Transitioning Custom Suits into a Fall/Winter

It is officially September 1st and while fall doesn’t technically begin for another few weeks, we thought now was the perfect time to start outlining how to transition your custom suits and garments from spring/summer into the colder months. Below are some thoughts on how we mix up our garments, fabrics, and textures to extend the wear of our summer garments for as long as possible while also finally getting some wear out of our heavier garments. However, wear whatever you like: clothes and fashion is meant to be fun!

• Summer Colors vs. Fall Colors 

Our first recommendation is taking a look a which colors in your wardrobe seem firmly entrenched in the summer season and which are more easily mixed with fall colors. While there are no strict rules for this, pastels typically are more appropriate for the warmer months while earth tones work better for fall. We don’t subscribe to the idea that white cannot be worn after Labour Day. Paring white knitwear or even a pair of custom white chinos with earthy colors such as brown or green is a great way to slowly ease yourself into fall clothing while keeping a lot of lightness from the white.

The idea that pastels cannot transition well is also not, in our opinion, always true. Depending on the exact color scheme of your custom garments, a blazer with a pastel check or pattern where the base color is neutral is easily worn with a tailored trouser in a warm, earth tone. Or, alternatively, pastel patterns are nicely worn with dark greys and blacks as long as the balance between how much pastel and how much black is in your outfit. You can read more about our custom suits in general here and here.

• Fabrics for Warmth 

We all love linen, silks and fresco fabrics for the hot summer months and maybe it is a bit early to think about tweeds, flannels and lambswool. However, our summer custom suits can easily be warmed up not only by fall colors but also by mixing and matching fabrics. This will not only add actual warmth for the colder mornings coming our way soon enough, but it will also add visual depth in your outfit.

Take for example a custom sport coat in a linen fabric. While it might work on its own for a little while longer, once the days start getting colder, try paring it with a custom tailored shirt in a thicker cotton or perhaps even a custom knitted polo with long sleeves. You could also try adding a sweater vest overtop your dress shirt and under the linen jacket for a more layered look. We don’t recommended wearing linen underneath overcoats simply because of the wrinkle prone nature of linen. We even have a blogpost about knitwear and how to style it with tailoring. You can read that here.

Once there is no more use for the light fabrics, we always love making custom sport coats in tweed or flannel. The soft, worn-in texture and feel of these fabrics make for great, hardwearing garments that can easily be worn alone or under a coat. They can also be designed as casual or as dressy as you like. Again, layering these jackets with cotton shirts for a less heavy feel or knitwear for the deep winter months are ways to keep the same garments in rotation for as long as possible.

• Textures and Colors

We have already briefly talked about our thoughts on pastels and earth tones for your custom suits and jackets. We personally love neutrals such as grey, black and white for any time of year. A classic, perfectly tailored grey suit is something everybody needs in their wardrobe. Now, it is commonly thought that light greys are better for summer while charcoals and black works better for fall. We would argue that neutrals work for any time of year no matter the shade. However, if you want to play up the darker shades in your wardrobe more, we suggest paring a light grey custom suit jacket with a charcoal custom trouser or vice versa. You rarely even need to have new garments made; mixing pieces from different suits can increase the wearability of your custom suits as well as transition your colors from season to season.

Textures in your custom garments are always important to add interest and visual depth, but it becomes easier to work with different textures when wearing more layers. While a solid colored suit is a classic staple, we recommend looking into textures and patterns such as herringbone, houndstooth, checks and even just a heathered plain color for your custom suits.  

• Taking Stock 

Our final recommendation is taking stock and making note of which of your garments you got the most wear out of at the end of each season. Did you reach more for whole suits or did you prefer mixing and matching individual trousers and sport coats? Note the colors, fabrics and textures that you like wearing the most. This will help you plan out your wardrobe for the coming seasons.

We always recommend starting bespoke garments you want to wear in the spring time in the winter and things you want to wear in the winter at the tail end of summer. We are always happy to help you plan out when garments will be ready to wear so you seamlessly can bring your new custom suits, jackets or trousers into your seasonal wardrobe. If you would like to book an appointment for a design consultation to commission new garments or to discuss the timeline for new projects you can click the Contact Us box below and we will be happy to guide you.