The Inaugural Meeting and Three Autumn Layering Ideas
Welcome to the club
Hello, it is with great honour that I welcome you to the inaugural meeting of The Prep Club. Forgive the pretence, it’s just an affectation.
It seems only right that that this society should be inaugurated in the Autumn, it is the season for which I live to dress in. As temperatures fall and the opportunity to layer becomes more and more common here in England, my personal capacity to dress is revitalised, and I know this is the case for many others.
So as we tend towards that wonderful middle ground between sweating through t-shirts, and hiding under an enormous coat, here’s a look at three layering ideas I’m excited to wear, and to see others wearing, this Autumn.
Rugby Shirts
Trans-Atlantic rules-of-cool writers ALD, Drake’s, RL, etc. are big on the rugby shirt at the moment, but it’s very much a timeless, and fantastically preppy, piece. It’s an interesting one to add to your wardrobe because it is very ubiquitous, but not always the best expression of what it can be.
The key play here is to pair it with a collared shirt, a tie too if you like, or a neckerchief and to tuck it under itself so that it meets the waistline of your trousers. A penny collar, pin collar, or in fact both is a good pick here too, and wearing one in this way might help you dodge the Peaky Blinders accusations, though I’m yet to test this in practice.
In terms of choosing a rugby, I’d champion a solid, neutral colour, cotton or wool, but if you are better versed in negotiating stripes, go for it. I’d encourage you to just get the one, a versatile one, and take it from there, if you want to make it your signature piece, pick up another colour.
As a bonus:
Take the above ensemble and throw a tweed blazer on over the top, for the chillier temps as the sun goes down.
The “Shirtleneck”
A self-coined term, albeit an obvious one, pairing an unbuttoned shirt with a turtle/polo/rollneck is a less classic combination.
There are a couple options here, you’ll want a tightly fitting turtleneck but then you can go for a heavier, double pocket work shirt in a cotton, cord or denim, or a lighter poplin, broadcloth, needle cord.
This one is trickier to pull off, there’s a few details to pay attention to. Avoid a skinny collar, the collar needs to stand up to the heavier visual weight around the neck. A decent colour contrast between the shirt and sweater is important too, unlike wearing a shirt under a jumper, I think you can absolutely do either a light shirt, dark jumper, or the inverse. This is a more constructed look, but you shouldn’t be afraid of it being perceived as such, you should try it out, tradition be damned. I do think this works best with a blazer or coat over the top though.
In a way I see this as an autumn-appropriate extension of the open-shirt/ white tank combo that everyone loves these days
Knitwear and neckerchiefs
We’re seeing a lot of love for the neckerchief/ bandanna at the moment, deservedly so, it’s an immensely versatile and iconic piece. Lately I’ve taken to subbing mine in as a makeshift ascot/ day cravat, that doesn’t look quite so stuffy. I think this is a great solution for wearing an open collar under a knit, whilst keeping the chill off of your chest.
Here I’d opt for a nice wide knot, and a classic paisley if you’re after a touch of cowboy. Then a light shirt, always a light shirt under a sweater. From there outwards, layer up as much or as little as you like.
To conclude today’s meeting, I’d like to express my gratitude for your presence here, I hope that you’ll be a regular attendee, but I’ll also remind you that this is the opinion of one person, have your own opinion, tell me about it below if you’d like.
Prep Club adjourned, I’ll see you at the next meeting.