Winter Whites and Iron Rangers

Some of my favorite winter clothing is designed for warmer seasons.  As the days get darker, I gravitate toward Earth tones that look and feel warm.  There are several items in my wardrobe, however, that buck this trend and that I’ve made my own through careful color pairing and cosmetic enhancements.

GANT Rugger is a New England company whose shirts fit me to a T.  The first shirt of theirs that I picked up was a blue-and-white madras number.  Madras is a lightweight fabric designed for warm summer days.  This madras shirt, however, has heftier fabric, which makes it easy to wear on the warmer days of fall and winter.  It pairs well with a wool sweater, where the breathable fabric helps offset the excessive warmth sometimes caused by wool.

I’ve already discussed my love for white pants, but the past two years I’ve taken to wearing winter whites.  I get questions about this sartorial choice once a week, but the naysayers shut up after I show them photos from the New York Times style section and The Sartorialist of rakish men donning white pants in wintertime.  White pants run the risk of getting dirty on road-salted sidewalks, but their crispness pops against the Earth tones defining the cold season color palettes.  Navy and white is a classic pairing, but yesterday I threw on my olive green quilted Belstaff vest to offset the blue hues of my sweater and shirt.  Some people shy away from pairing blue and green together, but the combination is splendid if the shades are on the opposite end of the color spectrum from each other.

The other wardrobe staple I break out in winter are my Red Wing Iron Rangers.  Many guys retire theirs once the first snow falls.  Mine were resoled around their second birthday last year, and now have Vibram soles that are ready to tackle the iciest of sidewalks.  With the standard cork soles, Iron Rangers are the worst winter boots possible.  A warm pair of socks and rugged Vibram grooves reduce the challenges posed by walking on ice and trudging through deep snow.  Plus, they look good with a little patina and the lift of the Vibram keeps too much road salt from collecting on them.

Vest: Belstaff, Sweater: J. Crew, Shirt: GANT Rugger, Chinos: Uniqlo, Boots: Red Wing Heritage, Socks: Happy Socks

Location: Wesley Andrews CC