Style Scenario: Dressing down a topcoat / wearing a topcoat casually

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. Men’s style YouTube channels, blogs, etc. are a great source of style inspiration. Sometimes you’ll see a combination that you would never have thought to put together. A topcoat with a hoodie? Never crossed my mind to wear such a formal coat over a causal shirt until I saw several popular YouTubers pull it off. I had to give it a try. Plus, topcoats and other substantial outerwear can be big investments. So wear it with everything!

The Topcoat: Banana Republic Italian Melton Topcoat – $199 ($398). Lovely camel color is a nice change of pace from the typical gray, black, or navy topcoats. A topcoat is usually worn over a suit, blazer, or sportcoat, but it can be worn so many other ways. This is not my exact coat (notice the different pockets), but it’s close. And BR always makes quality coats each year for fall and winter. Currently 50% off, no code needed, through 10/14.

The Hoodie: Goodthreads Men’s Pullover Fleece Hoodie – $30.00. My hoodie is actually from/specific to my church, and thus, not available. This hoodie from Amazon will do just fine. Coral? Why not. You can also pick whichever color tickles your fancy.

The Watch: Hamilton Khaki Aviator Pilot Pioneer Chronograph – $531.25 ($625). The accents on this watch are complimentary to the overcoat, plus the 70’s inspired retro looks are just beyond the norm, which can be a very good thing. Currently price matched at Nordstrom. Yes it’s quartz, but it’s a chrono. And getting a mechanical or automatic quartz for this price is pretty hard… although there are exceptions. UPDATE: Gosh dang it… price matching on the Hamilton has ended. D’oh.

The Jeans: Old Navy Slim Built-In Flex White Jeans for Men – $12.58 ($49.99). Being a big rebel by wearing white jeans WELL after Labor Day. If you’re not feeling so rebellious, more conventional dark wash, inky-blue jeans will work more than fine.

The Socks: The Tie Bar Marled Brown Dress Socks – $8. Dressy coat, dressy-ish socks. These are a good weight for the in-between weather we’re heading into.

The Belt: Banana Republic Italian Leather Belt – $29.75 ($59.59). I keep coming back to this belt (as does Jason!) because it really is that versatile. A simple brown leather belt that goes with just about anything. I wear it several times a week. Almost always on sale at Banana Republic.

The Boots: Thursday Boot Company Diplomat – $199.00. Mashing up white jeans with some fall appropriate moc toe boots. Chukkas would work as well, but these Thursdays are Goodyear welted, and should look and feel great for many years.

The Sunglasses: Ray-Ban Rb3025 Classic Pilot Sunglasses in Sand Transparent Brown/Green – $154. Fall can bring a mix of clouds and sun, so it’s never a bad idea to have some sunglasses handy. Spendy, but they’re Ray Bans and they’ll serve you well for a very, very long time (assuming you don’t lose them). Hard to beat aviators since they’re so classic.

About the author: DeJuan is a husband, father of a 10-year old son and 3-year old daughter, and a chemical engineer. He enjoys watching sports, reading, playing and listening to music, and of course men’s style. He lives in Cincinnati, Ohio and works from home in inside sales for a chemical process equipment supplier.