and then combined with a bit of viscose, nylon, and wool. Plus, the cable knit pattern is timeless.
Goodyear welted, chromexcel leather, and a construction and attention to detail rarely seen at this price point (which, admittedly, is an investment). Full review from our shoe expert can be found here.
More. Freaking. Sherpa. You can’t escape the stuff this year. And it’s hard to deny it’s western-based but still at home in the city level of cool. Or, it looks like the toilet seat covers your Grannie uses. Or it’s both cool, and, toilet-seat cover. Why not both? Currently on mega sale.
Flat out terrific, especially when they go on sale for $29.90. An annual favorite. Not a chunky sweater in the least. Downright thin. But not see through, and super strong. And that makes for a perfect layering piece, since it won’t overwhelm a shirt or be super thick and mushy under a blazer.
Full honesty: Shoe the Bear’s sneakers didn’t do so hot when they got the in-person review treatment around these parts. BUT, these boots kinda look good in the stylized images which Nordstrom has on their site. They don’t look as good in the stand alone product shots on the item page though. So who knows. Made in Portugal. And hey, if they show up and they look funny or they don’t fit? You can send them back for free.
A classic fall staple at a mighty reasonable price. Can drop further with stacking codes or bigger sales, if one is lucky. Fabric makeup is what you’d expect from Old Navy: 55% cotton, 31% acrylic, 12% polyester, 2% spandex.
From J. Crew’s heritage workwear inspired line, Wallace and Barnes. Decent starting price here. But, it’s post bankruptcy J. Crew. So one can expect some discounts. Four colors to pick from.
Worth another mention. These things are legitimately the most comfortable pair of dress shoes I’ve ever worn. The German leather they’re using here is extraordinarily soft, while also being weatherproof. Subtle Dainite sole gives you good grip too. Bring it on, fall.
Hey look, a trucker that doesn’t have a sherpa collar! That’s a rare thing this year. They are super-fall though, since they’re made from soft moleskin. Currently 30% off, but that code ends today (10/14/20).
Vegan suede used to be, universally, hot trash. But somehow BR has made some actually QUITE nice vegan suede these last few years. So fingers crossed on this one.
High bang for the buck here. That’s what Spier does. Nothing says fall quite like a tweed blazer.
Three things. #1: Awesome. They made an almost jean like, canvas style pant from a cotton/tech blend. #2. Ouch. The price. #3. Could we get some 30″ inseams please? Anybody? Not all of us are 6′ or taller.
All kinds of right. Double breasted with a subtle plaid pattern… and then that’s it. Double breasted coats can look too busy, way too fast, depending on any unnecessary accoutrements like epaulets, sleeve cuff tabs, etc. Not here. Just a back belt for a little more shape, but that’s it. Nails.
Looks like something your Gramps gave you after he cracked is 4th Hamm’s of the evening and started feeling generous. “Sing it with me kid.. FROM THE LAND OF SKY BLUE WAHHHHTTTTERRRRRRS.”
Not cheap, but in terms of fit and execution, a step above your standard puffer. Makes you look athletic instead of, y’know, puffy. Super easy to move in too. It’s like they’re a company built around movement or something. Size shown here is a large on 5’10″/195.
Bit of a legend and for good reason. I’m pretty sure these are the most popular thing that Huckberry sells. Waxed cotton exterior that wears in and molds to the individual wearer over time. Body and sleeves are fully lined with a soft, striped blanket lining (which is plenty toasty). And? They’re made here in the States. Impressive. C’mon fall. Do your thing. Full review here if you want it.
A favorite that some of us are super glad they keep making. A 60% Cotton / 40% Polyester knit that feels a bit like a sweatshirt, but more like a refined sweatshirt. Size shown above left is a large on 5’10” / 195, and it’s a touch big. Yet I feel like a medium would be too small. If it fits you decent enough off the rack? It’s a big time winner.
If one must sweatpant, sweatpant like this. Just don’t fall in love with wearing these things every day. And I’m still gonna fight for the idea that wearing nicer clothes is the right call most of the time.
Sold out this run, but, that wasn’t unexpected. Fingers crossed for a restock sometime in the fall. These sneakers are EXPENSIVE. But they’re also excellent.
At home New Year’s Eve 2020/2021 won’t know what hit it. Pass the pizza rolls, Hon.
Speaking of statement jackets.
How we wrap up this post every year. Hot toddys, whiskey slings, etc,
Got a tip on a new fall arrival? You can send those into joe@dappered.com.
Steal Alert: Allen Edmonds 5th Ave. oxfords for $199. Leather or Dainite sole. 1st quality,…
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Something Wicked, hugs in jewelry form, a different kind of cupcake, and more.
Blazers in poly/wool blend for $63. Surprisingly great traveler jeans for $38. Lots more. Math…
Hitting the middle ground for the upcoming holiday feast.
In person with Hamilton's new 38mm, quartz powered field watch.
