Autumn/Winter Menswear – Styling a tweed jacket three ways

_{Some items have been gifted}

I believe that there’s no such thing as separate summer and winter wardrobes and I’ve always found that just adding a few accessories or extra layers allows me to take an item of clothing throughout autumn, into winter and on into the new year, dressed up in a different way for spring/summer.

So today I wanted to show you how this can work for a man’s wardrobe too, so that he can make the most out of the clothes he invests in and bring down that all-important ‘cost-per-wear’ price! I’ve taken one key piece – a classic tweed jacket – and have come up with a few different looks for the autumn/winter season; from casual still-warm days to a layered look for chilly November and on to a smart style for festive parties in December.

If you’re a man reading this, welcome! I hope you’ll be able to get some ideas from this autumnal photo-shoot and that this post will help you get the most from your favourite items of clothing simply by styling them up with a few different items from your wardrobe. 

And if you’re a woman, this is for you too: a tweed jacket works in the same way for you too, so recreate similar looks for autumn with your own clothing. And if you’ve got a man in your life, you can use these ideas to show him how to dress up one piece to make it work for three very different occasions. For each style we’ve used a Heritage Tweed Jacket from Samuel Windsor in ‘Border Check’ and added a few extra items for each look.

The first style we’ve created is this casual look. It’s great for those still-warm days at the end of summer; when you go to wrap up warm but when you step outside you’re surprised by just how warm it is out there. It’s sunny enough that you’ll sunglasses to block out the bright late-summer sunshine, so having at least one pair of sunglasses for men is an essential accessory for this time of year.

The day we took these photos on the beach was one of those days; I’d wrapped up warm with a scarf and coat because it’s always chilly on the coast – whether it’s a sunny day or not! – however, it was surprisingly warm for an end-of-September day and I needed to shed a few layers just to stay comfortable in the heat. This causal look is great for those types of days, as the layered t-shirt and shirt allow for different levels of warmth, and the jacket dresses up the whole look effortlessly.

The jeans and canvas trainers ensure that the look isn’t too smart, and makes a tweed jacket suitable for a casual day out on the coast, skimming stones and enjoying a coffee in the autumn sun. For this look we combined the tweed jacket with a t-shirt from Primark (bought earlier this year in February), a Coolmesh Baja Shirt from Royal Robbins in steel blue, denim jeans and navy canvas trainers both from ASOS menswear online.

You can complete the whole ensemble with a pair of shades for a designer look. This look will take you throughout September into October and – judging by the mild autumn we had last year – probably into the coming months too!

The second style is ready for November: when autumn hits and the days cool down. This time we’ve layered up lots of textures to create a cosy ‘bundled-up’ look.

For this style we’ve used the same tweed jacket, a navy Fairisle jumper and moleskin trousers in tan both from Samuel Windsor combined with a pair of suede shoes from Clarks. This is ideal for walks in the woods where the temperate is cooler in the shade and you can easily add or subtract layers to regulate your temperature as needed.

For extra warmth we have layered the same Coolmesh shirt from Royal Robbins beneath the festive patterned jumper and on really cold days you could add a t-shirt beneath this too.  For frosty mornings or chilly nights simply add a scarf, such as this burgundy cable-knit one from ASOS and hand-knitted bobble hat. The textures and colours of this outfit create a gorgeous autumnal look and could be worn as a casual look throughout autumn and into winter.

The final look is a smart outfit for special occasions, in particular, all those festive parties that you’ll be invited to during December. It’s dressy enough for even the most swish gallery opening and is equally suitable for the office Christmas party so can be worn for a number of occasions throughout the festive period. The tweed jacket will keep you warm as you walk from office to party venue and dresses up a simple suit trouser and shirt to take a day-time outfit through to a night out.

We’ve used smart grey suit trousers bought in last year’s January sale from Burtons and a slim-fit shirt from Next, combined with a classy bow-tie from House of Fraser to make the outfit look particularly smart for a special event.

The leather belt is from Samuel Windsor and these smart Prestige Oxford leather shoes are from the clearance section on the same website. The whole outfit is brought together by the tweed jacket to create smart, classic look, suitable for any Christmas party or event you’re attending this December.

I hope these three looks have given you some ideas for styling your own clothing for autumn/winter and help you get the most out of your existing wardrobe. The more ways you can style an item, the more often you can wear it for different occasions, and that ‘cost-per-wear’ comes down every time you put it on! How would you wear a tweed jacket?

What would you do to dress it up or down for different occasions? Let me know by leaving me a comment below or tweet me @cassiefairy with photos of your favourite outfit combinations.

Some items in this blog post have been gifted to me and the pink links indicate a gifted product, affiliate link or information source. All thoughts and opinions in this post are based on my own experience and I am not responsible for your experience 🙂