Men's Outerwear Essentials For Winter
Snow and cold weather are two of the most difficult things about the winter season
. The fashion-conscious man has to contend with the cold while at the same time preserving some semblance of style that doesn't get drowned in jackets and knits. Yes, there are ways for you to stay both warm and stylish through the whole season. It's all a matter of knowing the pieces with the right balance of fashion and functionality.
Turtlenecks
Apple Inc. may have the monopoly on uber-cool music players, but Steve Jobs doesn't have an industry stranglehold on turtlenecks. The iconic cold weather top that Jobs has turned into his style signature is as appropriate for a night out or an afternoon home as it would be in any iPod launch party.
Countless men's stores sell - in the worst sense of the word - cheap turtlenecks, the kind made of stretchy, unflattering jersey. You'll want to avoid this variety not just because it looks cheap to begin with, but because the fabric tends to cling to your body in the worst places. If you're willing to spend on your fashion, splurge a little bit on a knit turtleneck. Better yet, get one with a fine gauge so that it still looks smooth and sleek.
Turtlenecks look great even when worn as is, but you could also choose to layer one with other pieces like a suit or a topcoat. A turtleneck makes for a slightly less casual sub for the typical shirt and necktie combination you'd wear in milder weather. Should you layer a turtleneck, though, make sure that its color is distinct from all the other pieces.
Fair Isle Sweaters
Another British export from Fair Isle, the eponymous sweaters are making a comeback this winter. It's a traditional style piece that has long been a staple in the fashions of the British elite. What sets the 2009 Fair Isle sweater apart, though, is that it loses the baggy fit and loose arms of its 1920's predecessors for something a little trimmer and sleeker.
When buying a Fair Isle sweater, you'll want to stay away from the 'professorial fit' and its loose trunk with equally sagging arms. Not that the sweater has to be form-fitting, but the one to get for this season is lean and doesn't bag anywhere. If you're having trouble finding one in the department stores, look in any one of the more upscale men's fashion retailers that seem to be stocking the style right now.
The Fair Isle sweater is already quite interesting by itself; you really don't want to drive people's attention away from the intricate pattern and traditional technique. That's why the sweater should be layered over appropriately simple pieces - a solid shirt and an inconspicuous necktie, for example - to help people remember what's important.
Denim Jackets
Once relegated to the faux pas-ridden, boy band-infested epoch that was the 90's, denim jackets are once again part of the style statement to make right now. What with numerous designers going for a more functional post-recession aesthetic, the denim jacket gives just the right tones of rugged and resilient.
This classic piece in men's fashion has changed very little, and the pieces you would've gotten from Levi's a decade ago would still be on trend now. What's changed, though, is the fact that it's now more acceptable to double up on your denim by wearing jeans under a denim jacket. It was once seen as territory for the cowboys and the costumed, but there are ways to get around the potential campiness of the combination.
Pulling off denim on denim requires you to have a pair of jeans and a denim jacket that are similarly aged but are slightly off-color from one another. Keeping the shades of the two pieces distinct keeps you looking sharp and preventing the suggestion that you're a walking bolt of denim.
Winter's not the mildest or most comfortable season for most people, not least of all due to the cold and the snow. It is, however, a great excuse to layer on more pieces to create more complex looks. Jack Frost is here. Layer up.
by: Hendrik Pohl
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