Autumn has always been my favorite season to dress for. While I enjoy the longer days of summer; I find that the high temperatures make it so that I can’t dress the way I’d like to without looking like a sweaty mess within two seconds of stepping out of the air conditioned confines of my apartment. Most people start to make plans about what the upcoming year is going to be like but to me, this is a perfect time to start making changes and why not begin by getting rid of that nagging voice in your head that tells you that you can’t pull off certain looks. Autumn is the perfect time to look at the man in the mirror and decide that the man looking back at you can be better dressed.

Often times as I’ve fitted my clients and made suggestions about things I think they should try, I get a rebuttal that I’ve learned to dread. “I can’t pull that off.” There aren’t enough words to describe how much I disdain that sentence. Until recently, I worked as a custom clothier and it galled me that given the possibility of creating just about anything to wear most of my clients relied on looking at the pieces that other clients had created already in order to decide what they would create for themselves. As a result of this practice, I found myself staring at a wall of what seemed like the same navy suit over and over again. Even more disconcerting was the fact that my own wardrobe was starting to mirror this. I liked everything in my closet but there weren’t any pieces I loved. There weren’t any pieces I was excited to put on. This would not do at all. If I was going to make any kind of change, it’d have to start with me and with the weather getting steadily colder, I decided that the first piece I wanted that I didn’t already have was a bold coat.

Most men that care about the way they’re dressed have already made the responsible purchase when it comes to a topcoat which is why I suggest making a commitment to getting a bolder one this fall like the one pictured here. Once you have one, the trick is to not really tone down anything else you’re wearing. This is the era of wild style wear more and more men are starting to throw out the rule book when it comes to what can be thrown on together and the cold weather months are a perfect time to get in on the act. Go down to your favorite clothing supplier and try on a few of the boldest patterns you see and when that voice in your head starts to tell you that you can’t possibly pull it off, look yourself in the mirror and tell it to shut up. Do it quietly though. You don’t need to get kicked out of the store for looking crazy.