subject: Three Style Sins In Winter [print this page] The rules of men's fashion don't get relaxed once the snow starts falling; edicts of style simply tend to get ignored more often as soon as the mercury drops. Wearing more pieces in your layers is no excuse to let your sense of good taste falter and fail. But then again, perhaps you've already committed one of the three faux pas below. With a few months left in the winter season, you haven't much time to rectify all your cold-weather errors.
Eskimo Fashion
Yes, it's cold. That, however, is no reason for you to go the whole hog and dress up like a traditional Eskimo, complete with igloo. Unless you live in the Arctic region, dump those overly thick furs and animal skins in the closet where they belong - they're not going to do you or your figure any favors.
Modern men's fashion uses a wide range of fabrics in every kind of garment, especially in outerwear. That means you don't have to choose sheer thickness if all you wanted was a little extra warmth in winter. A single Gore-Tex jacket or a parka made of some other tech fabric is a much more style-friendly choice than some thick coat that'll make you look like Smokey the Bear. It's the quality and not the quantity of material that matters.
Out-of-Place Pieces
Skiing and mountaineering apparel are easily some of the most cold-ready garments you could find on the market. That, however, does not justify your wearing them to work for every day of the cold seasons. A suit-and-tie outfit topped off by some North Face jacket and skiing gloves does not a well-dressed employee make.
Keep all your garments in their proper places. Utility garments like work gloves rarely count as style pieces in any closet. If the gloves were meant for the slopes, wear them on the slopes and not on the streets. Puffer jackets designed for climbs up Kilimanjaro are not meant to top off your daily office suit and tie.
Do yourself a favor and buy yourself a decent men's coat. You're sadly mistaken if you think that such fashion pieces won't be warm or practical enough in the cold. Most are sufficient to withstand the typical city winters, with the added bonus of making you look much sharper. At the same time, they'll work much better with your suit and trousers to give you the air of someone who's put together, no matter what the season is.
Too-Short Garments
Few things are as uncomfortable - or as unsightly - as cold weather gear that's simply too short. Scarves, jackets and coats are meant to be long - some of the longest pieces in men's fashion, in fact. Don't go fooling around with nature; stick to the length formula that's tried and tested.
How do you know if your cold weather gear is too short? Jackets and coats, for starters, should cover the entire length of your top. As boleros are yet to become part of office attire, it's unseemly for some shirt or necktie to peek out beyond the length of the coat. With scarves, meanwhile, you should be easily able to wrap it at least thrice around your neck and still have some material left to drape on both sides.
It's a concern that's equal parts fashion and practicality. The trend of tops extending past outerwear is yet to break into men's fashion, so only the ladies should do it for now. At the same time, more material gives you more protection from the cold. The latter point is especially true for scarves, which are as practical only as they are long and thick. You're just making life harder (and colder) for yourself by getting garments that are too short.
Winter is that time of year when it's most crucial for you to balance your fashion sense with some common sense. But dressing practically never has to mean abandoning all your principles of style entirely. During this season, it's more about knowing the pieces to wear and how to put them all together than it is simply shrugging on some thick coat.
