Winter has arrived hard and fast.

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.