Welcome back to the Gentleman's Gazette. In today's video,
we'll be discussing those in-between times or transition periods and how you can
always make sure that you look your best in those variable temperatures.
♪ Gentleman's Gazette theme song ♪
Now, most of us will have experienced some kind of a transitional season, something like an autumn or
spring. Now, these seasons are a favorite time of year for many people. Springtime sees the
world warming up after a season of very cold temperatures in winter, and autumn brings rich
golden colors and a bit of a respite from those hot temperatures of summer. As wonderful as these
seasons are, there's no denying that they can also make it a bit tricky to pull together an outfit
that helps you feel stylish and still comfortable. Something that is flexible enough to adapt as
temperatures change. Now, you might be asking, "What's the challenge of dressing in transitional seasons?"
Now, the biggest challenge with transitional seasons is the unpredictable weather. Now, one
of the great things about summer and winter is that the weather makes it a little bit easier
to dress for. We naturally expect summer to be warm and winter to be cold. So, summer dressing
will usually consist of light, cool outfits such as our suggestions in this video. And for winter,
it's usually a case of heavier outfits to keep you warm. This video will give you some winter outfit
inspiration. So, when the seasons are transitioning and it's neither summer or winter, it can be a
challenge to figure out how to dress for the day. Now, during a transitional season, most of us can
experience temperatures ranging from 45 degrees to 70 degrees Fahrenheit. That could also equate to 7
to 21 degrees Celsius. That's a big difference in temperature. Sometimes, rainfall might be expected
in transitional seasons. Check out this video for some inspiration on some rain weather essentials.
We can't run home and change three times a day. That's just impractical. But, we still want outfits
that are flexible enough to adapt to the different weather trends that we might be facing throughout
the day. Now, what kind of clothing is best for transitional seasons? Before we take a look at
how to put outfits together, let's first take a moment to look at some individual items and
what makes them great for transitional seasons. Now, let's first start off with lightweight outerwear.
A transitional dressing is a great time to enjoy lightweight outdoor options. The iconic trench coat
has been worn for decades as a great means of protection against the elements, and this is the
perfect choice to wear over a suit in transitional periods. The double-breasted military inspiration of
this coat makes it pair wonderfully with formal attire. Although, the trench coat can also be worn
with more casual ensembles just as well. A trench coat is perfect for transitional dressing as it's
traditionally made with cotton gabardine. Now, this is much lighter than the heavier woolen coats
made for winter. Those are designed to protect you from much colder temperatures.
It's also possible to find trench coat liners, something that's a removable layer that's going
to provide extra warmth in the coat. And I think you'll find that that's incredibly useful in the
middle of a temperature change. Take a look at our in-depth review of the Burberry trench coat here.
A Harrington jacket is a great choice for more casual outfits. Rising to popularity in the 50s
and 60s, the Harrington jacket is a popular and stylish choice. It was originally invented to be
worn on the golf course as a casual outerwear piece. The design is clean and simple, making it
easy to wear for most men. Features include angled pockets at the hips, a zipper that goes to the neck,
and either elasticated cuffs or buttons close to the wrist. This helps keep the wind out. You may
also see a tall collar that buttons at the neck, which is again helpful in keeping out the wind.
And most models feature an elasticated waist, too. But, you can also find some models that have
a straight hem at the bottom of the jacket. All these features make the Harrington jacket a great
choice to wear in transitional seasons. Baracuta is one of the oldest companies still producing
Harrington jackets. The famous G9 model has been spotted on many classic stars like Elvis Presley,
Steve McQueen, and James Dean. If you want to know more about this iconic jacket, check out our "Is It
Worth It?" video here. Transitional seasons are also a great time to enjoy leather jackets. Much like
the Harrington jacket, leather jackets offer a more casual solution to transitional dressing. Typically,
leather jackets are designed to protect you from the elements and they have a rich history in
being worn by motorcycle riders, such as the famous Trialmaster model from Belstaff. And some leather
jackets, like the Trialmaster, are treated to be water-resistant. Leather isn't as light as a waxed
cotton but isn't as heavy as a thick wool. Now, this makes it an excellent contender for transitional
wear as a medium-weight jacket. If you choose something like the Trialmaster, you get a timeless
style with extra added practicality. After all, a jacket in this style is designed to be used.
With a generous length to keep up the cold and the rain, a belted waist to ensure the jacket stays closed,
and multiple pockets for your everyday essentials, it makes a leather jacket a great choice
for transitional wear. Find out what we think of the Trialmaster jacket in this video. Next, let's
talk about half-lined or unlined jackets. Gaining in popularity in recent years, the half-lined
or unlined jacket has become a welcome addition to transitional wear. A half-lined jacket refers to a jacket
that has lining sewn into the sleeves, on the sides of the inside of the chest, on the inside of the
chest, and across the shoulders and inside upper back area of the jacket. Whereas an unlined jacket
will only have lining sewn into the sleeves of the jacket. Although you may be able to find completely
unlined suit jackets, it makes it very difficult to put the jackets on and to take them off
when there is no lining on the inside. Therefore, the sleeve lining is more necessary to make the
jacket more user-friendly. Wearing a jacket with very little internal lining makes for a much more
comfortable and cooler wearing experience. And this is because the jacket won't be as heavy as the
jacket that has extra fabric in the lining and the jacket will breathe better helping you to better
regulate your temperature. It is still possible for an unlined jacket to have some structure
in the chest and shoulders, but this is usually quite light. Otherwise, it would negate the point of
having less weight inside the jacket. Plus, a half or unlined jacket lends itself to a more relaxed
approach when it comes to tailoring. This makes an unstructured jacket easier to combine with other
elements within your wardrobe. Think of the stylish Neapolitan tailors who prefer an unstructured look.
Next, let's talk about overshirts and shackets. An overshirt or a shacket is a more casual way
to put together a transitional outfit and it's a nice alternative to a more traditional sport coat.
Now, the term "shacket" comes from the shortening of "shirt jacket," which makes sense as the garment is a
hybrid of a dress shirt and a jacket. Whatever you want to call this piece, the overall structure is
similar to that of a shirt. It buttons all the way to the neck, usually a functioning button
at the cuff, and it usually will have some kind of a pointed collar. And what makes it different
from a dress shirt is the amount of functional pockets featured throughout.
Now, we don't know many dress shirts with pockets at the hip.
[Preston's muffled voice] "Kyle, what about the guayabera shirt?"
Okay. Thank you, Preston.
And that is made from harder wearing fabrics than that of a traditional dress shirt.
These include heavy cottons, linens, flannels, and corduroys. Now, the style originates from practical
workwear, but in recent years, it has been updated and refined into a sartorial garment. Now, it works
as a great alternative to an odd jacket or sport coat. And the benefit of an over shirt is that it
looks better with casual wear than an odd jacket or sport coat would. Now, although we love them,
a suit jacket does not go with everything. The over shirt is a great option for transitional dressing
as it's a lightweight option, which is a nice alternative to an odd jacket.
It can also be worn open or closed depending on the temperature unlike a suit jacket or sport
coat, which may have more refined rules as to when it can and cannot be buttoned. And it's unique as
that it acts as a top layer on warmer days. But, you can put on a heavier coat on top of the over
shirt on a colder day. There aren't many garments out there that are quite as versatile as that.
Next, let's talk about cotton and linen knitwear. Now, as we already know, transitional seasons may
have some cold temperatures as well, and knitwear is a no-brainer when it comes to adding a layer of
warmth to your outfit. But, what do you do when you don't need the full warmth
of that heavy lambswool or cashmere winter sweater? This is where knitwear, spun from cotton or linen
or a combination of both, will add a great layer to your transitional outfits. Cotton and linen
are natural fibers. Now, both are known for their ability to breathe very well as you can find out
in our videos about them. And as we've already discussed earlier today, a garment's ability to
breathe well will help you better regulate your own temperature, which is exactly what
you're looking for when dressing for transitional seasons. Linen typically has a distinctive texture
and looser weave when woven into sweaters. This makes it wonderful for indulging in scorpacciata
or savoring the seasonality of clothing. Find out more about it in this video. Knitwear crafted
from cotton is able to replicate the look of your favorite woolly winter sweaters without the extra
warmth. For example, the traditional cricket or tennis sweaters are an icon of knitwear.
Transitional seasons are the perfect opportunity to wear this style of sweater. Next, we have
Merino wool knitwear. Now, Merino wool is a popular choice for knitwear. In fact, many wear year-round except
for those very hot summer days. Now, it's a wool that is very fine and soft, kind of like cashmere,
but it has a unique sheen to it, which makes it pair very well with tailoring, and it can also dress
up casualwear very nicely, too. And, when woven into a garment, the wool is usually thinner than
in a cashmere or lambswool alternative. Now, this is especially useful when layering as
it doesn't add as much bulk to an outfit as other knitwear might do. For instance, the cotton cricket
sweater can be a great choice for transitional knitwear. But, it's going to be quite bulky
under tailoring such as a sport coat. Now, this is where Merino knitwear really shines through as
you can add it underneath the sport coat without the added extra bulk without looking like
Mr. Stay Puft in a suit. Another desirable trait of Merino is its natural elasticity. Now, this means it will
hold its shape very well and, most importantly, for transitional dressing, it breathes well, too. A pair
of suede shoes or even a smart boot, like a chukka or a Chelsea boot, will be a great alternative to a
transitional outfit. Contrary to popular belief, suede is actually a very resilient material to
have in unpredictable weather. Unlike calf leather, suede is actually less likely to show salt stains
or watermarks after being subjected to the elements, and it also tends to dry more evenly than
calf leather. So, it is also more easily treated with weatherproofing protector sprays. Although
it'll make your suede shoes waterproof, it will make them more resilient than say, a calf leather
in the event of an odd rain shower. If your shoes have a Goodyear welt, they have a greater level
of water resistance, too. Now, you can further the waterproofing qualities by looking for shoes with
full rubber soles or rubber inserts to the soles as well. This will help with not only waterproofing
qualities, but also grip. Mix-and-match fabrics. This last one isn't one type of item, but rather a
tip for transitional dressing. "Spezzato" is the term used to describe the breaking down of a suit to
create a new look. Here you can combine pieces of heavier and lighter suits to better regulate your
temperature. Let's take the famous country outfit James Bond wears in Goldfinger as an example.
Here we can see a barleycorn, tweed hacking jacket. These are then paired with a cavalry twill trouser
and finished off with suede shoes. He's also wearing a tobacco brown knit tie and if you'd
like some inspiration on knit ties, check out this video here and take a look at the Fort Belvedere
shop so you can own some ties like the one Bond is wearing. Not only is this a nice tone-on-tone
outfit that is great for either spring or autumn, it's also perfect for traditional dressing.
The jacket is a mid to heavyweight tweed, whereas the trousers are mid to lightweight. This means that
Bond's temperature will better be regulated as it's not a head to toe ensemble and the same cloth.
If a pair of tweed trousers were worn with a tweed jacket, it would probably be too warm.
And as we've previously explored, the suede shoes would be a great choice for any possible rainfall
that might come. The scene is set in England after all. You can see how useful the Spezzato technique
is when it comes to transitional outfits. And depending on where you feel the warmth of the cold,
you can adjust what you're wearing accordingly, and it's theoretically one of the cheaper options as
you won't need to buy anything new to pull this off. It's all about combining pieces from your
existing wardrobe. Now that we've looked at some clothing for transitional seasons, now let's look
at how we can put them together in a nice layered outfit. Now, first thing we'll take a look at is
formal attire. Now, in warmer weather, you could be wearing a lightweight suit or an unlined jacket
and lightweight trousers. You can then add in a dress shirt and a knit tie and, perhaps, a Merino
cardigan or a knitted waistcoat or even a sweater vest. You can also add suede shoes or even loafers.
Next up, we have formal attire in cooler weather. You can start off with a mid-weight jacket
and lightweight trousers or vice versa. Next, you can add in a dress shirt a grenadine or a
changeant tie, suede shoes, perhaps a derby or even an Oxford. Maybe add in a lightweight scarf
and, if it's possibly raining that day, don't forget your umbrella and, perhaps, a trench coat.
Next, let's move into business casual attire. Now, in warmer weather, you can always add in chinos
and, of course, a dress shirt. Maybe even a linen dress shirt if it's very hot. A merino cardigan
or sweater and a pair of loafers or if we prefer, maybe even a pair of lace-up dress shoes.
And now, in cooler weather, you can also wear a mid to lightweight jacket, pair of chinos, an OCBD shirt,
Merino or cotton knitwear sweater, and, if it's very cool, perhaps a lightweight scarf, Oxfords,
Derbies, or even a pair of monk straps will look quite nice. And if it's raining, again, don't forget
your umbrella or trench coat. And finally, we'll move into casual attire. Now, in warmer weather, you
could always opt for a plain t-shirt or polo shirt, an overshirt or a shacket, denim jeans,
boat shoes, or even a pair of loafers. And in cooler weather, don't forget your overshirt or
shacket over a Harrington or leather jacket. Maybe even a cotton wax jacket, Merino, or cotton knitwear
with a plain t-shirt or even a polo underneath. Denim jeans, maybe a pair of Chelsea boots, and
this time, what we can even add instead of a trench coat, how about a leather jacket? Today, I'm wearing
a light red and white pinstripe sport shirt that I got from Brooks Brothers a long time ago
with a pair of blue stretch slim chinos-- pretty comfortable, so I can wear them all day.
And finishing off the look with my Fort Belvedere socks
and a pair of brown lace-up dress shoes. Check out the Fort Belvedere Shop here for socks like these.
♪ The Gentleman's Gazette theme song ♪