DUKE CANNON HELPS DIAL IN YOUR FALL WARDROBE
As autumn weather descends, we all must reassess the clothing we choose to drape across our bodies. No longer can we simply don some cargo shorts and our favorite t-shirt, unless we’re spending extended periods indoors watching, say, the first three seasons of This Old House. But the fire pit calls, and the backpack blower beckons, so allow us to consider the best looks for picking apples, chopping wood, and growing ever more distraught as the neighbor’s fallen leaves drift just over our property line.
PERFORMANCE FABRICS
This comes down to a definition of terms: just what is your idea of “performance?” Strolling the aisles of Costco? Sitting unmoving for hours at a time? Not in our book. But if you’re thinking “performance” means the kind of materials that can stand up to errant sauces and gravies, while also protecting you from both wayward bonfire flames and welding sparks (canvas, wool, denim, and leather come to mind), then yes, those are wholeheartedly endorsed by Duke Cannon.
T-SHIRTS
Short sleeve tees give way to long-sleeve tees. Easy enough.
SLIM CUT PANTS
While Duke Cannon doesn’t quite fall into the “husky” category, neither do we wish to walk around in dungarees that fit like a scuba suit. After all, a fellow needs a little room for his keys, utility knife, a roll of Certs, and so on. There is a cut of long pant designated “regular,” and while this might sound unexciting, it will keep you from looking like Mikhail Baryshnikov on one end of the spectrum, or Tony Soprano on the other.
FLEECE JACKETS
Fleece does have some negatives. It’s highly flammable, and any loose dog hair within 100 miles will, without fail, be sucked into its orbit. These downsides are easily outweighed however, by the simple fact that fleece is supernaturally warm for how lightweight it is. Welcome to “warmth without bulk” country.
LONG UNDERWEAR
No man’s top dresser drawer is complete without at least one pair of white, waffle knit long johns. Though they might be slowly turning a shade not unlike warm butter, and the elasticity in the waistband is about as taut as the inexperienced offensive line currently failing your team, they are still like a second skin, and will be of great comfort beneath whatever costume you decide to wear this Halloween (this year we are debating between going as Norman Schwarzkopf or Mariners-era Randy Johnson).
FLANNEL SHIRTS
There is no shirt with a richer tradition than the flannel. The second greatest export of the Scots (whisky, of course, being the first). This is what men wore to build railroads across North America, erect skyscrapers in our cities, and fell trees in the Pacific Northwest so that our nation is assured of having enough toilet paper. And now, we can all wear the same uniform with pride as we curse squirrels and mulch leaves on our .2-acre lot in the suburbs.
SWEATERS
Sweaters get a bad rap, as they have somewhat been monopolized by ski bums, college professors, or Land’s End catalog models over the years. But once a nip is in the air, any hard-working fellow should feel free to don this garment without a second thought as they sip free hot cider at outdoor garage sales. Just remember a couple of things: Don’t get too crazy with the patterns, and if it’s not wool, it’s actually a sweatshirt.
