Men’s fashion: 15 functional and stylish items for your winter wardrobe

Keep to the essentials and just buy what you need this winter

Winter menswear: men are buying the essentials that will last right through winter

Mon Oct 07 2019 - 06:00

The winter menswear wardrobe for 2019 goes right back to the essentials: a good coat, a slim black suit worn with trainers, denim jeans in good washes, button down shirts, or a soft sweater in khaki, camel or navy.

Styling and layering can make classic pieces look fresh – suits with knitwear, check trousers with polo tops, easy-going cord or bomber jackets with sweats for weekend wear. Many heritage brands are showing their mettle and staying power – the tough, enduring and stylish Barbour waxed jacket attracts new customers every season and not just from the hunting set. Stylish functionality works.

Barbour original wax jacket, €285; Barbour crew neck lambswool sweater, €??; GStar tapered dark wash jeans, €140; all available from Arnotts

“Guys are investing in longevity and buy what they need – whether it’s relaxed dressing for work or weekend wear,” says Valerie O'Neill of Arnotts, which has Ireland’s biggest menswear offer. “Pieces that will take them right through the winter and into the next season given our weather. It’s a tale of two parts – on the one hand it’s about clean dressing with blazers, shirts with 1970s style prints and city coats. And on the other it’s about smart casual weekend wear – knits with parkas and jersey fabrics like sweatpants.”