How to Layer Clothes Without Losing Your Style | EQVVS

After a somewhat extended summer of shorts and t-shirts, autumn's now firing on all cylinders.  It's dark at 5pm and it's cold for most of the day. The problem with that is, how many layers is too many? 

Confinement via cotton/polyester, bulky, shapeless fits and losing your flair under a massive winter coat are all fairly reasonable pain points when it comes to working out how to layer up and stay warm. 

Lucky for all involved, there's a formula to it, based on ancient nature proverbs, an 'Ode to the Pullover' or something, probably. 

The formula for layering clothes is actually that straight forward too. Base layer, a t-shirt that's nice and thin to start, a mid-layer like sweats & hoodies, and a coat to go over the top. Expand on that how you please, if you don't want to read on... but if you do, we've broken it down a bit more to make it even easier. 

How to layer outfits

Mix and matching the formula depends a lot on what your plans are and your personal style. For an afternoon in the stalls at a football match, an overshirt acts as a great mid-layer, wear it undone if you've gone for a logo t-shirt underneath. And if it's a winter match, a puffer coat works over the top too. 

If you're plans include sitting in a coffee shop, sipping a black americano and people watching over the top of the pages of the book your trying to read, then try a neutral toned knit or jumper, slightly relaxed fit, layered over a t-shirt. 

If you're looking to layer up for a slow Sunday dog walk after a massive roast, with the possibility of a pub stop before home, try a quarter zip, layered up with a lightly padded gilet. 

As far as rules go, we're pretty loose on following them. Clothing ultimately boils down to 'do I like it?', 'does it fit?' and, in this weather, 'does it keep me warm?' 

But, in the interest of sharing a few tips and tricks that are just ingrained in our styling consciousness nowadays, here's what we do consider. 

1. Hem length, having an inch or so of your T-Shirt showing underneath a Sweat or Hoodie is a great way of separating textures or patterns, and adding depth to the layers. The easiest option would be to go with a white, or other neutral toned base. 

2. Be mindful of weight. The idea is to build up, so starting with a T-Shirt base layer that is thinner, means that you can add a heavier mid-layer, without risking overheating by midday. 

3. Think about your colour palette. If you're picking layers where elements will show underneath, complimentary colours and neutral bases will work in your favour. White or cream is always a good balance to offset bolder colourways. 

Layering a Polo Shirt is fairly straight forward, the branding is often small, and to the left of the chest, so as a base layer, it's pretty neutral. 

Depending on where your headed, your mid-layer could look different. For the sportsmen in our midst, a mid-layer like a Track Top works, even if you're not training. For an afternoon watching the football, in the stalls or the pub, Fred Perry have an offering of Track Tops that are smarter than their usual racket-swinging, taped sleeve icons. 

If you want something smarter than a track top, a utility inspired overshirt works in a similar way for football, the pub or a coffee shop morning.

If your office are still big on casual Fridays, a sweatshirt or jumper offers a 1980's preppy look that Polo Ralph Lauren do to their absolute best. A v-neck can work, but not a deep-v. (Never a deep-v.) Otherwise, a crew neck knit works well for a smarter take on a casual piece. If you can do an argyle or fair-isle without looking like golf fancy dress, then you've got a pattern to add some interest. 

It goes without saying but there's got to be a level of balance with these layers. Doubling up on shirting and a jumper sometimes comes with the feeling of too much fabric bunched up under your arms. The trick, make sure your jumper is slightly bigger than the shirt. 

Polo Ralph Lauren and BOSS have great slimmer fitting shirts that'll layer under a knit, or even a sweatshirt. A Carhartt WIP statement shirt, like a corduroy, that sits on that fine line between shirt and overshirt doesn't layer as well under a jumper, but flip it and you can layer a jumper under a shirt. 

Layering jackets comes with the expectation that you're going to go indoors and presumably take the jacket off. But that doesn't mean it's not sometimes proper cold inside as well, or equally, really hot. So what you throw on underneath has got to provide you with a level of warmth, the ability to shed an extra layer if needed... and above all, make sure you still look alright, and not dishevelled and half dressed. 

Go back to the basic formula on this one, Base + Mid + Jacket. On cooler days, your mid-layer may look like a sweat or knitted jumper. it can stay on inside, and as long as your base layer doesn't have a bolognese stain on it, you can also afford to lose the midlayer if someone insists on cranking the heater up to tropical. 

When the days start to warm up, your jacket might start to look more like an overshirt. And an overshirt sits right in the middle of the mid-outer Venn diagram of Jackets. In short, it can be layered over a T-Shirt, or if it's oversized enough, a sweat. Which is a proper good way to add warmth, texture and a bit of structure to your outfit. 

• Starting with thicker fabrics as your base layer- not only is this way too warm but it makes you look bulky when you add more layers

• Extreme length differences - if a base peeks out by one or two inches it looks intentional, if it’s hanging way below the mid layer it looks like a mistake. 

• Clashing patterns and colours - stacking stripes, checks and prints can be noisy so pick one pattern and compliment with base colours rather than more busy patterns. This goes for textures too. Corduroy, quilting, and cable knits, even in neutral colours, add a pattern to an outfit that is best complimented with something plain. 

A few tips and tricks on how to layer clothes, without losing your style, and it's as simple as Base + Mid-Layer + Outerwear. But ultimately, it's all about comfort. And with weather like what we get served up in the UK, jackets and coats might be the main statement maker, so best to go out with a good one. 

Check out our New Arrivals and the Jackets & Coats department.