Along with his lessons on how we can become better people, Fred Rogers taught us something about clothing. Each of his “Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood” episodes started the same way: he’d come home from some unseen outside world, hang his sport coat up in a closet, and then reach for one of his trademark cardigans. The message was subtle, but there: changing into simple, comfortable clothes can be a way to hit the refresh button. By trading stiffer jackets for softer knitwear, we shrug off the day’s stress. 

My own at-home uniform is similar, although not nearly as charming as Mr. Rogers’. I wear either a white t-shirt or light-blue button-down with 3sixteen jeans, Town View moccasins, and a chunky, shawl collar cardigan. The cardigans are plush, multi-ply lambswool pieces, which make them feel like comfy blankets. Slip one on and you instantly feel more relaxed at home – not to mention save on heating bills. 

They’re also great for hosting guests during holiday parties. Layer your knitwear by pairing a chunky, shawl collar cardigan with a thin, merino turtleneck, or wear one in lieu of a jacket with grey flannel trousers and a button-up. Doing so allows you to look casual, but still dressed. The next day, you can use that same sweater for grabbing coffee in the morning. Nothing is better for beating that early morning chill than throwing on something that’s both easy-to-wear and warm. 

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What happened to internet’s love for chunky shoes? It seems like it was only five years ago when people couldn’t get enough of Aldens, and now everything is about sleek, city designs from Europe. Granted, I like a tight-waisted, shapely shoe as much as the next person, but there’s something appealing about an unapologetic chunky design. 

The best chunky shoes come out of Central and Eastern Europe. In the days of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, shoemakers along the banks of the Danube in Budapest and Vienna used to make footwear for country gentlemen and Army officers. For hard wear in tough conditions, they made shoes that could take a hit from a round-nosed bullet – and perhaps looked like one too. 

That kind of shape doesn’t photograph as well as the kind of tight-waisted, sleek shoes that come out of Italy and Japan, but they look tremendous with the right clothes. Think: cavalry twills with ribbed corduroys, or warm flannels with heavy tweeds. These are basically country shoes you can wear with country clothes (or in more modern terms, the kind of stuff you want to wear in the fall). 

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I love a good, simple idea. Cohérence is a new Japanese label that’s reintroducing classic outerwear worn by previous generations’ style icons, artists, and intellectuals. Think: less Steve McQueen and Cary Grant; more Marcel Duchamp and Albert Camus. 

The designer behind the company, Kentaro Nakagomi, draws a lot of inspiration from the kind of things that got me into tailored clothing in the first place. He’s less about regions – say, American vs. British style – and more about cultural movements. “I love Dada and Surrealism, jazz music, writers connected to the Lost Generation, and New Wave cinema. Along with the art and culture, there were also the clothes – the heavier fabrics and fuller silhouettes. They were classic, but also modern at the same time.” 

Cohérence isn’t about strictly reproducing the past, but it’s more than just vaguely inspired by it. The coat designed after Le Corbusier, for example, features the same lapel and raglan sleeve details seen in an old photo of the Swiss-French architect. Similarly, a photo of Jean-Paul Sartre inspired the shearling-trimmed, shawl-collar coat seen below (except, whereas Sartre wore a single-breasted model, Nakagomi designed his to be double-breasted – an improvement, I think). 

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A lot of men’s fashion today can be broken into two camps. On the one end, you have heritage (and heritage-inspired) brands that rely on the classics. On the other end, there are avant garde labels creating conceptually interesting – even if hard to wear – designs that break from the past. Ten C is a relatively new Italian outerwear company that sits between these two worlds – perfectly blending techwear with heritage, innovative fabrics with classic military design. Think of them as: Stone Island meets Nigel Cabourn. 

Which makes sense, I suppose, given that the two founders, Paul Harvey and Alessandro Pungetti, are Stone Island and CP Company designers. The two are known for making very innovative, but also highly-wearable, contemporary Italian sportswear. Ten C is similar, but is a bit more approachable for the kind of guy who buys his casualwear from shops such as Unionmade and The Bureau Belfast. 

The original concept for Ten C was simple: create a “forever collection,” which would be comprised of seven fall/ winter outerwear designs, made from the same fabric, but offered in four colors. And never do anything else – don’t change the collection, don’t introduce anything new. Just make things that will last and people can keep forever. In that collection was a belted snow smock, an M-65 jacket, and a fishtail parka (among some other things). You can hear Paul Harvey describe them here.

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Ralph Lauren’s mid-season sale started yesterday. Apparently they’ve skipped their usual private invitations and gone straight to public. This time, select items have been discounted by as much as 50%, and starting tomorrow, you can get another 15% off if you use the checkout code RLFALL15. Possibly a good time to pick up a jacket, some shoes, or a bit of knitwear. Some of my favorites while browsing the site last night:

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Even with a closet full of neckties, I’m always drawn to picking up a thing or two from Drake’s every season. It’s said that the company offers English taste in the way the Italians or French might imagine it – classic English designs reinterpreted with a bit more verve. Not too unlike how an Italian or French man might wear his British clothes. It might just be a marketing line, but it’s not a bad way to describe the company. In a world where everyone offers of the same Macclesfield prints and silk foulards, Drake’s successfully walks the line between classic and novel, which is why guys like me keep coming back.

This season, they have their regular stable of wools, madders, and rep striped silks, but also some new and interesting things – such as Shetland yarns woven on grenadine looms, and wool-alpaca blends that offer unique textures. In addition, there are some new re-colorings of old, archive pocket square designs, such as those birds of paradise and unicorn prints that were originally made for Holland & Holland, as well as a colorful Navajo-inspired square taken from a scarf they used to sell in the 1970s. The growing line of knitwear, shirts, and sport coats also make the brand into more than just an accessories label. (Fun fact: the sport coats are made by Belvest, which is something of a return-to-history, as Michael Drake used to travel the world selling Belvest before he started his own company). 

Drake’s website is worth a browse if you want to be inspired by some new things to wear this fall, but here are also some selections from a few of my favorite stores.

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Sartoria Solito returned to the US this year, after a five-year stint of being away. The small Neapolitan tailoring firm is run by a father-and-son team. Gennaro, the father, is known for cutting a fuller, more old-school silhouette, while his son Luigi defaults to something trimmer (although, he can also cut a fuller jacket upon request). 

The firm enjoyed quite a bit of success in the States many years ago, but for various reasons, stopped visiting sometime in 2010 or 2011. That admittedly left a few customers hanging (three, that I know of), but I’m glad to say those orders are now being sorted out. I’m a big fan of the company’s distinct Neapolitan style: soft, sloping shoulders are combined with knocked-down sleeveheads and a minimally padded chest. The skirt is cut close to the hips, while the quarters gently curve away. It’s a much more rounded silhouette than what you typically see from British tailors (even ones who specialize in soft tailoring). Perfect for those who want a softer, more casual take on tailored clothing. 

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Apparently, when it rains, it pours – at least when it comes to mid-season promotions. UK clothier End just started mid-season sale, where you can take take 20% off almost any purchase with the checkout code AUTUMN15. The code surprisingly works on brands that are typically excluded, such as APC, Common Projects, and Maison Margiela. 

Also worth checking out: Epperson Mountaineering, Master Piece, and Filson for casual bags; Howlin’, Inverallan, Jamieson’s, and SNS Herning for knitwear; Nanamica, Stutterheim, and Mackintosh for raincoats; RRL, Engineered Garments, Needles, and Nigel Cabourn for reimagined workwear; and Orlebar Brown for swimshorts. End has one of the best online selections for casualwear. Definitely worth a browse. 

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East Dane was introduced a few years ago as a sort of menswear side to ShopBop (a large, online emporium for women’s wear). Like their counterpart, East Dane has an equally big selection, ranging anywhere from minimalist fashion forward lines to more classic brands. Their focus is admittedly not that targeted, but if you sift through their inventory, you’ll be surprised at how many good things are carried here. 

For the next few days, they’re holding their mid-season sale, where you can knock 25% off with the checkout code INTHEFAM25. The code also works on their sale section, which makes some items discounted as much as 93% (I almost bought this Master Piece backpack last night). Some notables I found:

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Southern Italians are famous for their soft tailoring, but nobody really does a soft jacket like the Spanish. Specifically their Teba – a country jacket that comes mostly unpadded throughout the chest and shoulders, and features those signature shirt-like sleeves, ventless backs, and most importantly, notchless lapels. In a world where everything is being homogenized, the Teba is one of the last articles of men’s clothing that’s still unique to a region. 

Stories regarding the style are a bit murky. Some say the original Teba was a gift to the Count of Teba, Carlos de Mitjans y Fitz-James Stuart (known affectionately to his closest friends as Bunting), from King Alfonso XIII. Others say the exchange was the other way around. Others still say the jacket was originally made on London’s Savile Row and then adapted by a Spanish tailor to fit the Count’s needs. Whatever the actual origins, the Count almost certainly popularized it, and he most likely wore it out in the Spanish countrysides, where he spent time drinking wine and hunting quail. Over the years, it’s become an iconic piece of Spanish countrywear, mostly surviving on its comfort and aura of romanticism.

Construction wise, the Teba is something like a shirt jacket, combining the unstructured Neapolitan form with British-like-style. The notchless lapels may look odd at first, but they’re hardly even noticeable in dark fabrics. When worn, they give the jacket a more casual vibe. The ventless back and shirt-like sleeves also keep things casual, while the unlined and (largely) unpadded interior make things look relaxed. 

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