Oxxford plaid sport coat | Polo gingham shirt and corduroy trouser | J. Crew silk knit tie and sock | Brooks Brothers pocket square | Allen Edmonds Grayson shoe 

CKCloseup: Polo plaid shirt and linen tie | J. Crew rugby

J. Crew Lambswool

I've made a grand total of four purchases from J. Crew over the years, and I've been disappointed with three of those four purchases. However, this lambswool selection seems pretty decent. On sale for $29.99, they feature seven-gauge knitting and raglan sleeves, though it's the color vibrancy that draws me in most of all. I may not be in the market for anything short of cashmere, but I figured these were worth sharing.

Today's Outfit

Chaps blue oxford shirt

J. Crew silk knit tie, made in Italy

Polo Ralph Lauren hand-knit pima cotton shawl sweater

Lands' End reversible cotton plaid scarf

Polo Ralph Lauren green Andrew chino

American Eagle marled cotton boot sock

Polo Ralph Lauren shearling Ranger boot

Today's Outfit - Casual Cricket

Horrible photo, once again. That's what I get for using my cell phone.

Anyway.

Polo cricket sweater, repp tie, shirt and chinos.

Smart Turnout socks. 

J. Crew saddle shoes.

The Fall of Fair Isle

Though some of the sweaters here are warm-weather appropriate, there's no time like fall/winter to break out fair isle. Traditionally made of wool, today's fair isle selections can be found blended with linen, cotton and silk. Therefore, it doesn't take freezing temps. to be comfortable in one. When you're one of these sweaters, the trick is to keep everything else incredibly simple. Go with a solid shirt and tie in colors complimentary to those of the sweater. The place to apply contrast is with a blazer or suit. For example, any of the sweaters in the bottom photo would work perfectly with a navy suit, while similar shades of olive, tan and brown would leave the sweater and thus your outfit, muddled. By comparison (with exception of the blue fair isle), the sweaters in the top photo are certain to look best with grey tone suits. The monochromatic vibe will create a look that's more city-sophisticated than country casual.

Ralphie and Brooks always put out great selections, but more affordable options are available this season and can be found below. 

Lands' End.

Izod. 

J. Crew.

A round of applause is due for anyone who buys this and pulls it off.

 

 

Today's Outfit - Fair Isle for Fall

Polo oxford - Macy's, $20

Polo fair isle cashmere sweater - $40, eBay

*Countess Mara vintage solid silk tie - thrift shop, $1

Polo slub twill chino - ralphlauren.com, $42

(not pictured) Club Room yellow socks - Macy's - $3

J. Crew vintage saddles - thrift shop, $2.49

*This tie was originally sold at Schwabe-May, a legendary menswear store in Charleston which, quite sadly, closed in the last decade. The finest menswear could be found here - suits from Oxxford and Hickey Freeman, fabrics from Loro Piana and Holland & Sherry.

Lime Linen

Vintage lime sherbet linen blazer

Polo Ralph Lauren striped poplin shirt

Brooks Brothers sea island cotton v-neck sweater

J. Crew vintage paisley cotton tie

Oak Hill linen trouser

Chaps white oxfords (not pictured)

Busy Weekend

Not much time to write today, so I'll share a couple new acquisitions.

Just in from the J. Crew site. At least their socks are worth buying... if on clearance.

Allen Edmonds black caps, $5.99 at the thrift yesterday. One pair of a mere handful of black shoes I own.

Corgi

New to my wish list are these Corgi socks at J. Crew. At $32 a pair, these cotton socks from Wales cost more than I'd pay for just about anything, but I'd love these bold patterns with rolled up chinos and Weejuns.