Autumn Layering

 

We’ve just hit Autumn, in Cape Town. Well, kinda, we’re still getting highs of about 29C (84F) but you definitely feel that nip of cold in the mornings and evenings. Personally, I love the colder weather, I feel like you can always dress warmer, but sometimes you just cant escape the heat.

Either way, I thought it a good time to get those autumn tones out and get a little fancy with them. So what are Autumn tones? Basically, it’s a general mix of rich browns, reds and even some dark greens, kinda like a bunch of dead leaves really. They all have a warmth to them that makes layering them pretty simple as they all work incredibly well together.

As a general rule you want to chose one statement color and allow the other larger items to compliment it and the details to create some contrast. Before you know it, you’re looking like a big ol’ pile of dead leaves – in a good way of course – and owning the season. I decided to make my statement with this Camel colored jacket, camel remains a great neutral color for Autum/Winer so definitely something to invest in.

I decided to pair the camel jacket with some dark forest green trousers and a simple blue shirt each with their own unique textures. Texture is a great way to add contrast to your look without adding patterns, just stick to the same rule of scale (pairing big textures with small ones) and it will al fall right into place. I even took the texture through to the details with this raw silk tie and woven leather boutonnière as well as using the two tone oxfords to create an illusion of texture and ground the whole outfit.

The finishing touches helped pull everything together, the rich reds and yellows in the tie added to the autumn color palette (while creating contrast) with the blue in the tie pairing well with the shirt. The pocket square carried the same color palette as the tie where the addition of green worked perfectly with the trousers. The boutonnière spoke to the shoes and the tie clip to the jacket. Even the sunglasses came to the autumn party with the camel colored arms and dark green lenses.

The final layer was the new Azzaro Wanted fragrance with just enough woody, citrus and spicy notes to complete the autumn theme. I’ll be trying out this fragrance over the next four weeks and giving one away to a lucky reader at the end. You’re gonna wanna stick around for that.

And that’s it gents (and ladies of course), a little autumn wardrobe inspiration for the next few months. If you’re looking to upgrade your wardrobe, you can find everything here:

Sunglasses by Komono

Jacket by H&M

Shirt from the David Jones Classic Collection at Woolworths

Tie and pocket square by Suitsupply

Fragrance by Wanted Azzaro

Tie clip and boutonnière by The Tie Bar

Trousers by H&M

Oxford shoes by Fabiani 

Okay. Stay Fancy.