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Home / Blog / Clothing and Style / Outfit Ideas

How to Wear a Lightweight Cardigan During Fall

Published on October 12, 2015 by Brock McGoff · Outfit Ideas May contain affiliate links (what's this?)

Fall is a great season for style, but it can be confusing. In many areas, there’s a whole month full of cold mornings, warm afternoons and cool evenings.

What do you wear? You don’t want to overheat, but you don’t want to be cold all day either.

One solution is a cardigan. For warmer days, I prefer a lightweight cardigan (as opposed to the heavy, chunky variety).

Lightweight blue cardigan

Photos courtesy of Erin McGoff

These made-to-measure trousers make me look taller because they have a higher rise and no break.

High rise + no break = illusion of height. I swear it’s like magic!

Warm fall day outfit

cardigan (similar) | polo | trousers (custom) | sunglasses

You can button it up for a smart, put together look. Or you can keep it unbuttoned for a relaxed, draped sort of feel.

Either way, a lightweight cardigan adds just enough warmth to make your morning commute tolerable.

At the same time, it won’t make you overheat during your afternoon walk to lunch or the coffee shop.

You can wear cardigans in neutral colors to tone down a bold outfit (for example, a grey cardigan over a pink shirt).

Or you can wear a colorful cardigan over a neutral outfit, like I’m doing here.

Fall lightweight cardigan

The cool thing about a somewhat plain or neutral outfit is, you can change the whole vibe by choosing different accessories.

The key is to make sure they work well together. In this case, brown leather is the common element.

Accessories close up details

belt (vintage) | watch (similar) | bag

The gold metal on the watch and belt are nice together too, even if the bag features silver metal.

This outfit would work just fine with black accents too – black watch, black shoes, black belt (the kind that holds your pants up, not the jiu-jitsu kind).

That would be an especially nice combo for winter. But on a warm autumn day like this, the brown details seem to fit the vibe.

Handful of acorns

Notice how the nutty brown tones of the acorns really play nicely with the natural patina of the aged watch strap…

…just kidding.

Tan trousers with brown loafers

shoes (similar)

Like the belt and watch, I got the shoes secondhand. Get this: I found these Cole Haan loafers (size 7) for $12 at a Goodwill store in Virginia.

It’s rare to find something worth buying in a thrift shop, especially a good pair of shoes in your size. But it’s worth it when you find a steal like this!

Lightweight cardigan outfit

The socks are one of my favorite pairs. They’re made by Falke, and I got them as a gift from The Sock Hop.

As you can tell from the smile on my face, I love fall. It’s such an amazing season for style, so layer up and get out there!

Would you wear this outfit? Leave a comment below!

Outfit Ideas fall, loafers

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About Brock McGoff

The Modest Man founder, Brock is an aspiring minimalist who enjoys working out, spending time with his family, discovering new brands and creating great content.

Background: Brock McGoff has a bachelor's degree in psychology and a professional background in digital marketing. He believes that men's fashion is just one facet of self-improvement, and he started The Modest Man to help regular guys feel more confident by improving their appearance.

An east coast native, Brock currently lives in Arizona with his wife and daughter. When he's not working, he spends time with family, training BJJ, reading/listening to books and podcasts, and unsuccessfully trying to decide which movie to stream.

Expertise: Brock has built a men's lifestyle YouTube channel with over 400k subscribers. He's also worked as the creative marketing manager in a men's apparel startup. Brock has been quoted in, mentioned by or featured in publications like Esquire, Huff Post, Men's Health, WWD and Forbes.

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Reader Interactions

Comments

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    Got questions? Want to share your opinion? Comment below!

  1. Phil says

    October 20, 2015 at 11:20 am

    Excellent photography! The blurred background shots are looking great.

    Reply
    • Brock says

      October 20, 2015 at 11:25 am

      Thanks! Channeling some of your tips…

      Reply
  2. Khoi N. (@lifeaskhoi) says

    October 12, 2015 at 8:52 pm

    Great look, Brock! It has a professorial feel. Simple, clean style that’s just as much casual as it is dressy. Fall is definitely my favourite season for dressing. Like Josh of the Kentucky Gent, I find it highly difficult finding quality shoes in my size. But kudos for finding a pair! Love that bag, btw.

    Reply
    • Brock says

      October 12, 2015 at 10:16 pm

      Thanks Khoi! Yeah man…fall. Freaking awesome season for dressing.

      The bag is great, although I have to say, it hasn’t held up very well. I wish it looked the same but was made from higher quality materials.

      Reply
  3. The Kentucky Gent says

    October 12, 2015 at 12:59 pm

    Always worth picking up a pair of shoes, in your size, at a thrift store. It’s never an easy task for me!

    Josh | The Kentucky Gent
    http://thekentuckygent.com

    Reply

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