Layers Look Good On You
part two of the menswear deep dive
There are no style rules. I’ve been saying this. I may have offered not-so-gentle guidelines here and there but what you do with them (and your wardrobe)? That’s all you.
It’s cold where I am so single layer outfits are far and few. It’s rare that I want to be in something too fitted on my daily walk into the wind. Thermal base layers are one exception to that rule but they still stay buried under numerous other materials.
I find sometimes the ultimate confidence booster is dressing “like a boy”. Quotes used because it’s a socio-normative term. Really we should be exploring every floor of fashion instead of sticking to sections of stores decided for us by someone who clearly possessed zero swag.
Menswear has some pleasant upsides. I’ve noticed consistently clean, simple lines and shapes, generally a high-quality minimal material composition across clothes and fewer size discrepancies between brands. Plus it’ll probably be cheaper than its attempted womenswear equivalent. Though you may pay the difference for a good tailor.
I wrote this instagram caption as an introduction to Stuff I Think My Brother Should Wear and I still like it. I even refer to it when I need a style shock to the system after a week of repetitive office outfits. So I’m bringing it here because menswear is, can, and should be for everyone. It might be how you already shop and dress or it might be the shock that your style system needs. Maybe it’s better suited to your current climate. Or perhaps it’s a great physical realisation of a personal attribute you’d like to unlock.
I write lots of long captions on Instagram so if you’re particularly interested in reading some streams of consciousness, you can follow them here. I should warn you that they don’t often contain as much punctuation as the above.
You’re probably wondering what I’m trying to say with this. So am I.
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I stepped away for a moment to make a fresh pot of coffee and think about my point.
Whoever you are when you’re reading this, you can utilise elements of menswear to your stylish advantage.
I discussed men’s fashion icons and how to outline a starter wardrobe from your inspiration in part one of this deep dive. In this part I’m more bothered about the ways you wear it. The ways we can all wear it.
Layering is the type of underrated technique where you think it’s overrated because it’s common or seems too obvious. Maybe because it doesn’t take noticeable thought. It’s often function before it’s considered fashion but that’s what makes it so key to real life dressing. And you may know by now I am borderline obsessed with how we dress for reality; for our everyday monotony. For this, layers deserve a spotlight.
I see lots of layering in the J. Crew/GAP/Banana Republic catalogue scans that do the rounds on Pinterest. Especially in the menswear sections. And I save them to a board every. single. time.
Whether you’re just here to see some inspiration photos or find ways to upgrade your usual outfit rotation with little effort or because you feel obliged to read these as my friend or family member, layering is pretty foolproof. Yeah you might face some trial and error before it feels like you but I’ve never seen an example of layering in person that looked objectively bad.
Here’s how you could wear it…
There are different variations here with similar components. Layering is to be made your own with what you have so if it doesn’t click for your sense of style straight away, try and try again.
I personally find myself really drawn to small nods to sport within fashion. For me this is usually a New York Yankees black cap. For a friend of mine this is a vintage football (soccer) top in a lime green colour. For a lot of us this is probably a trainer (sneaker) that may have taken a while to track down in the right size.
Maybe I’ll become invested in a sport for the sake of its fashion references. Leave your stylish sport recommendations below, s’il vous plaît.
Here’s how I would wear it…
There are soooo many images of inspiration that I could break down for this. But I recommend finding some that speak to your sense of style beyond these.
You could try consulting the people around you. Ask about their style influences and how they would layer in their own outfits. See if you can borrow a shirt or denim jacket for the weekend and layer it under your biggest coat or another jacket with lots of pockets.
Perhaps that sense of community we’re so apparently all lacking could be found in the simple act of wardrobe sharing. I say this as someone who famously does not find joy in sharing my things so proceed with caution. Only partake in this with people you completely and utterly trust will treat your clothes with the utmost respect. And who aren’t planning to move across the world with said clothes, never to be seen again.
Some examples of menswear-style wardrobe shares that I cherish (and layer) are:
a pair of trainers my friend gave me because she was too scared to return them to her sister from whom she stole them.
a GAP denim jacket with tartan lining worn by my dad in many of my baby photos that now resides in my wardrobe, threads unravelling from the collar over time.
a black Gramicci crossbody bag that belongs to my mum but fits my laptop exactly and cinches the waist of my boxy jackets and my oversized trench .
a basic black hoodie that is the perfect fit for me after my friend shrunk it in the wash and the sleeves became three-quarter lengths on her arms.
Hopefully this was a somewhat cohesive read by the end. I think this deep dive may have more layers to it so stay tuned.
I want to keep Kind of Cool free to read for as long as possible because that sneaky paid subscription barrier half way down an article has been known to crush my soul. But if you enjoyed this and want to help out, you could buy me a coffee as I tend to write these in cafés.
Thanks for reading. See you soon.
love this layering article- most people are very scared to layer, based on body types they're also scared to wear mens clothing.. this was a great read!