This story originally appeared on the Gents Cafe Newsletter. You can subscribe here.
The signs are everywhere. The mercury in the thermometer dips below 65° F (that’s 18° C for all our non-American gents), the leaves start to lose their chlorophyll and turn rich shades of orange and amber, the sun sets sooner and, of course, the pumpkin spice latte becomes a Starbucks best seller again.
Yes, this is the start of Fall, but – more importantly for us – this is also the return of Sweater Weather: that glorious time of year where all you need to leave the house in comfort and effortless style is a chunky sweater thrown over a crisp white tee and jeans (a nice pair of shades don’t hurt either).
Leave the sunscreen, the inescapable heat, the sand in places you really don’t want behind for next summer. This is the goldilocks season: not too cold, not too hot – just right (as long as you’re wearing the right knit).
And the right knit is as personal to a gent as your favorite song. While my go-to at the moment is a cozy navy Ralph Lauren cardigan, maybe yours is a lighter V-neck, a vintage cream fisherman’s, a slim-fitting turtleneck, a cashmere cable knit, or a monochrome Fair Isle.
To each his own, as the saying goes.
But while each of us may have a unique favorite, what’s constant and unified among those of us enlightened gents that relish this season is the hugs – both literal and figurative – it brings for all of us. As tangible as the sweater’s material gently hugs you against the crisp morning air or the now-drafty kitchen / office / [pick your own adventure room], so, too, does it hug you emotionally with its warm and rosy memories of seasons and wears past.
Even a newly minted sweater will still carry nostalgia from the sweaters that came before it…as well as the promise of the gentlemanly pursuits it will accompany you on in its warm future: an old-fashioned with your partner to start the weekend, a good book on your favorite park bench, dinner at the pub with your friends, and even pursuits both professional and passionate. (Of course, I was wearing a sweater as I wrote this on a brisk 58° F September evening in Chicago… but this time it was my cozy “house sweater”: an all-too-expensive, but luxurious cashmere cream shawl collar cardigan.)
Tis’ the season, gents!
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