By Sanibel Chai
If you associate winter wardrobes with cumbersome layers and itchy sweaters, it’s time to rethink cold-weather dressing. December through March is a peak season for men’s style with endless opportunities to combine weights, textures, and cuts for outfits that outshine summer minimalism. But if you suffer from choice paralysis, the abundance of options can feel overwhelming when faced with shackets, vests, and knits that aren’t necessarily easy to incorporate into every wardrobe.
To help you out, we’ve assembled a guide with the best layering pieces that can be combined in a multitude of ways. Hopefully, after perusing these picks you’ll see winter layers as an embarrassment of riches — and the perfect excuse to replace pilly sweaters.
An Outfit-Cinching Vest
I find puffer vests to be limiting: you can only wear them with a thin sweater or a long-sleeved tee during a short period of the season when you can get away with no coat. In contrast, a quilted vest is much more layering-friendly and amenable to both transition weather and winter proper. On top of keeping your trunk toasty, it adds sophistication to any outfit with its faux suede leather trim and fine-well corduroy collar. The 2.5-inch stand-up collar can be flipped up if you’ve forgotten your scarf on a windy day. My boyfriend (a former vest skeptic) was entirely won over after wearing this for a few weeks and appreciated that it has a very slim profile and lies flat under a coat. You won’t feel like you’re testing the seams of your parka when you incorporate this stylish vest into your OOTD.