We get a lot of questions about seasonal clothing, i.e., what to wear and when to wear it. While some pieces are obviously reserved for certain times of year based on practicality, there really aren’t any hard and fast rules anymore. If you want to wear a tweed jacket in the middle of August, more power to you. If you want to show up to your office wearing a three ounce poplin shirt with linen trousers during a polar vortex event, go for it, but make sure you at least have a good winter coat to protect you while you’re outside. A flu shot would probably be helpful, as well.
The fact of the matter is that virtually any kit you can come up with is acceptable these days. If feel comfortable in the clothes you’ve chosen to wear and you think you can pull it off, then do it. If someone calls you out on wearing white jeans after Labor Day, that’s probably more their own insecurity than your faux pas. I can say from experience that wearing a tweed jacket in the middle of August is actually pretty badass, while the same goes for wearing white jeans with the same tweed jacket in the middle of January.
Whatever you want to call it—style, fashion, dandyism—the point is to have fun while you engage in self-expression. I consider it an art. The next time you throw a few pieces on your bed to see if they’ll work, I urge you to toss at least one “out of season” item into the mix. If it doesn’t look decent, try another—you might be surprised what you come up with. That cotton beanie you bought but never wear might actually go quite well with that long sleeve henley you always forget to layer with, regardless of whether it’s January or June. Take some risks, but have fun doing so. We wish you the best of luck with your sartorial statements.
Until next time,
Dan