Men's fall fashion tips: Is your wardrobe ready for the season?
You have likely seen the Halloween decorations start to litter the houses in your neighborhood, the candy aisle has doubled in size, or your Thursday, Saturday, Sunday, and Monday are dominated by football. Any of these could tell you that fall is here, so you need to start preparing for apple picking, corn mazes, pumpkin patches, and of course, colder and wetter weather.
Men’s fall fashion tips: Get the right fabrics
Fabrics are essential when getting ready for season changes. Spring and summer fabrics are designed to keep you cool, allowing airflow. Fall and winter fabrics are a little different because they need to protect you against multiple things, including wind, rain, snow, and also trap air. The way they accomplish this is a tighter weave.
A tighter weave in your clothing means that air doesn’t escape through it as easily, and because air is an insulator, the more air you can trap, the warmer you will be. A tighter weave also means wind and rain don’t get through quickly. So, what fabrics should you focus on in your fall wardrobe?
- Shearling: This is the skin of a sheep with the wool left on. That means one side is fluffy and one side is leathery. This is a trick as old as time when ancient man wore skins. Because there is no seam between the layers, no air gets through.
- Flannel: This wool has been brushed on one side to lift the fibers. This means it traps more heat and feels softer. There is nothing better for your everyday cold weather button-up than a flannel. Get more than one because your partner will steal it.
- Cashmere: Another wool, this one is made from the hair of the eponymous goat. The fibers are fine — a fifth as wide as a human hair — making it softer and around three times warmer than sheep’s wool.

Shave your sweaters
You read that right. When you pull your sweaters out of the drawer or storage bin, there are likely to be little balls of fabric stuck on it. This makes it look old and worn and is incredibly annoying. This “pilling” results from extensive wear, and you’ll find it in the places that it rubs against itself, like under the arms or rubbing against other fabrics when stuffed in a drawer.
Resist the urge to pull these off because doing so will damage the fabric. Instead, invest in a fabric shaver. These are very economical and can be found at any fabric store. If you have steady hands, a razor will work in a pinch, but I would try to practice on a sweater you don’t mind losing until you get the hang of it. Read More...