The Sunday News
Rutendo Chidawanyika
OLD men, winter is knocking on the door so I’m here to hit you with stylish options for your winter wardrobe. As you tuck away your summer wardrobe, the following winter must-haves are the perfect complement to the basic building blocks for a frugal, functional, and fashionable wardrobe. This week’s article will focus on jackets and shirts, next week will be a continuation.
How can you even try to build a solid men’s winter wardrobe without a strong line-up of jackets. Not only are they functionally great for keeping you guys warm, but they’re excellent statement pieces that can really make your look stand out from the crowd. Not to mention, the sheer variety of different outerwear available is impressive, so you’re able to experiment and figure out what complements your personal style best. Aside from design, colour, and fit of your outerwear, textures play a much bigger role in your look as opposed to the warmer seasons.
Anorak: These are hooded coats adapted from traditional Inuit tribe outerwear, and can range from light fishtail parkas to heavier fur-lined ones. Anoraks are found in nearly all branches of men’s fashion, and are often a staple in winter streetwear.
Even school kids wear anoraks to school in winter.
Military: These military-inspired jackets have a lot of different names, and even more kinds of styles and variations. They’re not typically very warm, so it’s definitely a jacket to layer over a sweater or flannel shirt. I must say the military jackets are super trendy.
Bombers: These have come a long way since their introduction. Though traditional leather models are available, modern bomber/flight jackets are typically composed of nylon or polyester. Whether you choose to layer it over a simple t-shirt or hoodie, the bomber is always a stylish look.
Peacoat: If I had to pick a single coat for men to wear all winter, it would definitely be the peacoat. The ideal composition of a peacoat is 70-80 percent wool to ensure warmth without sacrificing the durability that some 100 percent wool coats do. Peacoats usually have two outer pockets (either slant or horizontal) as well as inner pockets for storing things like wallets, keys, or flasks of liquor — sometimes you need that extra warmth. Typically, these coats are worn with the collar down, but some wear it up when the weather gets tough.
Hoodies: Let’s be honest: you’re not going to dress up every day. Normally, I’d factor in hoodies into the outerwear category, but the winter season inhibits wearing just a sweatshirt at least. Hooded sweatshirts are great for days when you just blatantly give up (we all have those days), though they can certainly be fashionable with the proper execution.
Flannel: Flannel shirts are, in my opinion, an essential in a winter wardrobe. They’re easy to pair with pretty much anything, come in a wide assortment of colours and patterns, and the ladies love them (subjective to wearer’s attractiveness, wealth, muscularity, facial hair, car).
Button-down: This is a pretty large category of shirts, so I won’t be going too in depth on them. Whether you have a job/ internship or you simply have a need for dressing up every once in a while, a button front shirt is a necessity for every season. The biggest difference in how you wear this type of shirt during the winter is the material it’s made of. Hang up your linens and chambrays and replace them with heavier fabrics like oxford or broadcloth. Light-blue and white are definitely the most adaptable.
Sweaters: Chances are, sweaters will be a large contributor to your winter looks and there’s really nothing wrong with that. They’re clean, effortless garments that are warm and cozy — what’s not to love? Sweaters typically come in either a crewneck, v-neck, or shawl collar. —Additional information from Online sources.
To be continued on next week’s article.
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