Time to transition

Words: Nabeel Allie | Photography: Steve Marais | Styling: Mandy Nash

Seeing your ex start dating your identical twin is awkward. Dressing yourself as seasons change shouldn’t be. We’ve rounded up our winter-to-spring favourites with timeless appeal so that you can make your way through nature’s transition phase while never letting your style slip.

Take a look at what we’re doing with denim, plaid shirts and jackets below...

The partner for life: a denim jacket

Denim jackets are indestructible. They’re like the Toyota Hilux of fashion. It’s hard to remember a time when they weren’t around and there’s no doubt that they’ll continue to be a mainstay we're gone. They can be paired with anything, from jeans to contemporary-styled joggers, and furthermore, they allow you to blend shades and colour-block effortlessly. Like with all good denim, a jacket will last you years – and for some people denim jackets are family heirlooms. If Justin and Britney couldn’t tarnish denim back in 2001,  there’s no way you can go wrong with one.

The new streetwear favourite: polonecks

They used to call Drake on his cellphone, then he began wearing polonecks and they started sliding into his DMs. Polonecks have become increasingly easy to pair and wear – providing a striking contrast that takes street fashion to the next level. Polonecks make bold statements, accentuate jawlines, and if you don’t have a boo, by God, they’ll kiss your neck with warmth on colder nights, too. Colour-block them with single-coloured socks and throw on a blazer, and then stop yourself before changing your Insta handle to @champagnepapi1997

Wear with anything: dark indigo denims

Imagine if jeans were a person and you had to give a speech for their 100th birthday. My friend, you’d be speechless. Jeans go with everything. Astronauts would've damn well gone to the moon in jeans if they could, and your wardrobe is not complete without an adequate selection. Levi’s, of course, stands out as the classic denim brand, but don’t sleep on Jack & Jones and G-Staw RAW, and of course South Africa’s own Sergeant Pepper. Although ripped jeans have steadily found a foothold in the denim universe, straight cut stonewashed jeans will always be at the centre of said universe. Roll them up and show off your sneakers, or tuck them inside your boots. Jeans provide you with a base to accentuate shirts or simple tees with puffy jackets.

Always on-trend: the denim shirt

You may not be able to personally build bridges over highways and rivers, but a denim shirt will hold an important place in your wardrobe to bridge the gap between smart and casual as the weather warms up. The subtly washed aesthetic of jeans makes this one a timeless companion for joggers, shorts, and more denim. As young people, we thought the denim on denim look was for old folks and Woodstock-style hippies but by beard of Merlin, were we wrong. If you haven’t started a collection, find your ideal shades and start immediately.

So many ways to wear: the plaid shirt

Plaid shirts stand out as a wardrobe mainstay for fashionable men, and more so as an easy between-seasons layer. The beauty with these shirts, as with jeans, is that they’re incredibly malleable. Tuck them in, let them hang over your waist, button them all the way up or don’t button them at all; button the top two buttons for a subtle opening to reveal your undershirt beneath, or button the lower-most buttons while the shirt is tucked for a classic 90s look – the list is truly endless. Whether you opt for the 9-to-5 office look, or prefer tied-round-the-waist skateboarder style, playing around with buttoning your plaid shirt will help you find your ideal take on the staple.