Style Scenario: Cool Spring Layers

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. April can be unpredictable. Cool and cloudy (and maybe flurries) in the morning, yet the weather breaks mid day and it’s a warm afternoon. Here’s one way to look spring appropriate while seriously avoiding the pastel “I’m the Easter Bunny’s understudy” look. You’ll also be prepared for swings in temperature, as everything is made to keep you cool or warm, depending on the (unpredictable) weather.

The Polo: Rhone Delta Pique Hidden Button Down Collar Performance Polo – $88. Spendy, but won last year’s polo palooza. Tech pique wicks and helps regulate your temperature. Hidden button down collar keeps your points from curling/flying away as the day goes on. The more affordable alternative: Try UNIQLO’s airisim pique polos with the button down collar. Those are $30.

The Watch: Dan Henry 1937 Mecha-Quartz Chronograph – $270. Clean looks, interesting thanks to the chrono function, and feels great on the wrist. Comes with both a black as well as a tan strap. Picking up a “coffee” brown extra is well worth the cost. And they’ve got those quick change pins too, so swapping out straps is easy.

The Sweater: Goodthreads Men’s Lightweight Merino Wool Cardigan Sweater – $40. Cardigans don’t have to look nerdy, and I’d argue this one doesn’t look so here. Lightweight merino wool will keep you warm in the morning, but still breathes extremely well. That and if it gets too warm for the sweater, the cardigan style/button front means you can easily take it off without making your hair look like you just rolled out of bed. That’s tough to do with a v-neck or crewneck.

The Pants: Lululemon Commission Pants in Iron Blue – $128. Terrific color. A slightly desaturated blue shade that has plenty of gray hue. Not “scrubs” blue. Not baby blue. A true grayish blue that’s surprisingly versatile. The Lululemon Commission (and ABC) pants are the current standard in tech-trousers. Why? Because they don’t look or feel like tech pants. Terrific stretch without feeling like you’re wearing lycra. Smooth fabric that doesn’t make a “swish swish” sound. Available in slim fit, or a more athletic “classic” fit that’s not bulky or billowing. Popular enough, despite the price, that they have a hard time keeping these things in stock. The more affordable alternative: To save a boatload of money, albeit the pants aren’t tech fabric, try JCF’s slim fit flex khakis in “overcast blue.”

The Sunglasses: Kent Want Browline Sunglasses – $55. Affordable but still nicely built. If you’re the type to splurge on eyewear, and also happen to have a larger head/face, try the oversized clubmaster from Ray Ban. Not cheap, but they’re a bit more modern, and great for those of us with bigger noggins.

The Socks: Taylor Stitch Italian Merino Socks in charcoal dot – $22.50. Anyone getting tired of seeing these yet? Apologies, but they’re that good. Perfect amount of cushioning. Made in Italy. And dots!

The Belt: Banana Republic Italian Leather Belt – $59.50. The rare belt that looks great with jeans, chinos, and can even pull duty with suits.

The Shoes: Jack Erwin Reade Chukka w/ City Sole – $188. A really nice, more affordable (and available stateside) alternative to the Sanders hi-top chukkas shown at the very top of the post. Here’s an in-person mini review on the Jack Erwin’s from our man Brandon: “These are really good. Got them in brown suede from Bloomies a while back. I wear a 10D in AE Strands and Daltons, and a 10.5D in Cornwallis. 10 fits perfectly here.”