Written and Produced by James Vincent

What to wear for early fall – when the weather is up and down, and you need to look your very best.

Early autumn is a classic time of the year in Chicago. The temperatures have cooled down just enough to start enjoying the seasons’ new fashion offerings. One of the best Chicago neighborhoods to enjoy autumn is River North. At once urban, sophisticated, trendy –  and with enough trees to be considered a true Chicago neighborhood – River North is also home to many loft conversions in buildings from its earlier roots as an industrial area of the late 19^th and early 20^th centuries. Today – in addition to some of the original galleries that started to dot the area in the ‘80’s – you are just as likely to find the newer residential high rises as well as the usual mix of bars, restaurants, clubs and other entertainment sources that serve an affluent mix of residences. But the River North loft still remains the ideal residence.

Presiding in a typical open plan loft in the heart of the gallery district is the Chicago location of Minotti http://minottichicago.com/  – the Italian luxury purveyor of modern, classic home furnishings. One of only four Minotti locations in the United States – this Chicago classic rehabbed two level loft is the ideal setting for Minotti’s collections of interior design offerings. Nothing says the Minotti experience like the Minotti statement:

“Minotti Chicago monobrand showroom is proud to present the most prestigious brand offering from Italy. “Made in Italy” means the key ingredient of Minotti’s identity. The emphasis is on a blend of tradition and technology. Minotti Chicago provides consulting services in all aspects of design, space planning and interior design, in addition to, product rental for film and advertising. Our design consultants work closely with both retail and professional clients to realize the Minotti ideology within their projects. We encourage you to visit our showroom and immerse yourself in the Minotti experience.”

What says fall more – and that you are ready for business – than a three piece brown plaid suit? And not just any plaid – but a bold window pane plaid that is not shy in its determination to stand out in a crowd. Perfect for the office as shown here – but it can equally well could be dressed down with no tie and sneakers. Think of the vest as an extra – it can also be worn separately with jeans for a casual weekend look – the three piece suit is an excellent investment purchase.

Suit, House of Cavali; Shirt, Dockers; Tie & Pocket Square, Pierre Cardin; Tie Bar, Vintage; Socks, Model’s; Shoes, Florsheim.

In the thought that a guy can’t have too many plaid suits – these muted gray suit separates are another way to not only look great together as a suit but work as well with a sport jacket – think with a dark washed jean – or the trousers could be worn with a similarly styled dark gray sport coat or blazer – or just alone with a casual shirt. Suit separates are a modern take on suits that are here to stay.

Suit Separates, Tommy Hilfiger; Shirt, Lorenzo Uomo; Tie, 14^th & Union; Pocket Square, Penguin.

Autumn in the city brings countless events to attend – gallery openings in the River North area come to mind. But really – for any event that you want to ratchet up your style quotient – be it a dinner celebration, engagement party, etc – a tux jacket is must season purchase. Don’t feel you always have to dress it completely with trousers but feel free to wear it with a good pair of jeans. It gives it a more relaxed, casual air – like you just decided at the last minute to dress it down.

Tux Jacket, Ben Sherman; Shirt, JWN John W Nordstrom; Tie, Boss Hugo Boss; Pocket Square, Vintage; Jeans, Lucky Brand; Boots, Steve Maddon.

In the ever changing Chicago fall weather, it’s good to have some versatile outerwear jackets. One of the most versatile is a sport coat like this with a zip-in liner vest. It looks great as shown here with a tie and jeans but would work equally well as an outerwear piece with a turtleneck or any other sweater. Its versatility is endless – you need one – it takes you out to an event in style and warmth.

Sport Jacket, Calvin Klein; Shirt, Jared Lang; Tie & Pocket Square, Perry Ellis Portfolio.

Fall outerwear jackets don’t have to be all chunky, quilted wool affairs. Bomber jackets have been making a great comeback in the last several seasons – like this pop colored, bomber style jacket that looks great with jeans but would look great paired with sweats or shorts.

Jacket, Diesel; Tee, Public Opinion; Jeans, Paige.

Speaking of the fast changing fall weather – never knowing what to expect on an early autumn day – some warm days are bound to still happen. And while maybe shorts are still an option – a jacket is also still an option to throw in your backpack. But rather than a bland hoodie or an equally bland typical dark colored jacket – opt for a lighter color to pop yourself against the urban landscape – you’re bound to look good and stand out from the crowd while you do.

Jacket, Scotch & Soda; Polo, Psycho Bunny by Robert Godley; Shorts, Slate & Stone.

*Photography by Alejandra Guerrero, http://www.alejandraguerrero.com/; Model, JD for Ford Models Chicago; Grooming, Ashley Condron, http://www.rcbeauty.com/; Styling, James Vincent, https://www.tradeshowoffs.com/; Shot on location at Minotti Chicago, http://minottichicago.com/