The days are longer, the birds are chirp­ing and the ladies aren’t bun­dled from head to toe. And either are you. It’s great to be out­side with the temps warm­ing up, but we’re still deal­ing with frosty morn­ings and chilly nights. Here’s a Spring wardrobe primer on mak­ing the tran­si­tion from less lay­ers to T-shirts and flip flops.

It’s no rumor that April show­ers bring May flow­ers, so you’ll need a light weight, water­proof jacket, prefer­ably with a hood. Land’s End has some good choices, such as this jacket and mack­in­tosh at great prices. Both are easy to roll and pack away if it gets too warm. Blue Fly always has some­thing on sale, so give them a look too. Another good choice is a ver­sa­tile, slim down vest. Warm and light weight, you can layer over a light jacket, but­ton down or T-shirt depend­ing on those vary­ing Spring temps.

I’m a firm believer that chino’s are a neces­sity, espe­cially for Spring and Sum­mer. They’re com­fort­able, light weight and match well with any­thing. They’ll get a lot of miles, late night or overnight and the longer you have them, the bet­ter they look and feel. Avoid baggy, pleated and long. Instead, look for a straight fit with a slight break at the bot­tom. Make sure they sit at the hips and don’t taper at the ankles. There’s a wide vari­ety to choose from and I highly rec­om­mend check­ing out L.L. Bean. They’re afford­able but well con­structed. Also, it’s not a bad idea to get a pair of jeans with a lighter shade, such as light blue or khaki, if you need some­thing warmer.

T-shirts, but­ton down dress shirts and polos should always be on hand dur­ing Spring and Sum­mer. Avoid loud graph­ics on your T-shirts and make sure it fits your build. I have sev­eral in plain col­ors made of soft, well worn cot­ton. But­ton downs should be light weight, breath­able, and in brighter shades with checks or stripes. Find some­thing with a slim fit and shorter cut, so it doesn’t need to be tucked in. Polos should also be fit­ted and in bright colors.

With more time spent out­side, pro­tect your­self with a nice pair of sun­glasses. They’ll also make you look sharp while per­mit­ting furtive glances at the fairer sex. I’m a big fan of avi­a­tors, as they com­pli­ment my fea­tures the best.  Our friends over at Gear Patrol have a help­ful guide on get­ting the right fit.

Make sure to treat your feet well in a pair of comfy sneak­ers. Most are afford­able so you can have a few dif­fer­ent styles. A lighter shade or pure white always looks good for the warmer months, match­ing well with jeans, chi­nos and shorts. Per­son­ally, I stick to Chuck Tay­lor’s but also dig the designs from John Varvatos’s Con­verse Jack Pur­cells. Also check out other clas­sics like Van’s and Adi­das. It’s really up to you.

As for acces­sories, the only things you’ll need are an umbrella and scarf. Get a sturdy umbrella made of real wood and a strong fab­ric. Make sure the sides are also long enough to pro­vide cover from pesky, wind blown rain as well. If you get a cheap umbrella, it’ll rip or bend. Your scarf should be light­weight like merino wool or cash­mere with a sim­ple pat­tern, such as ver­ti­cal or hor­i­zon­tal stripes with sub­dued col­ors like our boy John Paul below.

Most of these items aren’t strictly sea­sonal for Spring but can carry over into Fall, Sum­mer and Win­ter. So invest in qual­ity and expect it to last.

*None of the above con­sti­tutes an endorse­ment of any of the web­sites men­tioned or the con­tent therein.

Return to our home­page to learn more about cus­tom dress shirts.

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Categories: Men's Style Guide

Tags: adidas, button down dress shirt, chino pants, chuck taylor, converse, down vest, gear patrol, john varvatos, L.L. bean, men's fashion tips, men's style, mens spring clothes, mens spring wardrobe guide, polo shirts, scarf, sneakers, sunglasses, T-shirts, umbrella, vans, waterproof boots, waterproof jacket