Date Night China: Men’s Guide to Dressing for Winter
advertisement
This article comes from Date Night China (WeChat ID: datenightchina), your guide to dating in China, from love to lust, first dates to worst dates, hilarious stories, and top tips to avoid (or steer into) disaster. Single in the city? Season 2 of their podcast is out now. To connect with others in the DNC community, add co-host Rachel to join their WeChat group: rachelweiss22
If you live in North China, you may have just gone through a sudden and very dramatic break-up with your summer wardrobe. Personally, I think autumn is the sweet spot in rocking out the best outfits for guys. A t-shirt and a light jacket, from zip-up hoodie to leather jacket, can look cool AF. Alas, RIP the light-jacket days, because now we’re balls-deep in winter!I’m writing this because I’m worried about the guys that are certain their summer t-shirts and a big winter coat are all they need when it comes to looking good. Since the summer, Date Night China has run several events where we’ve had a surprising number of guys be flummoxed as to what to wear. Be it a casual affair or a fancy cocktail bar formal, guys typically are not sure how to dress. It’s ironic for guys to be so stumped at this hurdle because guys are fortunate to just get away with a nice ironed shirt and some jeans – that combination will see you through many scenarios. But guys needn’t be so passive when it comes to their fashion choices. You can take control and make some simple choices to look sharp for any occasion: work-casual, coffee date, dinner date, club night, poker with the lads…
Here are some style combinations that are perfect for the guy who’s looking to upgrade his winter wardrobe.
Color
Autumn starts to get really rich, so now we’re talking a burnt orange jumper with some black jeans or a forest green shirt with some navy blue jeans or burgundy chinos.
Winter, you can offset some black jeans with a deep purple cardigan or a checkered shirt and that’s enough. In fact, winter is a great time to experiment with different shades of grey, i.e. light grey pants, darker grey cardigan or sweater, white shirt underneath, black scarf, and black overcoat. But, you don’t want to be too monochrome – I personally think it’s a little lazy.
Jumpers A.K.A. Sweater
Know this, the sweater is your friend. You can rock so many different looks with a good sweater or cardigan, especially when you’re mixing with different color pants (blue and black jeans is enough for a fair range of variety), and then mix with some sneakers or shoes. Consider the sweater/cardigan as a “feature piece” to your outfit.
The jeans and shoes may be standard, but a vivid colored sweater can make you stand out. For me, different colored sweaters reflect my mood. Different cardigans reflect my attitude towards my day.
If this is too simple for you, try to experiment with complementary accessories like a beanie hat or a scarf. Confused as to what colors work? Look at the color charts above.
advertisement
This part is real easy: blue jeans, black jeans, and two different-colored chinos. Now, chinos aren’t, as some people may say “Khakis”:
Khakis are thick, straight-legged, and typically pleated (although plain fronts are available from most brands these days). They have cuffs at the bottom hems.
Chinos are lightweight, tapered so that they narrow as they go lower on the leg, and can be either cuffed or uncuffed. They are generally flat-fronted.
Both styles are made from cotton twill and are traditionally dyed somewhere between a very pale cream color and a dark tan.
Shoes
Along with that, I would generally choose a trainer that can provide a little lift to the colors of your wardrobe. A simple white trainer, or color trainer with a white sole can look quite sharp.
Hair & Beard
As for beards – trim it, buy some beard oil because it keeps your hair looking silky smooth and it acts as a natural barrier to food grease and crumbs. Also, beard oil stops your beard from flaking dandruff when you stroke it.
Cologne
It’s a good confidence boost because people generally tell you when you smell nice. On a budget? Sometimes places like Abercrombie and Fitch, Zara, or even UNIQLO have some really masculine aromas on offer.
I hope this helps some guys look at their current wardrobe with a little more scrutiny. As always, we’d love to have you write in to tell us what you think. Finally, my wild card piece of advice…
It is always, always, always acceptable to wear an obnoxious Christmas sweater until Jan 6.
Happy Shopping!READ: Date Night China: Finding A Trans Community in Beijing
Images: Quinten149 (via Unsplash), DNC Podcast
advertisement
Beijingers Are Buzzing About