Tag / fall style essentials

by Beau H.

See Now, Buy Now: The Billy Reid Dover Sweater is a Luxe Take on a Sportswear Classic

Some things just feel absolutely right when it comes to the season at hand, like reaching for pieces with a touch more texture and style than what you’d wear in warmer weather.

So while a lightweight crewneck sweater might prove an apt layering move on the beach in the summer, you’re going to want something with more heft, character and style for the brisk climes of autumn and winter — the best fall style essentials from someone like iconic Alabama designer Billy Reid go a long way in that regard. Keep reading, and I think you just might agree.

Learn more and shop now at Billy Reid

Billy Reid has a knack for bringing a touch of rugged edge to refined classics, like his ability to class up the legendary Western shirt (as we talked about on this blog earlier this month, of course). And the Billy Reid Luxury Dover Sweater falls in much the same category, elevating the sportswear fabric of the original Billy Reid Dover Sweatshirt in pleasing fashion.

While the OG version of the Dover Sweatshirt was made from soft cotton, the Billy Reid Luxury Dover Sweater uses a textured blend of wool and cotton for some added character. The luxurious spin on the sportswear nature of the crewneck sweatshirt only gets even cooler and more premium from there: The Billy Reid Luxury Dover Sweater is fitted out with handsome suede elbow patches for a truly professorial, old-school touch.

Having tried past versions of the Billy Reid Dover Sweatshirt, the Billy Reid Luxury Dover Sweater is a true testament to what Billy Reid does so well: Elevating the familiar into an elegant realm, which in this case involves using merino wool for the ideal blend of form and function that we love so much here at The Style Guide.

The ever-versatile Grey colorway of the Billy Reid Luxury Dover Sweater wears stylishly with just about anything else in your wardrobe, be it olive chinos and tan leather Chelsea boots, luxe corduroy trousers and a navy peacoat, or expertly cut blue jeans alongside a casually rugged chambray shirt.

Billy Reid menswear review.

Billy Reid says this ever-fashionable sweater is “the perfect sweater to wear solo, or to use as a bottom base layer,” and I tend to agree. If you feel like your crewneck sweater game could use a helpful upgrade this season, you’ve come to the right place with the Billy Reid Luxury Dover Sweater.

by Beau H.

See Now, Buy Now: The Aether Apparel Baxter Jacket is a Durable, Stylish Layer for Shoulder Season

While we can’t all take the opportunity to go as far afield as the stylish fisherman and explorer shown above, there are certain menswear essentials that can spur you on to bigger and better things — or at least, to more rugged comfort and style in the best time of year for men’s style (that’d be right now, autumn!).

There’s a tricky balance to strike, as right now, it’s not quite prime time to break out a shearling jacket or perhaps an extra-warm puffer, but durability and weather-ready performance is the name of the game. Instead, the right design and fabrication goes a long way, and that’s where the Aether Apparel Baxter Jacket enters your shoulder season rotation in style.

Find out more now at Aether Apparel

And the brand in question, California’s own Aether Apparel, delivers a fresh take on a classic, as the best men’s field jackets now have some serious competition on the market. The company seamlessly combines technical fabrics and silhouettes with sleek, modern style meant to go from the city to the trail and back again.

One look at the Aether Apparel Baxter Jacket should tell you everything you need to know, starting with its four-way stretch, hand-dyed Japanese ripstop fabric. With its foldover collar designed to shield you from the elements, and two front-snap chest pockets, the jacket is practically primed for urban exploration.

And yet, don’t let the ripstop fabric fool you — the brand designed the Aether Apparel Baxter Jacket with room to layer, so you should readily be able to layer a fisherman sweater or a thermal henley underneath. This ruggedly casual jacket should also prove a prime seasonal move for temperatures down to the mid-40s, which should allow you to move swiftly between the seasons in style.

Available in crisp, neutral Mineral Green or Desert Tan, the olive hue of the Mineral Green option might prove best suited for the stylish climes of the fall season — whether paired with deep blue indigo jeans, dark tan chinos or grey canvas work pants.

The Aether Apparel Baxter Jacket is the perfect example of a highly technical piece that can function as a style move when worn the right way (again, a trusty fisherman sweater would prove an apt fashion decision as a layering piece). In matters of form and function, the Aether Apparel Baxter Jacket is a winner in my book.

by Beau H.

The Friday Find: The Taylor Stitch Bourbon Corduroy Ojai Jacket Is Handsome Fall Style Personified

Best chore jackets for men.

Now that we’re past the first day of fall — always a momentous time on my own personal calendar for a number of reasons — it’s high time you kicked things into high gear as far as your array of autumn style essentials is concerned.

The best menswear for fall expertly balances rugged appeal with versatility, rich texture and even seasonal, carefully considered colorways — as luck would have it, the Taylor Stitch Ojai Jacket checks each of those boxes in a handsome silhouette that nods in expert fashion to iconic French chore coats.

And it’s all thanks to the good folks at Taylor Stitch, a brand I’ve admired for a decade and one that has some serious chops as far as the variety of its classic-meets-modern menswear rotation.

The Taylor Stitch Ojai Jacket is every bit as much of a brand staple for the San Francisco outfitter as its expertly crafted Taylor Stitch Jack Shirt, a modern version of the timeless Oxford shirt. Its array of sturdy cotton tees, the Heavy Bag Henley, its two different cuts of chinos and of course, the utterly cool Taylor Stitch Moto Jacket are also heavy hitters, to be sure.

And while it’s a high bar to clear, the casually roguish stylings of the Taylor Stitch Ojai Jacket might just be the best-suited of the bunch for fall, particularly in eye-catching, richly crafted organic cotton corduroy in a mighty tempting shade of Bourbon.

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With top and side-entry hip patch pockets and a chest patch pocket for your everyday carry, plus secure ring-back buttons, this jacket is as functional at the workshop or drafting table as it is stylish enough for sipping on a speakeasy Old Fashioned.

Whether layered over a rugged organic cotton henley or worn atop a Taylor Stitch chambray shirt for high-low style, this is a surefire seasonal winner — and an expert Friday Find pick, if I do say so myself. Good luck layering out there this fall, my friends.

by Beau H.

The Thursday Buy: This American Trench Keystone Hoodie Is A Perfect Example of a Fall Classic

Best hoodies for men.

Every so often, a menswear essential comes along that’s at once utterly classic, a true throwback to a bygone era, and yet perfectly suited for today’s times.

And as fall rolls into town assuredly and steadily, perhaps you’ve started to think about your wardrobe of casual fall style basics — for tailgates, pumpkin patch visits, evenings around the bonfire and mornings on the trail. And that’s where a modern update to a throwback icon — say, a new example of one of the best hoodies for men — can more than serve your wardrobe well. Of course, that’s also where the USA-made menswear purveyors at American Trench just so happen to serve your wardrobe well, too.

Find out more now at American Trench

The American Trench Keystone Hoodie is a truly perfect example of a classic staple made modern, a callback to when the hoodie was an American style icon, first in the gym and then just about everywhere a hearty sweatshirt was required. With its burly construction and standout good looks, the American Trench Keystone Hoodie reflects its origins on the banks of the Schuykill River. What does that mean for your casual wardrobe? It means that your fall weekends just got a heck of a lot more stylish, dependable and cozy, my friends.

The American Trench Keystone Hoodie is built from a sturdy yet soft 12oz. fleece that looks burly and beefy, complete with a crossknit exterior and a silhouette that’s exclusive to American Trench. And while the Pennsylvania-based brand also excels at crafting USA-made blazers and its famous American Trench Coat, the American Trench Keystone Hoodie is casual style and craftsmanship perfected, particularly with its reinforced side panels and contrasting brass eyelets for an elevated touch.

Ribbed cuffs and a ribbed hem help this handsome hoodie sit well on your frame, whether worn on its own or layered beneath a denim trucker jacket, while the large hood should prove especially useful on brisk fall mornings in the yard (or at that tailgate).

To that end, the American Trench Keystone Hoodie should prove highly durable: It doesn’t hurt that it comes in a range of classic colors, including a Philadelphia Eagles-approved dark green and an eye-catching Natural option.

Shop USA-made gear at American Trench

For reliable everyday style — with expertly faded blue jeans or even with tan stretch chinos and a trucker jacket for a high-meets-low look — Navy or Black might prove your best bet, particularly as the hard-working, extremely well-made American Trench Keystone Hoodie is selling mighty quickly at the moment (note that it’s on sale for $75 right now, a downright steal for one of the best hoodies for men).

Amp up your casual style in a major way with a hoodie that’s so well-made, you’ll wonder why you weren’t wearing one before.

by Beau H.

See Now, Buy Now: This Line of Trade Flannel Shirt Is Your New Everyday Go-To This Season

The right wardrobe for fall calls for reliability and rugged appeal — the sort of pieces, as we so often talk about, that you can wear consistently and stylishly, especially in these increasingly casual times.

So, while a dress shirt or even a chambray-style dress shirt can often suffice in the dressiest situations out there, one of the best flannel shirts is a wise move to keep close at hand as your “daily driver,” so to speak.

And when you find a stylish men’s flannel shirt, one that you can wear with corduroy trousers as easily as with dark blue jeans, that’s just the ticket. As I’ve found out over these past few weeks putting stylish new fall gear to the test, well, that’s where my friends at Bespoke Post and Line of Trade can help out.

Find out more now at Bespoke Post

Throw in the fact that the best men’s flannel shirts are often made with affordability and comfort in mind — and a lightweight build compared to. say, flannel shirt jackets — then you’re in business and on the go.

At least, all of those attributes hold true with one of my favorite flannel shirts, the Line of Trade Summit Flannel Shirt.

As you’ll recall if you’ve had the chance to try out one of these standout flannel shirts — or any product from the Bespoke Post-approved brand, for that matter — then you’ll know that there’s a combination of style, classically rugged appeal and, in the case of the newest edition of the Summit Flannel Shirt, a supreme focus on ultra-soft brushed cotton flannel.

The Line of Trade Summit Flannel Shirt gets its standout quality from the use of soft brushed cotton flannel, the kind that’s lightweight enough to wear on its own and yet able to layer easily atop a thermal henley or beneath a stretch cotton blazer.

It doesn’t hurt that your new favorite flannel shirt comes in a handful of classic plaid patterns as sold by Bespoke Post (and you can also pick it up directly through Line of Trade, as luck would have it).

In my experience, the handsome Line of Trade Summit Flannel Shirt is nearly the perfect flannel shirt, with a lighter weight than a classic shirt jacket and a look that more than readily wears well with everything from a charcoal blazer to a durable pair of blue jeans. When you want quality that won’t quit, in a timeless plaid design and featuring super-soft fabric, look out for the Line of Trade Summit Flannel Shirt — it’s your new daily driver, as they say.

by Beau H.

See Now, Buy Now: The Allen Edmonds Higgins Mill Boots are a Timeless Fall Classic

When you come across a true men’s style classic, you tend to recognize it right away — and in the case of the best fall boots for men, those classics tend to hail from a heritage-minded company like Allen Edmonds. The Port Washington, Wisconsin company has been doing things the right way, the hard way since 1922, when Elbert W. Allen founded the Allen-Spiegal Shoe Company.

Learn more now at Allen Edmonds

The rest isn’t merely history — there’s a sense of long-lasting style, quality and durability in every stitch of a set of Allen Edmonds men’s boots, something I’ve learned through personal experience over the years. I’ve found the American company makes boots and dress shoes with supple-yet-strong leather, the kind that develops a rich patina over time.

These boots also mold to your foot all the while through Goodyear welted craftsmanship. Sounds too good to be true (as well as mighty impressive), right? Well, you best believe it, which brings us to the positively stunning Allen Edmonds Higgins Mill Boots you see before you today.

They’re crafted from materials like rich Chromexcel leather (at least, that’s the case for the pair shown above), and the timeless lace-up style boasts a versatile rounded toe shape that pairs up nicely with blue jeans or stretch chinos in equal measure.

Allen Edmonds men's boots review.

The Allen Edmonds Higgins Mill Boots aren’t merely a stylish fall footwear choice, though — they boast plenty of functionality, from a custom cork insole (one that molds to your foot) to a weatherproof design from toe to heel. The Allen Edmonds Higgins Mill Boots rest on Dainite rubber soles for added traction and a smooth ride underfoot.

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Plus, the 757 last — although a fairly recent introduction to the brand dating back to 2016 — boasts a classic design inspired by vintage logging boots. If you ask me, no matter the shade of handsome leather you select, well, the Allen Edmonds Higgins Mill Boots might just be the most versatile, most dependable fall boots in your rotation right now. Lace ’em up and see for yourself.

by Beau H.

The Thursday Buy: This Billy Reid Fisherman Sweater Is a Perfectly Rugged Fall Style Move

There are some times when it makes perfect sense to go with a rugged classic, times when a brisk breeze beckons and you need a layer to stand up to that weather. In those times, my friends, I’d certainly reach for the Billy Reid Fisherman Sweater. If you’ve kept up with this very blog, you know that the Alabama-based designer reinvents the classics on a near-daily basis, and in this instance, that means taking inspiration from a burly, old-school fisherman sweater and then turning it into the one and only Billy Reid Fisherman Sweater.

Learn more now at Billy Reid

That also means using rich and rugged 100 percent wool construction, a handsome raglan-sleeve knit for mobility, and then offering up classic colorways like navy and olive for the instant smash hit that is the Billy Reid Fisherman Sweater.

If that sounds like precisely what you need in your knitwear rotation this season, give Billy Reid a shot, be prepared to invest (the Billy Reid Fisherman Sweater will set you back $298), and then revel in cozy comfort this spring. It’s yours for the taking, my friends.

by Beau H.

The Sunday Sale: Save 30 Percent on This Rugged Taylor Stitch Vest for Expert Fall Layering

Best vests for men this fall.

I’m willing to bet you’ve already got a great idea of the best fall style essentials you need to keep close at hand this season (in your wardrobe and at the ready, specifically).

That likely includes one of the best waxed trucker jackets or your favorite henley, but what about in-between layers that deliver just as much variety and utility? We’re talking, in this case, about one of the best vests for men, delivered with durability, rugged style and savings by my good friends at Taylor Stitch.

Learn more and shop now at Taylor Stitch

The Taylor Stitch Able Vest certainly lives up to its name, and it arrives on sale for 30 percent off via the Taylor Stitch Last Call Section. Now, that selection is packed with summer style essentials, but this stylish quilted vest is a very apt layer for right this very moment, indeed.

You see, the Taylor Stitch Able Vest boasts a lightweight yet strong recycled nylon shell that’s then filled with recycled polyester for added warmth atop, say, a Taylor Stitch henley or one of the best men’s shirts from Taylor Stitch.

It’s also designed with a vertical quilted construction for a more streamlined look and feel, the kind that you can wear with ease for outdoor fall weekend pursuits aplenty (don’t forget your Taylor Stitch work pants or denim, my friends). The handsome Army Green colorway of the Taylor Stitch Able Vest is a versatile touch that wears well with everything from dark blue jeans to tobacco chinos or grey jogger pants.

Thick collar ribbing should keep your neck warm on brisk fall days. The Taylor Stitch Able Vest might not be the very first layer that springs to mind in cold weather, but it’s one of the best options to snag on sale right now. Act accordingly, my friends.

by Beau H.

The Thursday Buy: There’s Never Been a Better Time to Buy The Flint and Tinder Waxed Trucker Jacket

Flint and Tinder Waxed Trucker Jacket review.

If I’ve said it before, I’ve said it plenty of times: Huckberry just knows how to make darn fine gear, some of the best fall style essentials day in and day out. If you read the blog, you assuredly know this, but every so often, it’s a treat to realize we’re still only now rolling into the best time of year, or rather, the best time of year to layer up with your new favorite jacket.

Or perhaps the Flint and Tinder Flannel-Lined Waxed Trucker Jacket is already in your rotation, but the thing is… this Huckberry classic gets better with age, it gets better by the year and it comes in a wide array of rugged seasonal colors. It’s also made in the U.S. of A, and things only get even cooler and more reliable from there.

Flint and Tinder Waxed Trucker Jacket.

The specs are as reliable as ever on one of the best fall jackets for men, from the custom hardware to the waxed Martexin sailcloth to fight back against fall breezes and rain. The trucker jacket style (in a wide array of fits for every body type) also has the proper build for fall adventures, including an interior media pocket, a front-button chest pocket and handy hip pockets.

It’s not hard to see why it’s a tried-and-true Huckberry bestseller, all to the tune of more than 3,000 positive reviews. Yes, a whopping 3,000-plus — are you one of them yet?

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I personally can’t wait to wear mine in casually rugged style situations aplenty, and I plan to get a lot of use out of it this fall and winter. In fact, it nearly goes without saying, but we’re big on reminders and consistency in style here at The Style Guide.

And if you’ve been waiting to pull the trigger one of the best men’s waxed jackets, period, well, it’s like I said above: There’s never been a better time to buy it. Go forth and prosper in rugged fall style, my friends. Huckberry will see you out there.

by Beau H.

The Friday Read: New Men’s Footwear from Billy Reid & Classic Fall Whiskey from Castle and Key

Billy Reid men's footwear.

My friends, here we are on the brink of what promises to be another most excellent fall weekend — it might be a blustery and rainy one in New York City yet again, but I’m equipped with the proper fall style essentials for the task at hand, including my trusty Shinola leather watch (and many more).

Best chukka boots for men.

With today’s post (or yesterday’s post on the best shirt jacket for men), hopefully, you feel the same way. On that note, let’s talk some of the best fall boots — and from an unlikely source, at least until recently: Billy Reid. You see, the famed Alabama-based menswear designer, one of my favorite brands and menswear companies, period, hadn’t made footwear in recent years — that all changes now though, with two classic styles that should cover plenty of style scenarios.

Learn more now at Billy Reid

Billy Reid footwear now includes both a sleek pair of leather moto boots and a stylish pair of chukka boots, and you can certainly look for much more on two of the best pairs of shoes for men this weekend on the blog (hint, hint). I don’t know about you, but it’s an exciting prospect that one of the best menswear designers in the country is now making some of the best men’s boots — it’s almost worthy of a toast, don’t you think?

And a toast or two was once again the focus of my week, as I trekked to the lovely, rolling hills of Kentucky and Bourbon Country itself. The mission? Visit the historic Castle & Key Distillery outside Lexington as part of my spirits and freelance writing pursuits, a trip that included a tour of its famed grounds and plenty of sipping on Castle & Key Restoration Rye.

Pick up some Castle & Key rye whiskey now

Speaking of rye whiskey, you should also check out my latest Maxim.com feature on an excellent new rye whiskey from the spirits innovators at BHAKTA. But in the meantime, back to Castle & Key.

We also visited charming Lexington restaurants like Eppings on Eastside, and spent a very memorable day sipping bourbon and watching horse racing at the iconic Keeneland race track. Consider this just a taste of what’s to come regarding this heralded, fast-growing spirits company.

Add Castle & Key whiskey to your bar cart

It was once again another reminder that I’m so fortunate to do what I do, be it covering menswear on this very blog or trekking around the country visiting the best distilleries and menswear factories in the business.

For now, I’m going to put some Billy Reid men’s boots on my wish list, and later, I’ll be enjoying some Castle & Key bourbon on a crisp fall night. I hope you consider doing the same! Cheers, and thank you for reading!