THE JOURNAL
We love a big statement here at MR PORTER – a standout sweater, a jazzy shirt, or even just a flash of brightly coloured sock can really make an outfit. But we also recognise that big statements are just one of the aspects of good style. Equally important are the supporting elements, those hard-working pieces that lay the foundations on which the rest of your outfit is built.
If your wardrobe was a band, you wouldn’t want five lead singers; you’d want a good rhythm section, too. And Club Monaco, to labour the musical analogy, is your steadily dependable drummer. Always on beat, the Canadian brand’s collections are full of the kind of well-made essentials that you never seem to have enough of: shirts and T-shirts that hang just right; trousers that neither feel too formal nor too slouchy; and outerwear that you’ll find yourself coming back to year after year.
And while Club Monaco’s “better basics” are a great bedrock for more adventurous pieces – the metronomic four-four beat to your face-melting guitar solo, if you will – they also work perfectly well on their own. Indeed, their universally coordinating colour palette of neutrals allow for a near-endless combination of outfits. In short, if your tastes tend toward the understated – a description we recognise applies to many of you – then you really needn’t shop anywhere else.
To illustrate the point we’ve pulled together four easy, versatile outfits using pieces from Club Monaco’s most recent fall collection, plus a few accessories and shoes from elsewhere, which you can peruse at your leisure below.
The old reliable “grey T-shirt and jeans” combo gets an upgrade, above left, with a pair of slim-fitting linen suit trousers standing in for the usual denim and a recycled-cashmere full-zip cardigan providing a smart finishing touch. Box-fresh white sneakers from Mr P. complete this easy, weekend-ready look.
Club Monaco has a knack for freshening up classic styles with smart fabric choices and this outfit, above right, is a case in point. It's a fair bet that most guys have a button-down shirt or two hanging in their wardrobes, but the soft handle and textured finish ensures that this one stands out from the crowd. We’ve doubled up on the waffle texture with a crew-neck T-shirt and finished things off with a pair of tapered trousers cut from nylon shell.
Club Monaco displays its knack for contemporary takes on old menswear standards with a lightweight bomber jacket, top, made from seersucker, a lightweight cotton fabric with a signature puckered texture that’s most commonly used in high summer tailoring. It’s paired here with linen-blend drawstring trousers in tonal blue and a grey marl sweater.
Never out of style, the camel coat is a wardrobe investment that you won’t regret – and Club Monaco’s version, above, is about as timeless as they come. It helps that it goes with almost anything, too. To illustrate the point, we’ve partnered it here with a pale blue linen sweater and a pair of navy herringbone-wool trousers for a straightforward look that’s sure to serve you well this winter.