Style Scenario: Fall Temptation – Dressed Up

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. Earlier in the season we brought you a round up of the best in new affordable men’s style arrivals for the fall. From that post we created both casual and middle ground looks. Now we’re combining several of the fall temptation picks to create a suited up look which should look good as the cold weather drags on.

The Suit: Suitsupply Light Grey Wool Flannel Havana Suit Separates – $638. Spendy because they’re separates, but that’s great news for those of us who don’t fit easily into Suitsupply’s usual trim fits/standard drop zones. Pick a jacket, pick your pants, and it ships and returns for free. Trousers have side tabs, so no belt needed here. Also, those single pleats are subtle AND they help make room for bigger legs/rear-ends. The Cheaper Option: Got a light gray, year-round wool suit? Wear that. Don’t have light gray? Wear a medium gray or charcoal gray, and instead layer up with a pale gray sweater. Flip that contrast script and it’ll still look sharp. Use what you have. Don’t default to buying new stuff just to buy new stuff.

The Shirt: TheTieBar Pinpoint Solid Light Blue Non-Iron Dress Shirt – $55. A basic, but done well. Trim fit is not sausage-case tight, but not billowy either. They nail the color here too. Pale blue. Not French blue or medium blue. Clean, crisp, pale blue.

The Sweater: UNIQLO Extra Fine Merino Wool V-Neck in Dark Gray – $39.90. Thin but strong, temperature regulating merino wool. The flannel suit is gonna be plenty warm. These are terrific for layering under heavier pieces. Gives you the look you want, without overheating.

The Watch: Christopher Ward C63 Sealander GMT – $825 w/ 125LOUPE23 ($950). There’s something about wearing a sporty watch with a flannel suit and boots. One foot in casual/rugged, while the whole look is still very dressed up. Swiss made automatic, GMT function, and easy to wear 39mm case diameter. It’s not some honkin’ beast. The Cheaper Option: If you want to stick with a rubber strap sporty watch, there’s this automatic diver from Dan Henry for $270. Otherwise, there’s no shame (hardly) in wearing a dress watch here. Whatever you normally wear. Use that.

The Boots: Allen Edmonds Hamilton Cap-Toe Oxford Dress Boot – $247.47 ($425). On sale and now an extra 25% off. Steal alert worthy. No clue when the extra 25% off ends though. The Cheaper Option: Chukkas! Inexpensive, BR Chukkas. But wait for the Black Friday Sale you gotta think is coming. Figuring they’ll be between $100 – $120 then? Otherwise spend the extra cash for the AEs.

The Gloves: Orvis Battenkill Cashmere-Lined Gloves in Saddle – $129. Full grain leather, cashmere lining, and a classy snap at the wrist. The Cheaper Option: Get some drivers off Amazon. Obviously unlined, so not gonna be super warm, but they should keep cold late fall winds from chapping the skin on your hands.

The Socks: Made in Italy Taylor Stitch Merino Socks in Charcoal Dot – $22.50. Machine washable and you can toss them in the dryer too (just be sure to tumble dry low, not laundromat nuclear hot). Slightly thicker than your average dress socks. That means extra warmth and cushioning, without drifting into bulky camp sock territory.