Autumn is transitional outerwear season.
Here, my long-time friend and style inspiration Marwan Helal (as featured previously here, here and here) shows us which outerwear pieces he uses to transition his clean, classic style from Summer to Fall.
1. Unlined Cotton Trench
“As Dan has written before – you can’t go wrong with a classic trench in a dark neutral color. I can wear this thing any day of the week, rain or shine, dressed up or down, for years to come…. It’s an investment piece”
Bonus Tip: It’s not overly thick, making it perfect for those in-between months, and it has enough room to layer knits under when it gets colder.
Bonus Tip II: Think about a versatile color. ”I’m not going to spend a decent amount of money on something if I’m not going to wear it much… This piece is great because you can literally throw it on without much thought.”
Bonus Tip III: Unless you wear suit jackets daily, you’re trench should be cut to fit trimly through the shoulders and arms. Because I wear them more often without a jacket underneath, my trenches typically fit well over a shirt/sweater and slightly snug over a jacket.
- Grey trousers by Hugo Boss
- Brown leather lace-ups by JCrew
- Navy trench coat by Club Monaco
- Brown leather belt by JCrew
- White s/s button-down shirt by American Apparel
47 Comments Add a comment
Marwan is a fucking pimp!!!
does anyone know where i could purchase some pink chinos, i can’t seem to find any on the j.crew website
Marwan always looks dapper while showcasing reasonably-priced pieces. Marwan’s style is unique and I would love to see more of him.
On another note…
1) Where did he find the eggplant cardigan?
2) Will you do another travel/packing list feature for the holidays?
Everything Marwan wears is always on point. I don’t like fu pants, (pink looking j crew chinos) but if I saw this guy walking down the street with that outfit, I would have to say damn! He knows his stuff!
Another great article with Marwan. As I said before, please feature him more. I keep coming back on this blog just to check if Marwan is featured.
LOVE this article
I agree with the rest of the people, please feature more Marwan!
Which j-crew shawl cardigan is that?
@mike…its the alpaca shawl cardigan on jcrews website. ryan oozeer is wearing the same one in his “featured friends” post from march 2011.
This dude has swag. I love when he is featured on here, I am wildly inspired by a lot of his looks. Denim jacket with the raspberry chinos….. Dope.
NICE POCHET!!
http://www.coolsquare.blogspot.com
I love his style. I feature menswear weekly (Wednesdays) and I’m greatly inspired by his color ways. These pieces are a great fit on him and I’m loving his assortment of shoes.
xoxo
http://www.thewrittenrunway.com
This guy needs his own blog! he’s fresh!
Btw Marwan- who is your local tailor?
I go to the same tailor, have seen him there a few times – it’s Mr.Sam Tailor in Windsor – guys name is Mason.
This guy obviously knows how to buy clothes that fit. I think the other thing that always makes his clothes look good is that he is in good shape. You’d be amazed how much better your clothes will look/fit if you slim down the midsection and put on some upper body muscle (I know it’s easier said than done).
definitely true, definitely easier said than done. put on more pounds than i should have over last winter. the summer came up and i found myself too subconcious about my shape that i had to stay away from some outfits i had been dying to wear all winter. here’s another tip: if you want to lose weight, start now! don’t treat it as a new years resolution or get going 2-3 prior to summer like most do(like i did). to really get in shape you need a lifestyle change that has to start asap.
Marwan is too badass to smile. His style is pretty epic. Love the theory of a “dress in the dark wardrobe.” I will have to try this for a week…
Wow those Desert Boots are usually so irritating on the eye because every guy on campus owns them. But not the red ones. Also, smile! It looks like you just saw some guy touching your girlfriend’s booty.
I love Marwan posts. Simple, affordable and realistic style for regular guys. It helps that we have a similar body-type too I think; easier to imagine how stuff would look on me. Definitely want to see more of him
Look 2 is pretty solid. Its all Club Monaco/J.Crew outfits – nothing that hard to pull off. Sebago boots are sweet. Smile Dude, your on the Style Blogger! lol
“Its all Club Monaco/J.Crew outfits – nothing that hard to pull off.”
Wow, I’m sorry, but that makes absolutely no sense. Probably one of the stupidest things I’ve heard in a while lol. You don’t pull off brands, you pull of certain articles of clothing, for example…a madras blazer, pocket square in the back pocket, white jeans etc etc…get it? Those are pieces that could arguably be considered hard to pull off.
I disagree. Club Monaco and JCrew are brands that appeal to a mass audience, and are cut to fit a variety of body types.
Without a doubt there are brands that are considered “hard to pull off”. Rick Owens comes to mind, or Galliano…some guys would even say Thom Browne is “hard to pull off”.
In full disclosure, it astonishes me that someone can read a post this elaborate, and this is what you decide to comment? In such a tone? ..Some comments really make me wonder about my audience….or perhaps the typical audience of menswear websites in general
Nevertheless Elias, thanks for sharing your “wisdom” with us.
Best,
Dan
impressive images looks very descent and nice this is wonderful collection.
This guy has some serious style. Please feature him more!
where can i find slim fitting/european cut pea coats/ trench coats? im a skinny guy and most brands- even in size small drown me in fabric.
I’m actually pretty skinny and I found a decent priced pea coat at target.
The standard Uniqlo trench is reasonably slim fitting, with pretty high armholes. I think it comes in an extra small, so I’d recommend that, as I’m reasonably built and wear a small (tight fit though; would never get a jacket under it)
Ark, Spiewalk’s pea coats are fairly narrow in cut. I have a very small frame and their pea coat hugs me tight. Try on a few.
Anyone know any info on those Sebago boots? I’ve got a pair of Sebago Docksides but rarely wear them because they’re so stiff and uncomfortable. Are the boots any better?
And echoing everyone else, these looks are all very impressive (as always).
http://hypebeast.com/2010/05/ronnie-fieg-sebago-lighthouse-boots/
Give the docksides another chance, they take some getting used to. Mine used to feel the same way, now they fit like a dream.
Where did u get those Clarks? At first they looked just liked red wings. Just was wondering cuz I’ve never seen that color. This post is great thou, I like his style bEcause it’s very similar with the clothing I purchase. H and m , gap and club monaco All have awesome clothing for a decent price. I tried to track down the green toggle coat from club Monaco that dan has worn in a few looks and I could never get it. If anyone ever comes across one let me know !
The boots look pretty identical to Clarks ‘burnt orange’ desert boot:
http://bit.ly/nbwdOu
The only difference seems to be that Marwan’s have gold metal eyelets, whereas the Clarks ones are just leather. Maybe his are a special line or something
Aha, I found what I think must be his. Can only find via US sellers though strangely (considering Clarks is an English company)
http://bit.ly/qmcDKD
Nice location shoot in Windsor, Ontario! From another Windsorite.
LOVE THE POST. Keep it up TSB!!!
Wow.
Marwan, you really killed it in this one. Liked the pocket square in the vest and loved the insight about belt/pant/shoe relationship.
Keep it up man:) Great idea to have him back SB!
Love the pocket square in the puffy vest!
what size is the club monaco trench? i actually have it was well in a medium but looks a bit chunky in the back with the belt, but then looks boxy from the front if you leave the belt undone. did he get it tailored?
Tie the belt behind your back when you’re wearing it open; that helps the waist stay cinched in and looks a lot slimmer. I think that’s what Marwan’s done there because the belt isn’t hanging very low
yeah i do that but sometimes it bunches up and looks a bit weird. but i was also asking about the size because mine is a medium, and the one marwans wearing looks a bit shorter which i would prefer
Very like! ;P
Thank you Dan , thank you Marwan!
Happy fashionistic autumn!
;-)
He has what fits dialed perfectly, so no matter what kind of clothes he has on, they look amazing, even though price-wise, they’re on the lower end. I love the post not only because Mr. Helal is dressed perfectly, but also because all of the pieces he wears are not prohibitively expensive.
Marwan and Ryan always give u a run for ur money…speaking of Ryan, he needs another feature. Are those indeed cords in look 4? They look like chinos…. Thanks Dan for the post!
As usual, very nice post! It’s cool to see some of your friends pop up for recurring segments on here just to get a glimpse of varying styles. Keep up the good work, all of this is putting some ideas in my head.
This guy was born fresh