The weather is changing and so should your wardrobe. Scene’s men’s fall style guide has tips and recommendations on how to get through the season without looking like a fool. Gentlemen, this is your blueprint — do with it what you will.
Don’t underestimate the number of sweatshirts that you’ll need. In the summer, if you have 10 t-shirts, you can wear a different shirt every day for 10 days. But in the fall, when it’s too cold to wear a shirt and not cold enough to level up to the winter jacket if you have five sweatshirts, you're limited to five choices, and that can get old quick. It’s simple math.
The thrift store is always a good solution. You can pick up two or three solid crewneck sweatshirts for cheap and add them to the rotation. Mix in other pieces too, like a simple shirt jacket, fleece or flannel, a fall style staple. Flannels work great for layering too — which if you don’t know about yet, you should learn about now. Hoodie sweatshirts, on the comeback after the crewneck’s dominance for the last five years, combined with a flannel over them are a combination that works easily — as long as you cancolor coordinate. The simpler the better when it comes to autumn colors, mix in some dark oranges, greens and browns with the basic blacks and blues. Lastly, when it rains, it pours. Secure a versatile rain jacket and rainy days become an opportunity to flex a fire fit.
The brands you need to know to cop some next level outerwear: Bode’s fall line is inspired, a back-to-basics collection of handmade pieces that are genuinely cool and hopefully signal a new direction for fashion. Brain Dead has a number of fleeces worth your attention, including this green, spray-painted “polo fleece,” and a number of sweatshirts with attention-grabbing graphics. Speaking of attention-grabbing graphics, Online Ceramics continues to stay at the forefront of new-age hippie collaborations with some Grateful Dead shirts and sweaters among other things, and Levi’s new vintage line, an “an ode to the underground of Reagan’s America,” is a good look from the big name brand.
The lowdown on below the waist is fairly simple: If the temperature is below 60 degrees, shorts are an absolute no-go — and even that’s stretching it. When the weather’s in the 60s, a pair of baggies — pick your brand among L.L. Bean, Patagonia, Big Dog or any other — or monochromatic workout shorts — think Lululemon, athleisure — can be paired with a sweatshirt for the much-hyped sweatshirt and shorts combination.
But the thing is, there won’t be many days that warm, so get together a collection of pants that’ll last till April and don’t be “that guy” who’s wearing battered gym shorts in November because he “doesn’t feel the cold.” Jeans, khakis and corduroy pants are all viable options for fall dressin’ — pick your favorite and do the research or visit a tailor to make sure they fit. Sweatpants aren’t totally taboo, just avoid pajama pants and the boring, basic, baggy greys — unless you’re going normcore, in which case, tuck them into your white mid-calf socks and rock out.
The brands you need to know to keep your legs covered in style are too numerous to list. Todd Snyder has a variety of styles in a variety of colors; Adriano Goldschmied has denim and more; and Tory Van Thompson makes a fire pant that combines two pairs of Dickies into one.
Regarding shoes, the standout option for fall weather is a solid pair of boots. Duck boots have been all the rage for the past few years and for good reason: They’re practical and well made. More than anything though, their color scheme — tan, brown, navy blue — is perfect for autumn. Beyond the duck, Chelsea boots are a reasonable option for when you need to dress a little more formally. The collaboration between fashion podcasters Throwing Fits and shoe brand Diemme combines the duck and the Chelsea for a surprisingly successful boot. It’s tragically sold out, but some similarly stylish boots are out there at staples Dr. Marten and Sorel.
The final note is this: Develop your own style. Use these tips as a starting point but not as a Bible. Take pride in your outfits, your outward presentations to the world, your one of many chances to use consumerism to express and define yourself. And don’t be boring.
