37 Things I'm Excited to Wear This Fall

Plus some other nonspecific musings and ramblings in between.

There are a lot of cool motherfuckers that read this, and I’m grateful to have you all as an audience. I’m still a small fish in a big pond, but in many ways, I prefer that to the alternative. I don’t have any obligations tied to this, and that’s what makes it kind of fun, honest, and carefree.

There is a dearth of skilled writers who also possess an aspirationally refined personal style and the drive to expound on it. Ethan M. Wong is one of the few contemporaries that come to mind, and of course, Derek Guy, but I can pretty much count them on one hand. I can’t pretend to have it all together myself. Still, it's a Venn diagram that has fixed itself in my mind—the sort of mental mapping of confidence and exploration that requires calculated risk-taking, a zen-like knowledge and acceptance of one’s place in the world, and the ability to proselytize, all of which I aspire towards.

As I look forward to fall, I’m really focusing on the idea of uniforms and practice-based wardrobe building. It’s innate in all of us, but with all the distractions around ideas of “personal style” and trends, it requires some effort to tap into. When executed well, it looks a lot like the homie Kyle’s @gramparents IG feed — clothes that have been lived in, a second skin that becomes synonymous with the wearer (and as the cliche goes, “rather than the clothes wearing you”). So, yeah, there’s some other stuff going on there psychologically with fashion’s relationship to masculinity, militaria, and a fetishization of relics from bygone eras. But really, for me, I just want to feel comfortable in my clothes and have them reflect the story of who I think I am today.

Bottoms

There’s quite a few adages regarding how to approach an outfit — that you should start from the bottom up, with shoes first, and from the outside in, with outerwear first. I eschew both and start with trousers. Why? Because I don’t like standing around thinking in my boxers. My cashmere corduroy Stoffa drawstring trousers will get heavy use around the house, and anywhere that I can get away with their pajama-like loucheness, while the sturdier construction of my Buck Mason P-43s and Observer Khumla Khakis begets heavier wear outside the house. I also have a black wool kilt from Scotland that needs hemming before I invariably wear it out to a Silverlake pub crawl — with a hoodie, it’s a really cool look that’s equally comfortable.

Sweatshirts

I don’t even wear sweatshirts that often. Something about the elasticated cuffs and restrictive fabrication feels straightjacket-y to me. However, in addition to being perfectly patinated, vintage ones have a more relaxed overall feel. Along with a few Buck Mason sweats with a similar construction, I also have this one Los Angeles Apparel crewneck I really love with special hand-drawn designs by Alexis Stiteler. The Catatonic State one was a Long Beach Flea find that always gets a second glance from the vintage heads and Japanese bargain-hunters here in LA.

Sweaters

Sweaters! Oh god, how do I have so many sweaters? Where do I even start? The Uniqlo Lambswool Crewneck is a deal at just under $40. I picked mine up on a particularly chilly night in Stockholm a couple of years ago. Believe it or not, vintage lambswool and pure cashmere sweaters (top right above) can be easily had for under $40 as well, though you should figure out your measurements before taking the plunge. For more consistent sizing, Buck Mason’s California Cashmere (the polos in the second row above) is light enough to easily layer under jackets, and Seafarer Cotton is hefty enough to wear in place of a jacket most nights here in LA. Speaking of jackets, Buck’s Felted Chore Coat is more like a knit blazer that I prefer to wear with the collar up (Nehru-style) over a tee on days in the office. At the bottom left of the photo above, is a hefty raglan-sleeve merino wool sweater from Slou in the perfect shade of deep navy that will probably see the most wear of any of these.

Cardigans

Yes, I was an unfortunate victim of both a Mister Rogers childhood and the 00s emo “phase” and can’t stop wearing cardigans. Great under a coat or sportcoat, or in place of a jacket. For tea time, for reading time, for couch time, or all the time if you’re me. Up top is an all-acrylic private school pile-covered one in my favorite deep navy, which I wear mostly on days when I want to lean into the grunginess of it. Below it are a perfectly-relaxed cashmere from Stoffa, and a Buck Mason one that never ended up getting put into production.

Shirts

Believe it or not, its warm enough in LA to wear short sleeves and lightweight shirting through November. I just picked up this camp shirt from Bather in a nice, substantial linen that picked up some character with a wash and won’t wrinkle as poorly as cheap linen. Alongside it is a Buck Mason women’s shirt in blue end-on-end cotton, which I bought in two sizes larger than my men’s size. It’s got the perfect ~1930s spearpoint collar and curved hem. Blue end-on-end has been my favorite shirting fabric since I found some old British RAF shirts that used to use it. It’s crisp, light, and really breathable with a dry hand, and the weave is a bit like a microscopic ripstop. Utilitarian “blue collar” shirting at its finest. I also have Buck’s new Western which is just as versatile, and a pure cotton Oxford cloth USN service shirt in a cornflower blue that I find strangely nostalgic and perhaps the most handsome of my shirts. The Wythe tencel snap-button shirt on the far right is also a favorite, which I sized up on so I could wear it loosely unbuttoned on warmer days like a young Morrissey.

Flight Jackets

The RAF MK3 landed in my buddy Nolan’s recommendations last month, and its probably my favorite fall jacket. The hood was taken out of mine, probably upon decommissioning, but its a great cropped silhouette with broad shoulders and a wide collar that you can stand up on drafty days. The Acronym J-68 is a similar style with more substantial PrimaLoft fill and too much technical wizardry to speak to in-detail here. It’s just a really fun jacket that also looks really cool.

Denim and Corduroy

This brown corduroy jacket from Buck Mason was based on the USMC P-41 chore coat, it also reminds me of traditional French hunting clothes and just looks great with everything I own. They made a primo version in suede this season. Center stage is a Hercules work jacket from the late 60s with Troy blanket lining — it’s an old Sears brand, and the fabrics have so much character that you don’t really see in modern styles. On the right is my Real McCoys reproduction of a US Army denim pullover, which is oversized on me and has a sort of 90s N.W.A. vibe that I can just barely convince myself I’m able to pull off.

Shoes and Hats

OK, Substack is telling me this is too long for email so let me wrap it up here — I’ve got my black leather AW07 Dior Homme “Navigate” boots that I’m looking to reintegrate into my wardrobe this year. They have a very comfortable crepe sole and the last shape is a nice not-too-round, not-too-almond toe that goes with everything. Below it are my Danner Mountain Lights with some hiking laces I got on Etsy, my August Special leopard-print loafers I wrote about earlier this year, and Morjas Ivy Loafer in chocolate suede — arguably the best color for suede shoes. To cap it off [ hehe :) ] I’ve got my Team Hat, Ruby’s granddad’s hat, and the new deck shoes from Moonstar for Buck Mason, a damn-near-accurate recreation of the very first military-issue canvas shoe.