Men’s Winter Fashion

By Niall Roeder.

There are positives and negatives about the mercury dipping. The ocean is icy and uninviting, but the surf is way better. Pulling yourself out of bed is a daily struggle, but nodding off at night is a breeze. There’s less sweat, but more shiver. From a threads perspective, we bid farewell to the singlets and board shorts and welcome jackets, suits and heavy head wear back into rotation. Going to the races or a wedding is at least 15 times better when you don’t have to worry about your skin leaking. That’s a fact.

We caught up with Robert from Strand Hatters and Jock from M.J. Bale to get their thoughts on what’s going on with bloke’s fashion this winter. Take note lads…

What’s going to be hot this Winter?

Robert from Strand Hatters: Hats of course brother! And accessories, like suspenders, bow ties, tweed caps. And men’s grooming is huge for winter, so beards and mo’s.

Jock from M.J. Bale: Sydney weather! It feels like the never-ending summer this year…

A photo posted by STRAND HATTERS (@strandhatters) on Apr 7, 2016 at 3:57pm PDT

What styles are going to be bang-on for the guys and the girls this Winter?

Rob: Fedoras of the softish unstructured variety, and baggy caps in patterns and tweed, like traditional Baker Boy caps. Akubra as a brand is what everyone is talking about.

Jock: Slim-cut suits in London-inspired windowpane and Prince of Wales checks.

Hate using this expression, but are there any “must-have” items we should be looking to grab?

Rob: We have Australian Fashion week coming up and it’s all about the HAT! Such a must have.

Jock: Definitely every well-dressed gentleman should own one of M.J. Bale’s Adriano velvet smoking jackets in either midnight navy or emerald green colours. The smoking jacket is a timeless menswear staple – the first tuxedo ever produced in 1860 was created in midnight navy – and, as the name suggests, it’s definitely ‘smoking’.

A photo posted by M.J. Bale (@mjbale) on May 7, 2016 at 5:26pm PDT

So, to put it bluntly, you’re saying these things will help us pick up?

Rob: You can maybe pick up without one, but what you pick up won’t be worth it LOL. Hats attract everyone; men simply look better in a hat.

Jock: Manners, being respectful of others and acting like a gentleman are what makes a man attractive. However, wearing a well-cut suit or jacket never goes astray, either…

Is Aussie fashion at a good place at the moment?

Rob: Yes it is. It’s all about locally made and ethical fashion, so the smaller, local brands are the ones that are killing it at the moment

Jock: Australian style is in a really good place right now, at least in terms of menswear. Aussie guys are becoming really well educated about tailoring and super passionate about getting dressed up. They’re starting a lot younger, too. A lot of customers we see in store are just in their first year out of school, and they’re so knowledgeable about what they want and how they’re going to put it together.

A photo posted by M.J. Bale (@mjbale) on May 11, 2016 at 5:25pm PDT

Who’s bringing the fire? Besides yourself, who can guys and gals follow to get the mad style tips?

Rob: Some of the male fashion bloggers, like Is Nathan and Beard Season are leaders of the pack.

Jock: The Tailored Man is a great local blogger to follow.

A photo posted by The Tailored Man (@the.tailored.man) on Apr 8, 2016 at 7:49pm PDT

It’s cold, but you’re going out for a night on the town and you’re out to impress someone. Who are you out to impress and what do you wear to impress the pants off them?

Rob: I’m out to impress everyone and again it is all about accessories, like the above, men are dressing better than ever.

Jock: If we are out and dressed to impress, we’d definitely be kitted out in our slim-cut navy Saunders tuxedo with black grosgrain lapel. It’s a tux you can dance in…

A photo posted by STRAND HATTERS (@strandhatters) on Mar 26, 2016 at 3:46pm PDT

Hero and social image: M.J. Bale