• Men's Fashion Guides

What To Spend On This Season

Keen to conquer the cold weather without having your bank account frozen? It’s no mean feat. Blustery winds and sheets of rain mean more layers required, which in turn means a bank balance that plummets faster than a thermometer’s mercury in winter. But there are ways of bolstering your wardrobe for the colder months without bankrupting yourself. By refining your wish list to a watertight edit of what you need and what you want, you can ensure you’ve got the essential bases covered before splurging on the desirables. Below, we’ve split some of autumn/winter’s most wearable, versatile and up-to-the-minute pieces into three distinct budget tiers. Consider it your roadmap to style this season.

£300 Or Less

A typical budget for most students or young professionals, as well as those who have other priorities that come first: rent/mortgage, bills, kids. When confined to a modest limit such as this, it’s important to prioritise value for money and versatility.

An Overshirt

Dressed up, down and in-between, an overshirt does overtime so you don’t have to. The overshirt has its roots in honest-to-goodness workwear; and considering it was built for toiling harder than you ever will sat at a desk, one of these is guaranteed to keep the worst of the cold weather at arm’s length. Available in everything from heavy cotton twill and wool to sturdy synthetics, there’s plenty of choice on the market whether you’re looking for something to dress up a T-shirt or a jacket alternative to pair with your smartest trousers.

Key Styles

Recommended Budget: ~£100

• Cos Cotton-poplin Shirt Jacket
• Allsaints Merchant Shirt
• River Island Long Sleeve Shirt Jacket
• River Island Red Check Zip Through Shirt Jacket
• River Island Dark Grey Shirt Jacket
• He By Mango Denim-effect Jacket
• Topman Ltd Indigo Coach Jacket
• Mki Ripstop Fatigue Overshirt
• Mki Miyuki Zoku Zipped Shirt Jacket

Twill Trousers/Chinos

Sure, summer’s lightweight chinos will see you through the onset of autumn, but you’ll need stronger stuff to weather what winter’s bound to throw at you. And twill – owing to its distinctive diagonal weave – is well positioned to bolster your bottom half while keeping you looking sharp. If this is the only legwear purchase you’re making this season, hunt down a versatile option like a brushed twill trouser in beige, navy, stone or charcoal. Unlike coarser takes on the material, the brushed variety works just as well dressed up with a shirt and blazer as it does dressed down with a rugged knit and waxed field jacket.

Key Styles

Recommended Budget: ~£100

• J. Crew Bowery Classic Pant In Heather Cotton Twill
• J. Crew Brushed Cotton Twill Melange Chino In 484 Fit
• Collezione Flat Front Brushed Twill Chinos
• Gant Rugger Slim-fit Cotton-twill Chinos
• M&s Collection Wool Blend Contemporary Slim Fit Flat Front Twill Trousers
• Reiss Hancock B Wool Check Blazer Grey
• M&s Collection Luxury Pure New Wool 2 Button Prince Of Wales Check Jacket
• Uniqlo Men Wool Blended Checked Blazer
• Chester Barrie Check Notch Collar Tailored Fit Formal Blazer
• He By Mango Check Cool Wool Suit Blazer
• John Lewis Subtle Check Tailored Blazer Fawn

A Pair Of Leather Chelsea Boots

There are certain Victorian hallmarks we’ll happily do without (poverty, tuberculosis and child labour to name a few), but this 19th century-born boot is a keeper. Combining the ease of wear and sleek, unfussy design of a shoe with the practicality of a boot, Chelsea boots are arguably the best way to stay well-shod through the colder months. Only genuine leather – regularly polished and protected – will do, while colours like black, shades of brown and oxblood are all worth considering.

Key Styles

Recommended Budget: ~£100

• River Island Dark Red Leather Chunky Chelsea Boots
• M&s Collection Luxury Leather Chelsea Boots
• Bertie Ceasars Brushed Leather Chelsea Boots Tan
• Topman Tan Leather Chelsea Boots
• Jack & Jones Radnor Leather Chelsea Boots
• Asos Chelsea Boots In Leather
• Next Brown Chelsea Boot
• Dr. Martens 2976 Originals Black Chelsea Boot
• Office Cramble Chelsea Boots Black Leather

£600 to £1000+

Still got some change spare after all of that? Now’s the time to consider luxury items and accessories that will help to personalise your look.

Wool Overcoat

There’s an irony to sticking an overcoat in the highest price bracket here but the reality is quality wool versions don’t come cheap. Or even near it. Indisputably smart, insulating and seasonless, buy right and you’ll have your wool coat forever. And by ‘buy right’ we mean swapping oversized cuts for glove-like fits, statement patterns (read: camo or giant houndstooth) for subtle variations (that’d be herringbone) and track-stopping bright colours for hues you can wear with anything (like black, midnight blue, shades of grey and camel).

Cillian O'Connor

Cillian O’Connor is a freelance writer, editor and consultant, best known for his ability to sort the wheat from the chaff in the world’s of men’s style, grooming, lifestyle and design. Once named the No. 1 Blogger by Vogue, Cillian also contributes to The Sunday Times, The Business of Fashion and Metro.