By Dapperfied | January 16, 2017

Here is Part 4 in Paul’s series on building a Capsule Wardrobe!

 

“TO ME, CLOTHING IS A FORM OF SELF-EXPRESSION –

THERE ARE HINTS ABOUT WHO YOU ARE IN WHAT YOU WEAR.”

– Marc Jacobs

Introduction

Jackets… my favorite part of the capsule wardrobe. Why do I love jackets so much?!? This is where I really get to express myself. To color outside the lines. To make a statement. To have some fun. A jacket can be interchanged with the rest of your wardrobe to keep your outfit fresh, whether casual or formal.

Leather jacket

A photo posted by Paul Nagaoka (@paulnagaoka) on Dec 11, 2016 at 7:44am PST

The first essential jacket is the black leather jacket. I can’t stress how important of a piece this is in your capsule wardrobe. It is a classic for your casual look.

Always keep in mind that it should fit well in the shoulders, and there should not be excess room in the sleeves. I would also avoid a ton of zippers as that will take it from timeless to trendy, which is not where you want to go.

Leather jackets are generally expensive. Investing in a top quality one will ensure its durability, which is totally worth it.

3 additional jackets

You’ll need three more jackets that are in line with YOUR personal style. Just make sure (as always) that they are one of the 6 essential colors (black, white, grey, navy, olive green and baby blue).

The following are my choices.

Olive green jacket: Baldwin (www.baldwin.co).

It is made of cotton and feels like a sweatshirt. It does casual really well but I can dress it up a teeny bit to business casual when I am feeling like I don’t want to get out of bed but still have to go to work.

Check it out here.

Grey blazer: Muji (www.muji.com).

This one is also made of cotton. This spans the ground between my black leather jacket (casual) and a formal blazer (business casual) really well.

White denim jacket: Calvin Klein (www.calvinklein.com).

Out of all my jackets, it is the least versatile because unlike the rest, it doesn’t go well with my white t-shirt. I have to wear a black or gray t-shirt for this jacket to stand out. But, I just like it and this is where some of “me” comes out.

See more leather jackets here.

Blazer

Your last essential piece is a navy blue blazer. This is your go to for business casual and can be formal if needed. Slip it on over your oxford cotton button up and bam – you are the man of the hour. Make sure your blazer has thin lapels, and as always, apply the rules of fit.

Now that you are dancing to your own beat with your personalized jacket collection, next time we will bring it all home with every man’s power piece: the suit.