My boyfriend dresses well in the summer, always in his shorts and bright polo t shirts, but I have noticed that he has been living in his comfy clothes quite a lot recently. I questioned him on this the other day and his response was “You tell me how I can dress smart and keep warm at the same time?!” Oh dear, this explains why the jazzy knit jumper I bought him last Christmas is collecting dust in the wardrobe!! So I told him. I also figured that if this is my boyfriend’s attitude it may be the same for many men…

Most women, especially I, suffer from the cold all year round in England and so understand the importance and art of layering clothes – in winter I live in my coat!!

It’s true, I think there is an art to layering because you want to make sure all your expensive brands aren’t hidden away but pieced together in a way that allows them to be noticed. The advantage of this is that the clothes you spent all your money on in the summer can be recycled to winter – I’m talking t shirts under open shirts, polo’s under crew and V neck knit jumpers, cardigans and un-zipped hoodies with t shirts underneath knit vests. I suppose it sounds like I’m saying just throw it all together but it is worth knowing which neck lines suit other neck lines, colour matching and customising certain items to allow for extra layers and to give a unique style.

In the winter Mr Sunshine doesn’t shine and it is a fact that we obtain vitamins from the sun to keep us happy, so brighten up your life with bright coloured happy knits like the classic Fair Isle chunky knit jumpers from Ted Baker and Penfield. Or if jazzy is too bold for your personality opt for a plain coloured crew neck knit and layer over a signature tipped collar polo t shirt from Fred Perry or a contrasting woven collar from Ted Baker so you feel the extra warmth and also create a customised look unique to yourself.

Once you get to grips the options are endless – you can take your summer chinos, roll them up to your ankle revealing a thick pair of patterned socks like the designs from Happy Socks and Ted Baker – they might even stretch up to your knee keeping your legs toasty warm!

I think most men would agree to wearing leather over canvas for footwear in winter! Generally boots are classic styles, such as the Chelsea and Brogue style boots from Ted Baker, H By Hudson and Oliver Sweeney, as well as versatile styles from Timberland, which all tend to fit well with most outfits and provide that all important warmth!

Finally, my boyfriend thinks accessories are add-ons with no real purpose other than for show, like women with their jewellery, but he is wrong! For instance, jackets that are designed to be worn as a trend aren’t necessarily super warm and require additional layers (disregarding brands such as Superdry, which create jackets to protect you from every bad weather condition you could think of, which is not a bad thing by the way!) so if you want to be the next big trend setter you should really invest in a scarf to play the part of a large collar that your trendy jacket might be missing. Fair Isle patterns on scarves are popular with Lyle and Scott and Ted Baker and give the perfect contrast set behind a plain dark coloured Armani pea coat jacket.

Don’t deprive yourself of style because Mr Frost is about – shield yourself with the best designer brands about found on Mainline Menswear.

P.S Watch out though, your knitwear might go walkabouts and find itself in your girlfriend’s wardrobe! The oversized chunky ‘boyfriend jumpers’ are a big craze for women this winter – they are like dressing gowns – perfect to snuggle in!!

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