Outfit Of The Week 11/24/24 – 11/30/24

I decided to post this week’s edition of “OOTW” a little early, since tomorrow is Thanksgiving and some of you may need some last-minute outfit inspiration!

This outfit was one I wore last weekend at my in-laws’ house. We did an early Thanksgiving celebration with my wife’s family, as we plan to spend the actual day of Thanksgiving with my family.

The outfit I wore speaks to a point I made in an article last year about being easy to shop for. Basically, everything I wore to Thanksgiving dinner with my in-laws consisted of gifts they had purchased for me in the past. It’s very important to use the gifts that others give you. Show them that their effort in giving you that gift was not in vain.

Also, as I wrote last year, my outfit consisted of easy layers. Case in point, when we arrived at my in-laws’ house, my boys wanted to play outside with their cousin. I was meandering around the dining room and den, periodically glancing outside to make sure the kids were ok. The patio door was open so I could hear everything that was going on. At that moment, I was happy to be wearing a heavy sweater. But later in the night, after a big meal and a few beers, it felt too warm to have the sweater on, especially since the house had been packed with people for a few hours. In that moment, I doffed the sweater and was much more comfortable for the rest of the night.

My outfit consisted mainly of a yellow oxford-cloth button-down shirt from Lands’ End, a pair of navy chinos (also from Lands’ End) and a cable-knit, Aran cardigan (I am not sure from where).

I know that navy pants are generally viewed with scorn in the internet menswear community, but they are actually a very useful piece in a man’s wardrobe and provide a nice contrasting color when worn with something like a yellow shirt, as I have done here.

Dark pants are also great for wearing around the kids, as stains won’t show as readily if one wore a lighter pant like a khaki.

Initially, I was concerned that the yellow shirt against the oatmeal-toned cardigan wouldn’t provide sufficient contrast, but in seeing them together, I think they make a nice-looking pair.

As far as fit, both the shirt and pants were relatively relaxed, which made sense given that the day consisted of a long drive, wrangling children, and copious levels of eating and drinking.

Why didn’t I wear a jacket and tie, you ask? Well, I felt like it would have been a little out-of-place at my in-laws’ house. However, I’m definitely going to wear a jacket and tie tomorrow on actual Thanksgiving when we visit my family for two reasons. One, I started a tradition last year of wearing my navy bulldog tie on Thanksgiving (along with my green bulldog tie on Christmas) and I want to continue that this year. Two, my wife and I plan on taking our holiday pictures tomorrow and we’ll need to get dressed up for that.

All in all, it was a lovely day spent with my wife’s family. On days like those, I make sure to remind myself how lucky we are to have such close relationships with extended family.

Next week, I’ll highlight what I wore on Thanksgiving day which may provide some inspiration for Christmas outfits later on.

Have a wonderful weekend!