Get Layered

For those of you lucky enough to live in an area with a temperate year round climate, feel free to ignore this post and go back to basking in your endless seventy degree weather, you lucky bastards.

For those of you unfamiliar with the climate here in Grand Rapids, MI, allow me to provide a brief weather report.  Thursday, it was a toasty thirty-seven degrees accompanied by a lovely freezing rain.

Today?  Nearly sixty and sunny.

That said, dress accordingly.  Be reasonable.  Be seasonable.

Look, just because it’s November doesn’t automatically mean you should be rocking your winter coat (nor should you be, under any circumstances, still wearing shorts).  Don’t be that guy on the bus in the down jacket sitting in a pool of your own sweat.  In just a couple of easy steps, you too can dress for whatever mother nature throws at you.

1) Check the Weather Before You Leave the House

I know, I know, you just have to check out Kim Kardashian’s twitter feed.  And those emails aren’t going to read themselves.  And don’t get you started on all those Facebook notifications…but do yourself a favor, and take a few minutes to check the weather.  Download one of the hundreds of free apps for your smart phone and put a little thought into what you’ll be facing once you step outside.  Mild but rainy?  Fleece will not be your friend.  Bright and sunny but bitter cold?  Looks like that cardigan is going to have a tough time keeping up.  Check the weather.  Dress accordingly.

2) Layer!

See how effortlessly put together this guy looks (especially with that knit watch cap)? That’s because the fabrics he’s wearing all have similar weights.  Layering is not only the most efficient way to keep warm, it’s also the most stylish.  This season, it’s all about the down vest:

Get the Look:

Consider the look I created the preppy, more “American” version of what the gentleman is wearing above.  Clicking on the pictures will take you to the respective websites, and in doing so, you’ll see that this is an extremely affordable look to put together (sans the cashmere scarf by J. Crew, although I couldn’t resist putting it in there.  Every man should own at least one piece of cashmere anyway [Ed. note: I can't stand the picture I ended up having to use for the quilted down vest, but it was the only one available, and, at $49, the vest is an absolute steal.  So if today's post doesn't look as "polished" as normal, I apologize]).

Stay cool staying warm,

m-

(Have a look you’d like to share? Know another way to wear it?  Email me at mrputtogether@live.com and I’ll include it in Friday’s “Reader Round-Up” post).