With the unpleasant arrival of the cold and the wet comes the necessary art of layering. Layering becomes a daily essential. Even the heartiest of men begin to require a few extra layers to keep themselves warm.
However, though this need arises like clockwork year-upon-year …are you prepared when it finally arises?
What IS layering?
It really isn’t complicated, laying is essentially the art of combining your clothing on top of each other while ensuring that they keep you warm, protect your body and are still aesthetically pleasing.
Why should I “layer”?
Layering’s appeal is twofold really.
Layering is Practical.
An obvious function of the layering process is keeping yourself warm. If you’re wearing more layers (all of them stylish, of course) you can retain more heat and keep your body temperature higher during these cold seasons.
Layering looks awesome!
Layering gives you the opportunity to step away from the regular summer staple of a t-shirt and jeans. Layering items on top of each other gives the opportunity to display your own take on style. It also enables you to get the most out of your clothes …as the same garments can take on dramatically different looks when used in different ways.
How do I “layer”?
In all honesty, layering isn’t all that hard. In fact, if you break it down to its basest level … you can follow one simple rule “thin to thick” and make sure it looks good (in your opinion)!
The “Think to Thick” rule is simple: thin clothing should be closest to your skin, with every piece of item you wear becoming thicker in size and weight as you progress through your outfit.
However, if you are looking for a little more detail in how to layer properly, here are a few further points to keep in mind:
Remember Pattern Matching Rules
Pattern Matching rules are a whole different Style 101 article which I promise to bring to you soon. However, to keep it simple:
If you are not confident, keep it to 1 patterned item in your outfit
If you feel confident, try to keep it to 2/3
Any patterns you do choose should contrast with each other in size/density.
Keep your outfit balanced
Layering largely tends to be top heavy for obvious reasons. When piecing together an outfit, make sure to regularly check your top half isn’t disproportionately bulky compared to your lower half.
Sorry lads, no spray on jeans matched with bulky shearling jackets!
Be care of colour coordination
Unfortunately, increasing the number of layers you are wearing means exponential growth in possibility of poor colour combinations.
If you are not confident, keeping your clothing colours in the natural hues (black, navy ect) should help keep you on the right side of taste.
Each item of clothing should be suitable to be worn on its own.
Layering shouldn’t be an excuse to wear (and hide) those tacky t-shirts you haven’t brought yourself to throw out yet. A key benefit of layering is the option of adding/removing items as you see fit.
You will need to wear most layers in the mornings (as that’s when it is coldest) and as the weather gets warmer, you may want to take off a layer or two – so it’s vital that your comfortable showing each layer.
Feeling refreshed and ready to roll after my trip to Dubai (more information to come!).
So back to what you want to see…
I am always very passionate about sharing good resources with you and I am not shy about promoting other bloggers!
I have been lucky enough to make some good friends through this blogging malarkey … and it just so happened that one of the first people to check in with me (pun intended) following my Dubai trip was the good lad Jack Edwards from The Jack Experience.
I decided to grill him on your behalf…
Hi Jack, great to speak to you again.
Hello!
So – I’ve been reading your blog for quite a while now…but how long have you actually been blogging? What inspired you to start in the first place?
I launched my blog The Jack Experience in September 2014 after months of tireless work on the website’s design. I tried out different servers such as WordPress but nothing I was creating felt quite right. Instead, I designed my own website entirely from scratch; a blank canvas which allowed my creative reservoir to flow freely without being confined to the boundaries of strict layouts. Although it did take a lot more time to produce, I’m really proud of the outcome.
The effort was definitely worth it … the website looks great and is responsive across all of my devices. In terms of the content though, you’ve managed to create a space where you can quite literally blog about ANYTHING you want. That can be quite difficult to achieve without readers feeling that a blog is “off topic” … is that something which was quite important to you from the offset?
That’s exactly what I wanted! My blog derived from a passion for writing and sharing my perceptions of the world… it’s a hobby. Writing in the real world involves lots of strict guidelines and rules – “we want you to write this number of words on this number of topics with a deadline of this number of days” – but on a blog you can write about anything your heart desires! I can write just about anything I like, and the broad ‘lifestyle blogger’ title umbrellas so many different topics. I love setting myself challenges and stepping out of my comfort zone, but I also love creative freedom. I’m like a little pug let loose from its cage which just jumps around excitedly because there are so many different places to explore and bums to sniff – or maybe not the last bit.
We don’t judge. You can do with your spare time what you like haha.
Having just left school – you are younger than most of the other male bloggers I have come across. This is a breath of fresh air in a sector which can become quite repetitive. However, I know as well as anyone that when you write …you open yourself up to serious criticism. I can’t imagine dealing with that kind of thing while at school. How did you find that?
Most comments I get about my blog or my writing ALWAYS somehow gravitate back to my age. In the blogging world, it’s important to never judge based on number of years but simply by the quality of the content; yes, I may be younger than many of my peers but that’s not to say that I cannot produce a kick-ass article for you just as well as anyone else can.
Opening yourself up to the world is absolutely terrifying – it’s daunting to completely expose yourself like that. However I can’t say I’ve received much criticism at all. In my experience, I’ve found people in the blogging world to be very accepting and friendly, so this hasn’t really been a problem for me. Of course I’ve had the odd ‘mean tweet’ but sometimes you just have to laugh – the haters gonna hate hate hate….
I think that’s exactly my point. You write as well as anyone …better than most if we are honest about it. I highlight your age as it gives a frame of reference for the level of talents you have. I’m glad you haven’t received many haters. I agree that the blogging community (from my experience) is full of really lovely people!
I always find myself laughing on your website, you write with a comedic breadth I haven’t seen on many other blogs – is comedy important to you?
I think that comedy is the most important thing; the ability to make someone laugh or smile should never be under-estimated. It’s one of the greatest feelings when someone tells me something I’ve written cheered them up or helped put a smile back on their face – what more could anyone in the entertainment industry ask for? The blogging world is so rewarding because you get to see this impact directly.
You have a very popular blog – with expectedly similarly popular social media accounts. I love your Instagram account. The photos are incredible…but I’ve noticed you DON’T have much video content across your blog or social media – is there a reason for that at all?
I’ve just launched my first ever YouTube video and I’m really excited for what the future holds with that. Stay tuned!
Very mysterious …looking forward to seeing what you come out with.
Moving on, you recently teamed up with ASOS – working with a brand as well known as ASOS is pretty much what most male bloggers strive for. Can you tell us a little about how that came about?
They just asked and I obviously jumped at the chance! I’ve been lucky enough to work with some great brands such as boohoo, ASUS, ASOS, Harrods and Goldsmiths but this doesn’t just happen overnight. You have to work hard to build up a brand identity and a positive reputation in the industry before brands start to get interested, although it may seem unrewarding at first. I focus on every meticulous detail on my blog, pouring my heart and soul into everything I upload. You shouldn’t be in this industry for the money or for the freebies, you should be here for the passion and then watch those things happen as a side-effect. If you write with passion, it will radiate from your blog like rays of light, I promise!
Great advice for all those hoping to make their mark.
You’re obviously a man with style; what shopping tips do you have for the Gallous Lad readers?
Firstly; wear what you want. Fashion is about you and your style, because no two people are the same. I’ve always tried to hear my blog away from telling people what they should or shouldn’t wear and what or what isn’t ‘cool’. As long as you’re happy and feel confident, dress however you want! My one tip would be that the best fashion inspiration comes from the streets; see what people are wearing around you and decide what you like. I love going to big cities and checking out the street-style for inspiration!
Brilliant, great speaking to you again Jack, thanks for taking the time out!
You can check out the debut Youtube video Jack mentioned above here:
Style is a cruel mistress, difficult to master; easy to get on the wrong side off … sometimes you must wonder why you bother?
Even the experts don’t always get it right.
Never fear – Gallus is here to teach another easy to implement lesson which can have a drastic impact on your every day styling.
The lesson today is simple – when it comes to pairing formal wear; the jacket and trousers must be identical or completely different – similar is a BIG NO. You need to remember that simple rule.
When you are buying formal wear – you must either buy it with the corresponding trousers or pair it with a suitable option in a noticeably different colour and texture.
(Here is a strong example of the “Corresponding” option)
(Here is a good example of the “Different” option)
The reasoning behind this rule is the two major factors mentioned above: Colour and Texture.
Choosing a pair of trousers which give the illusion of a matching suit fails to look as good every time because it will neither straight-up match or functions as separates clothing entities.
The best example I can find of this common mistake is Guy Ritchie’s outfit below from the GQ website:
As you will be able to see yourself – Guy’s outfit doesn’t really work due to the similarity of his linen jacket with his trousers. They are very similar colours … but clearly not identical. The textures of the two fabrics are vastly different too.
It’s a shame, as if it had been a better jacket/trouser combination the outfit would have been pretty strong. The colour combination between the jacket and the shirt looks good …and I like the white pocket square to match.
Guy Ritchie is normally very good with his style, but as I said above – even the experts get it wrong sometimes!
Gallus Lad 