Style Scenario: The First Day it Kinda Starts to Feel like Fall

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. Late Summer into Early Fall can be a weird time to try and get dressed. It can be cool if not cold in the morning, yet by the afternoon it can still start to get… thick. Here’s one smart casual way to start crossing over into fall (jeans!) yet also be ready for that inevitable afternoon warm up.

The Sportcoat: Suitsupply Stretch Italian Cotton Sportcoat – $259. Unconstructed which maximizes breathability. Tailored in a slim fit. Ships and returns for free. Sure it’s hardly cheap, but not a ton of the cheaper brands are making decent sportcoats these days (most cheap blazers are boxy with chopped tails). Jacket shown at the very top of the post is the washed cotton sportcoat Spier was making last year (sadly no longer in stock). If you want something a bit more washed looking, and not as “crisp” as the Suitsupply, try J. Crew’s new garment-dyed cotton-linen chino suit jacket in “hillside green”.

The Polo: Uniqlo Airism Pique Polo in Navy – $29.90. A collar that can stand up with a sportcoat/blazer lapel next to it. That’s what you want, and the UNIQLO gets the job done with its button down collar. Part of our big polopalooza round up. Breathable enough for a warm-spike in the afternoon. Another option would be the excellent but spendy RHONE Delta Pique polo. Those also have a button down collar, but the buttons are hidden underneath the points. Terrific tech fabric on those.

The Jeans: Slim Banana Republic LUXE Traveler Jean – $129. Does go on sale. Might want to wait for one of those. For when it’s not quite dark-wash denim weather, lean on the light stuff. Impressively soft and has plenty of stretch. Not stiff or suffocating. Does well in warmer but not blazing hot weather. The color combos here are different than what one normally sees. Green jacket. Light wash jeans. Dark polo underneath. There’s some easy but not totally expected (usual: light shirt, dark jeans, etc) color-blocking going on here.

The Sunglasses: Sunski Madrona in Tortoise Forest – $58. Lightweight. Polarized. Love that “tortoise forest” color.

The Watch: Timex + Todd Snyder Maritime Sport MS1 41mm – $89. On sale and getting an extra 30% off thanks to that code.

The Belt: Banana Republic Italian Leather Belt in Burgundy – $59.50. Gets suggested a good amount in various style scenarios, because it’s a good belt.

The Shoes: Made in the UK Sanders for Todd Snyder Hi-Top Chukka in Dirty Buck – $256.50 w/ TODD10 ($285). Super comfortable. Well made. And there are actually some common sizes left over at Todd Snyder at post time (so you won’t have to deal with across-the-pond shipping/crazy high return costs from a UK seller). See our review here, albeit in the snuff brown suede. Too spendy? Understood. Try the Clarks Desert Boot 2 in Sand Suede mentioned yesterday in DeJuan’s Chinos Chukkas Polos post.

The Socks: Bombas Men’s Merino Wool Golf Calf Sock – $22. Forget swinging a club. If these are made to walk 18 (does anyone do that anymore?), then they should be perfect for a day that could start out cool if not cold, then get pretty warm in the afternoon. Merino keeps you warm when it’s cold, and wicks sweat/keeps you cool and comfortable when it’s hot. Perfect.