This guy is the epitome of winter cool. From his hat to his puffer coat to his sweater, white pants and wingtip boots, he's got cold weather style handled. I think I originally saved this image because I love the idea of winter white pants on guys. Upon second look, though, his outfit is so simple, but the fit is impeccable, the turtleneck is daring and the boots beg for a second look. The coat is practical but also fitted and looks nice and the pop of color with the hat works because the rest of the outfit is so neutral. Between the color palette, fit and individual piece choices, this outfit is an A+ for winter. And the glasses don't hurt, either.

In honor of this unseasonably warm day, I'm going with a lighter look today. This is obviously an extremely easy outfit comprised of all things most guys have in their closets, but that is all the more reason why fit is everything. The t-shirt isn't yellowing, stained or stretched out and the pants are a nice dark wash and fit the leg well. The highlight of this outfit is the cuff and sock combo. You don't see a cuff and sock very often, and now that ankles are at risk of feeling the chill, it's important to know how to do it well if the cuff is your kind of look. The shoes are a Keds-looking oxford that finishes off this casual and easy look well. It looks like he has a plaid button down in his lap to throw on over, which is even better. Unbuttoned or buttoned, it works easily into this simple look.

Oh, the man coat. It's tricky because how many is too many to own? Well, you should honestly probably own at least three legit winter coats. But then it gets messy with other seasons. Let's stick with the winter three. 

Get a casual coat that keeps you warm. It's up to you which form this can take (puffer, windbreaker, quilted, etc), but it just needs to be warm and good quality. And probably have a hood if you're opposed to other head warming options. The other two might seem redundant, but once you have to wear a suit in the freezing cold, you'll know why you need both a shorter and longer nice coat. The shorter one, like a pea coat type style, can be worn in both nicer and more casual situations. These pair well with scarves and should be purchased in a versatile color, like navy, black or gray. Patterns are okay in moderation. The coat should look good with all of your casual to nice clothes. The longer one should work over all your suits. Nothing ruins a look like your suit jacket or blazer being longer than your coat. Awkward. Now for option examples:

casual

short

long

These are, obviously, just a few examples of successful coat choices. Anywhere from your favorite store to your aspirational label will make outerwear, though not always in every variety. Shop around until you find some you like. Needless to say, cheaper ones aren't going to be as good of quality, but just because a coat is expensive doesn't mean it will keep you adequately warm. Try it on! You should be uncomfortably warm if you're wearing it inside for too long. Remember to consider fit, especially since this is going to be layered over your entire outfit. Then shop for the perfect scarf.

Just a quick note on other seasons: it's a good idea to own a trench coat plus another lighter coat, which can most likely be casual, for spring and fall. And don't forget vests! These come in handy during transitional times, too.

Boots, besides weather specific ones, are not part of the "must-have" mens wardrobe. That doesn't mean they shouldn't be a part of them anyway, though. Options are fairly limited when it comes to cold weather and you have to wear socks, so boots expand those options both for dress and for casual.

There are several different kinds of boots, and they fall under a number of different categories, but today we'll split them into casual and dress. Pretty self explanatory, but casual can be worn with most things while dress are best kept with suits. Ben Ferrari has some great examples of casual options in this slideshow for GQ. 

Dress boots are a little more daring, so we'll go there first. Dress boots are typically leather and much more simple than casual boots. Boots with embellishments like buckles, plain boots and chelsea boots are the best to wear with suits. Some dress boots look sort of like a taller version of a dress shoes, and those work too. You want something that easily and invisibly fits under the pant leg and doesn't have too heavy of a sole for a formal look. They're easy to find at any store that sells men's shoes, but I advise trying them on with the pants you'll wear them with before committing, because it definitely gives the suit a different look.

Now for casual boots. There's a much bigger variety here, whether it's in color, sole type, closure type, height and style. Much of the choice comes down to opinion, but there are "norms" for wearing boots and what you should wear them with. Casual boots can go with pretty much anything you'd wear your casual shoes/loafers/boat shoes with. Jeans, cords, khakis, and the different colors those come in. Boots can really elevate the look of an outfit, but make sure your pants either fit over them, you will cuff them right or that you'll master the sloppy pant tuck. Desert, hiking, duck, chukka--there are lots of options, but for cooler weather and the possibility of snow in the not so far future, leather is good for the seasons to come, and the risk is definitely worth it. Take the chance, and make the investment.

The Canadian tuxedo, once a fashion don't, like all fashion "rules" have been challenged and broken beyond recognition. Daring fashion rebels have worn denim on denim for a long time, but in recent years, the new crop has come to prove that it's not just for 90s dads, Canadians, Texans and those other labeled groups known for anything besides being fashionable. Street style and blogs let us see how people pair light with dark or dare to go monochrome with their wash. We see what footwear they choose and if they attempt to break up the all over denim. And it should be noted that this is definitely not a girls-only style. Below are some great examples of why, exactly, we decided to start ignoring that rule in the first place. And why we can do so all year round.

Source unknown photos are from a Pinterest search of "denim on denim."

The temperature is dropping, and that means your favorite pair of worn-in jeans and paper thin t-shirt won't cut it to walk outside anymore. This is when reaching for your shiny new pair of corduroys is the best option. As it continues to grow colder and throughout the subsequent winter, there are days when you need something that works harder if you're not willing to layer long underwear beneath your legwear. Sometimes texture can scare guys away, but cords are a great investment. They allow you to add color to your wardrobe without going with the daring colored denim, and having these will really help keep things interesting during different seasons. These will differentiate between your cold and warm weather clothes. I recommend getting these in gray or a warm khaki color so building outfits and pairing with shoes and belts doesn't require extra thought, but you can go with navy (like the stylish guy above), black or even other colors like red or dark green to mix it up if you're confident in your outfit building ability. These also serve as dressier casual options than jeans, so pair them with oxfords and a quarter zip, a comfy shawl neck sweater or a v-neck sweater with a button down underneath. It doesn't matter whether you're into a bigger or smaller rib of corduroy (though smaller is a little younger and more modern), just invest in a pair or two...or more, and start the cold season off right. Esquire can help get you started shopping.

Curious about cords at all? GQ has you covered. And if you want to get fancy with it, they have some full cord suit options here.

Happy Monday! Today we're keeping it casual with this easy, cool outfit. It's a little cold to go sockless at this point in the season, but this works with socks just as well. Maybe better if you don't go with a cuff, though. First things first, get jeans that fit with a nice wash that can be taken from day to night, from dinner with her parents to the seventh fireball shot on a Saturday night. This look simply doesn't work without some well fitting grownup jeans. Grab your favorite (also grownup) casual belt to polish it off. Take a t-shirt that you'd wear on its own and throw on a shallow v-neck sweater in a color that works with the t-shirt. To finish it off, throw on a casual jacket and get a little risky with white oxfords. White isn't the only risky but cool option, though. Just go with anything that might make you think twice, or that you might think is a little too out there. But just a little bit. Don't forget your watch and sunglasses, and you're good to go. This outfit is so easy it's almost painful every guy doesn't already dress this well. But now you know.

The rise in popularity of menswear over recent years has led to an interesting suit trend, one that becomes very evident when the peacocks come out for Pitti Uomo and fashion weeks. We pretty much know that the suit isn't only for formal events and suit-required office environments anymore, as a trend in people electing to wear suit for fun is in an upswing. But this doesn't mean donning your Sunday best for Sunday brunch, necessarily. An interesting appearance of what I'll refer to as the "day suit" helps classify exactly what is formal and what is recreational suit wearing.

Recreational suit wearers often belong to the bare ankle club, cuffing their suit pants to reveal sockless feet in any number of shoe varieties, or when it's cold, exposing crazy sock patterns artfully crumpled around the ankles. These suits are more fitted and often more stylized, sometimes more colorful, usually have a pocket square and definitely don't require a tie. Shoes from sneakers to oxfords can be worn with this kind of suit and if you're feeling adventurous, mixing and matching the tops and pants is common practice. Just like girls have "day" dresses and "day" heels, now the guys get to play, and it's a pleasing trend to discover. 

How do you tell the difference between a suit for fun and a suit for formal? Well, I guess they aren't always so different, but you can kind of tell. Tie (bonus points for tie bar!), and formal shoes finishing off a fully suited look, toned down colors and a limited color/pattern option for the shirt underneath are all telling signs. Oh, and if the pants are the deemed "appropriate" length, meaning no ankles in sight, you're probably looking at someone with a place to go.

Bottom line, scarves keep you warm. Winter winds find their way to every part of you not bundled up, so scarves are there to serve a purpose. That being said, "scarf" is a very broad term, and now that the cold is approaching, it's probably best to learn how to use it wisely. 

Scarves at their very most can be successful outfit accessories, but that's not what this post is about. It takes a very particular kind of man (usually a European one or a hipster one) to accessorize with a scarf. I'm not going to even try to instruct those who don't know how to "go there" on how to get there. What I will do, though, is advocate for every guy to get a scarf for warmth because if  you do that right, you'll end up thanking me. 

Consider a few things when going for a scarf, usually with respect to your coat:

color: The man in the photo above went for a bright color, and it works well. If you have second thoughts about something so bold, though, don't do it. It's best to have a scarf in a neutral--think black, brown (light or dark), or gray. You really only need one scarf, so if you're going to have one, make it in a versatile and safe color that will go with many coats. Only go bright if you're actually going to wear it, it goes with the rest of your outerwear and you have a not as bright option for backup.
pattern: Keep this to a minimum, and if you're going for a pattern, get one with colors that complement each other so the pattern stays muted. Go for the traditional patterns, plaids and checks, etc. You don't want people thinking you're wearing a girl's scarf. It's safest to go with a solid, but if you must have a pattern, think of what the most conservative CEO might go with on his suit socks.
material: Remember, this scarf is functional, so you're going to want it to be at least a decent thickness. No feminine pashmina or jersey scares here. You'll want to go with a nice wool or thicker cashmere if you're fancy. Texture is personal preference, but again, don't go overboard. Think about what's going to keep you warmest, what will itch and bother you the least and generally what you'll be able to stand around your neck for the times you spend outside in the cold.
detailing: Fringe or no fringe? And that's about all the detailing you should be considering. Again, this is personal preference, but just think about it before you buy, especially if it's going to show the way you wear it. There's no right or wrong answer to this one, but just consider your options carefully because cut off fringe is never a good look.
shape/size: Now think about how you're going to wear this. Looped around or doubled over and fed through or the double loop or the double feed through. Even if you only know one way to drape a scarf, make sure the width and length of the one you want works with that method. If you're only wearing it under you coat and close to your neck, you can go shorter, but if you want to loop it fancily or you want it to show over your coat, opt for one that's a little longer. If the one you want is online only, maybe go to a store and practice with one to make sure it will work for you.

There are lots of options out there, so just think about it, it shouldn't be too hard. And stay warm!

It's starting to feel genuinely cold out, but that doesn't mean style goes out the window. It does, however, probably mean that you can't go sockless and layers are something to actually consider. Summers can suck for guys because suits just kind of aren't fair while girls get to wear airy skirts and sleeveless dresses, but winter is really where suits can be the most convenient cold weather option while leaving guys looking dapper, put together and on top of their style game. If traditional suits aren't required for work, or a whole suit look might seem too stuffy, roll up the sleeves and throw on some sharp sneakers and a hat--all solid colored as to not take away from the pattern in the suit. This guy went with a sweater wrapped around his neck instead of a tie or just nothing at all, which isn't necessarily everyone's look, but that sweater could be thrown over the button down under the jacket to keep it even more casual. This guy knows his way around a suit and all the options that come with what's normally considered formal wear. This outfit can serve as a how to for taking off the suit accessory staples and replacing them with something casual and cool.