Dress Casual Yet Stylish (Winter Edition!)
As An Adult Man
[0:00:00] So, one of the first rules to dressing stylishly
as a man in cold weather is to learn how to layer.
Now, as a kid to stay warm, you throw on layers haphazardly, not really thinking about the
outcome.
Layering like this not only makes it look like your mom dressed you, but it restricts
movement.
Gents, when it comes to casual dressing in cold weather, learn to layer like a man.
First up, the thinnest layer should be at your base should fit closer to the skin.
I have a polo, I have a sweaer, and then I have a leather jacket on the outside.
Keep it simple.
Three layers is sufficient for most situations.
So, rule number one to casual stylish cold weather dressing is to embrace the season.
When it gets cold, guess what, guys?
You have tons of more options.
You’ve got coats, you’ve got accessories like scarves, all of a sudden your footwear
options open up.
Rule number two, casual does not mean sloppy, it does not mean lazy, it does not mean boring.
So, you still need to put work into your clothing, you need to make sure you -- anything you
buy fits you well off-the-rack or take it to get adjusted.
And your outer layers, you need to make sure they got a little bit of room.
Yeah, you don’t want to put on that jacket and look like a stuffed sausage.
Rule number three, understand your body type and then leverage the clothing that is going
to best accentuate your strengths.
If you are a big guy, you’re a bit wide, you don’t want to have horizontal lines,
they’re going to make you look even wider.
You want to go for more monochromatic solid look.
If you are a skinny guy, let’s go ahead and bring in some of those horizontal lines.
Let’s find textures that can build you up.
Rule number four, understand the basics of color.
So, right up here, we’ve got the color wheel.
Notice those fourteen colors right there, those are known as hues.
Now, if you’ve ever been shopping you know there are more than fourteen colors, but most
of these are going to be variations of those hues.
So, if they are lighter in color, basically white has been introduced, those are going
to be tints and in my opinion are best for summer.
During the cooler months, what you want to be looking for are shades.
These are going to be those original hue colors mixed in with a bit of black.
They’re going to be darker, richer, heavier colors.
The next guideline to understand the majority of the colors in your wardrobe are going to
be base colors.
These are colors that you can build off of.
Now, how can I be so exact because this is my wardrobe?
Now, for you, it is going to be different.
You’re going to find other colors that compliment you, but I will say that for me you’ll notice
the smallest percentage of the colors.
These colors right here are accent colors.
Think of them as a spice.
You don’t want them to overpower your wardrobe at least in my case, but they are something
that you can bring in and you can draw attention.
Rule number five, imitation leads to inspiration.
The idea here is find somebody that can inspire you.
Maybe look to Hollywood, tons of great actors out – Michael B. Jordan.
I absolutely love his style.
You’ve got to go old school, Cary Grant.
Find somebody who inspires you to dress better.
Next up, steal the look, nobody is going to say, “Oh, you stole that outfit from Austin
Bullock.”
No, they’re going to say, “You look damn good.”
So, at this point, gents, we’re going through the entire winter wardrobe, we’re going
to talk about how you can upgrade the items in your wardrobe, so that you can dress casual
and stylish this winter.
So, first up let’s talk shirts.
When it comes to casual shirts, you got the t-shirts, you’ve got the henley.
Both of those are great summer options.
In the winter not so much because they’re immediately going to be covered and you’re
going to lose the art of layering.
So, what I lean towards is a shirt with a collar.
Now, in general three optins here.
You have dress shirts, you have casual button downs, and you have polo shirts.
Now, the traditional options when it comes to layering are going to be a well-fitted
dress shirts or casual button down.
Either one of those assuming it is a good fit, you could slip a sweater right on top
of that and put a jacket and even a coat on top of that.
These can work really well.
Now, the polo for years has kind of been passed over here because normally they’ve got a
weak collar.
But, guys, if you’re looking for a polo shirt with a strong dress shirt type collar,
you need to check out Collars & Co., the sponsor of today’s video.
Now, gents, I’ve been talking about Collars & Co. for the last year because I love what
these guys did.
They came in and innovated.
They realized, hey, if you’re going to be layering, you want a layer that’s going
to be breathable that is going to have stretch that’s going to be comfortable.
At the same time, you want a structured collar that’s going to look good under a sweater,
under a jacket and it’s not going to fold underneath.
So, boom, that’s exactly what these guys did.
They felt that most dress shirts were hot, were uncomfortable, were sweaty, they were
a pain in the butt to wear underneath the sweater.
And I’d say unless you get a great fit, they are exactly right.
I mean, seriously, what you get is it looks like you’re wearing a dress shirt underneath
like I am right here, but you’re actually wearing a polo.
And because Collars & Co. shirts are short sleeve, have a four-way stretch, and are breathable,
they are so much more comfortable than dress shirts when layering.
And this collar, gents, is strong.
Not only is the collar itself well-structure, but it has a solid placket right in the front.
You could actually wear a necktie with this.
I wouldn’t recommend wearing a necktie without layering.
Oh, and did I mention they’re wrinkle -resistant?
So, when you’re traveling, when you are just in a hurry, you need to grab a shirt
that isn’t going to have any issues with wrinkles in it, boom, they’ve got you covered.
And let’s talk about options.
Guys, when you go over to their website, you’re going to see a wide variety of colors and
patterns and let’s look at all the different styles of collars.
You’ve got the English spread collar polo, the semi-spread collar polo, the oxford button
down collar polo, and the cutaway collar polo. [0:04:58]
Oh, and they were on Shark Tank, so if you want to learn more about their story, you
want to see their pitch, type in Collars & Co.
Shark Tank and you’ll find it.
Gents, I own a lot of polos and I love my Collars & Co. because they’re incredibly
versatile.
I can wear them layered in the winter, I can wear them during the summer.
Again, gents, use that link in the description of today’s video, go over to Collars & Co.
and take advantage of this deal.
It’s not going to be around forever.
Next up, gents, let’s talk sweaters, tons of options out there, but let’s first start
with the different style of necks.
You’re going to see crew necks, you’re going to see V necks, you’re also going
to see button mock necks, half zip mock necks, and one of my personal favorite, turtle necks.
Now, all these examples I just showed you are pullover sweaters.
You are going to see some sweaters that button all the way in the front.
These are known as cardigans and they come usually with two different types.
You’ve got the standard collar cardigan and then you’ve got the shawl collar cardigan.
Now, in general when it comes to layering, I love the V neck because it’s going to
do a great job of showing the collar.
If you’re going with a crew neck depending on how tight it is, you’re probably not
going to be able to easily show a collar or you can sometimes if you’re wearing a necktie
and if it’s a little bit loose.
When it comes to the turtle neck, now, you don’t want to wear a necktie underneath
this.
This is one you can wear, you know, just a casual t-shirt or even a long sleeve henley
on this underneath it.
But, yeah, usually with the turtleneck, it’s going to be that turtleneck which is going
to draw all the attention.
And, still, it’s a great look.
Now, when it comes to those different styles, I think that body type plays a lot into this.
The V neck is going to be the most versatile if you are a rounder a larger guy or even
a skinny guy, a V neck especially layered with a collared shirt whether you wear a necktie
or not is a great look.
Now, when it comes to that crew neck, this is harder for rounder guys bigger guy to pull
off, they still can especially if it’s a little bit, you know, just got a nice fit
to it.
But, for skinnier guys that crew neck is going to be something that looks good especially
also for thinner guys, they can pull off the turtle neck.
Now, can a larger guy pull off a turtle neck?
If he has a longer neck and if he’s not overweight.
If it looks like you have no neck, do not try to pull off a turtleneck, it’s just,
yeah, not a great look.
That being said, if you think you can pull it off, if I – if you’re like, Antonio,
man, I can make it rock, then you go for it.
Now, for a man’s first two sweaters especially those he’s going to layer with, I say keep
it simple.
There’s a reason I default to gray.
Why?
It’s a non color, it’s easy to dress up dress down to match with a wide variety of
colors because it is a non color, so I’m not saying you got to go with gray, but I
will say go with something solid and look for something that’s already going to work
with other items in your wardrobe.
An easy way to determine this is find something just compliments your shirts or matches a
color in the jacket.
And it doesn’t really matter if you wear a sweater and a jacket that are about the
same color, the difference in the texture is going to allow people to easily see there
is a difference.
Next up, let’s talk about casual jackets.
And in case you’re wondering, the difference between a jacket and a coat, a jacket is something
that actually can have a layer on top of it, coats do not allow for another layer on top.
It – jackets are normally shorter.
You’re not going to see jackets go past the curvature of the buttocks and many jackets
go right and end right at the waist.
Now, different types of casual jackets out there, you saw throughout this video, I was
wearing a leather jacket, I could have easily substitute that for a suede jacket.
Both options I’ve made videos and noticing about and I love them.
I have plenty in my wardrobe.
Now, the field jacket, this one is really underutilized and what I love about it is
oftentimes they come in a very lightweight material.
So, right here as you can see, I’ve put that layer over the sweater and because of
the length of the jackets, the pockets right here is going to give a bit more depth.
It definitely, you know, again, really relatively monochromatic look here.
But, this green is one of my favorite colors.
So, always bring in solids as well with most jackets your first couple of jackets, then
maybe your third or fourth you can bring in a pattern.
Patterns are great for sports jackets.
And sports jackets are casual.
You know, some guys think sports jackets are suits.
They’re not a suit.
It’s a jacket and trousers made from the same material usually in dark color that’s
solid.
Now, sports jackets as the name implies come in a wide variety of different materials,
different colors because they were intended to be sportier, more fun.
In fact, the first sports jackets were worn to be hunting, so there were oftentimes made
from more durable materials such as tweed.
And I would say if you can bring in the sports jacket to your wardrobe, this is like the
secret weapon to really level up your fall and winter and even spring wardrobe.
But, I get it, if that’s too dressier for you, then, again, look to the trucker jacket,
the jean jacket.
These are great options here and actually they come in a wide variety of colors and
more materials than just denim.
And if you want to bring in something more classic, maybe look at the blouson jacket,
the Harrington jacket.
You know, maybe go for a style like a bomber or a flight jacket that isn’t even made
from leather.
There is a wide variety of different materials.
This right here is just a great option.
You can even bring in a varsity jacket.
Next up, we’ve got coats.
Now, when it comes to coats, function first, but if you’ve got that coverage you can
start to have fun.
And I do think if you live in an area like I do here in Wisconsin, if you’re over in
Minneapolis, guys, you should have a few, at least few coats in your wardrobe to be
able to change it up and have fun.
[0:10:01] Have a parka because it gets deathly cold
when it’s, you know, -30.
That being said, when it’s just 30 degrees, maybe have a little bit of fun, look for one
of those top coats that you can wear over your suit and has a great look to it.
Maybe when it gets down to zero, you’re in Chicago, hey, you still want to be able
to pull off, you – you’re a diver in the navy, you want to pull off a peacoat.
They have a long storied history and are incredibly versatile and warm.
Maybe you’re English and your great grandfather served in the Great War.
Well, bring in the duffel coat.
There were some great historic photos and this jacket can still be found and is incredibly
functional and warm and looks good.
Now, for you guys on California, I get it, you’re not getting crazy winters, but you
got also some options, maybe the trench coat.
Yes, has a classic military history, but also featured in the movie, Casablanca and a wide
range of other movies.
Yeah, most people aren’t even thinking to pull off a trench coat, but, yeah, it is functional
and you can even bring in maybe a waxed jacket, you’re up in the northwest.
Hey, I know you get a lot of rain.
That is your guys’ idea of snow.
But, wear a jacket that’s going to be functional, has classic -- maybe a classic a barber.
Now, a lot of those coats and jackets can cost a pretty penny, so I would go with simple
solids that you can add flavor.
Remember we talked about collar early on, well, this is where you have fun with accessories,
so scarves, gloves.
Guys, I did – yeah, you see some gloves out there with a bit of color, they can really
add a pop to the whole look and you can keep that coat relatively simple.
Bring in a scarf with a variety of colors, have a few options right here.
It totally changes up the look when you wear the scarf especially if you know how to tie
that scarf knot right.
All right, gents, so let’s talk headwear.
You got tons of options, I know during the summer, but you got just as many during the
winter.
A lot of guys, yeah, you know they wear the beanie, the same beanie they’d been wearing
for years.
How about upgrade that?
Go with something with a little bit thicker heavier of a stitch, maybe from a better material.
You’ve got that cotton one, bring in something that’s made from a wool or maybe even a
cashmere wool blend.
Yes, it’s a little bit pricier, but it looks so much better.
How about even level up that?
Let’s go for a newsboy, let’s go for a flat cap.
You can find these insulated and they do a really great job of not only keeping the head
warm keeping the snow off your head, but they just – they’re just stylish, they look
good.
I’m not saying you got to go all trilby or fedora, you don’t have to bring in anything
like that or ushanka.
Although, you know, if you’ve got a Russian or Ukrainian heritage, go for it.
But, I do think this is just simply an easy way for a guy to be more stylish is to bring
in a nice insulated hat.
Now, if you’re in the Midwest, maybe, you know, up in Michigan, you can bring in that
Stormy Kromer.
I think – I think it’s originally from that area, isn’t it?
And now, let’s get into trousers.
So, the base layer of the trousers, if you live in an area of the world that it gets
below 0, consider thermal underwear.
Now, there’s a lot of cheap options out there.
I do recommend spending a little bit more especially when it comes to the bottoms, you
want something that’s insulated that just fits well is comfortable.
It doesn’t have any hotspots and this can make a huge difference, especially if you’re
not buying specialty heavier weight winter pants.
That being said, a heavier weight jean is a decent start.
And for a lot of guys, this a lot more stylish especially in a raw denim.
But, there are specialty materials like cavalry twill, moleskin, you can find a wide variety
if you look for flannels.
I know sometimes I just walk into a specialty menswear stores and this will be in the mall
when I’m traveling, I’m just, hey, do you have any flannels?
And they usually got a few pairs, sometimes in different styles and shapes.
You know, just basically they look like jeans, except they’re made from a napped material.
This basically has a little bit of a three dimensional weave to it, so it’s going to
better insulate because it’s going to trap just a little bit of air and they are really
comfortable and I really just like how, yeah, they change up the whole – they fit like
jeans, but they look better.
Now, of course, you can always get gray flannels in a dress pant if you look for them, again,
going into finer menswear stores, you’re just looking online there are some options
out there.
You’re also going to see moleskin.
This is going to usually be made from cotton and it has, again, a little bit of a napped
surface.
And let’s not forget corduroy.
I know a lot of you guys remember this maybe as a kid, you had a pair.
Nothing wrong with bringing them back.
You’re going to see different amounts of wales. 7 wales or 11 wales, that’s actually
the number of ribs per inch and I would go with the 11.
Of course, we can’t forget the foundation of a man’s wardrobe, his shoes.
So, when it comes to the dressing up especially during the colder months, whenever the ground
is a little bit more slick, you want to make sure especially on your shoes, your dress
shoes, you’ve got a bit of traction.
So, look for rubber soles or a mixture of leather with rubber right there on the front.
I also like to go with shoes with a Goodyear welt.
These are going to be more water-resistant and basically, that’s the stitching where
the bottom and the top have can basically be resoled.
Now, if you’re going to stick with sneakers, avoid the solid whites and avoid anything
made from a canvas material especially when there’s going to be rain, there’s going
to be slush, there’s going to be snow on the ground.
You want something that can get a little bit dirty and is easier to clean up.
That’s why I like leather and I like leather sneakers in a darker color.
But, my favorite footwear during the cold months, boots, especially boots that can deal
with the elements, that easily slip on and off, work with my wardrobe.
And, guys, if you want to see the ultimate video on how to find the perfect pair of boots,
I go over ten different styles how to find the right style for you and buy it and get
a great deal.
Guys, I’ve got you covered in this video right here.
I just made it awhile back and is a solid video, so go check it out.
A really good one if, again, you are in the market for boots, yeah, check out this video,
boom, right here.
Dress casual, dress stylish, yes, get some good boots.
[0:15:19] End of audio