Fall is imminent. The sun is beginning its slow retreat, the air is growing crisp, and your body is starting to crave sturdy canvas and fuzzy flannel. That’s right: It’s light outerwear season, every menswear enthusiast’s favorite time of year.
Will you be reaching for one of the many chore coats already hanging on your closet? Or will be you procuring a new, better one? Perhaps you’re one of the brave few who will flip the script entirely and opt for a barn jacket this season to set yourself apart from the chore-laden hordes.
There’s nothing worse than a fashion scold. You should do whatever makes you feel good. I think it’s fine to own a wide variety of light outerwear options. If you have one that works for you all the time, great. If you’re like me and you feel the need to have nearly as many coats and jackets as you have shirts and pants, that’s fine, too. But there are some rules and guidelines to operating at the highest possible level during light outerwear season.
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First of all, we need to do something about the chore coat. At this point, my sage advice is to ditch it entirely. Just give it a rest. I’ve seen too many, and too many people rely on the chore coat to represent the entirety of their personal style. Are there exceptions? Sure. Are you Tupac at the 1993 Soul Train Awards with Rosie Perez? You get a pass. But a dead trend is a dead trend and you don’t want to look like the last guy on TikTok to find out about selvedge denim. A chore coat is for someone who won’t commit to a blazer, but thinks a trucker is too casual. In other words, a coward. They’re twee and unserious, like a guy with a waxed mustache who buys tools at a shoppe.
I understand that there are some truly special chore coats out there. Ones that you might think are exceptional. Or, at least, one that you feel you can’t live without. Maybe it’s a totally unexpected color or fabric, or it’s from that new brand you love this year. Maybe you, like a fool, have been waiting a long time for your chance to acquire the “perfect” chore coat because you were duped into thinking it would be worth the wait. It sold out fast last time, so you better buy now, now, now.
Perhaps you’ve read this far and you’re thinking, Beat it buddy, I love my chore coat, from my cold dead hands, etc. That’s perfect. That’s exactly the kind of attitude you need to have during light outerwear season. You need to be confident and resilient and unswayed by what smarter, more stylish people than you think. Summer is easy because you hardly have to wear anything. Winter is even easier because you just wear everything you own. But light outerwear season is all about making careful decisions and decisive edits. It’s also peak dressing season and not to be squandered with your ubiquitous chore coat.
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