The 2024 Fall Fashion Episode
Chore coats, vests, and rugbies — oh my!
I don’t remember the exact date it was — December, I think — when I asked Barrett if he wanted to sit down at lunch and talk out a plan for a new podcast idea I had. We had recorded a couple episodes together for The Sunday Scaries Podcast, and those episodes did well enough that I began to realize that we had something there.
At that lunch, Retail Therapy was born — and it was largely because of the success we had on the two previous Fall Fashion Episodes on the aforementioned feed for The Sunday Scaries Podcast.
It brings me a lot of joy to bring you this year’s edition. Here’s everything you need from this iteration, and probably some links to some stuff you don’t need.
While we recommend watching this episode on YouTube due to the sheer amount of stuff Barrett tossed on the screen, here’s how you can listen to it:
Trends We Saw While Shopping
Footwear
Leather shoes: “This is a logical step after the hype of the Paraboot Michael for last fall and the fisherman sandal for this past spring. This is where you’ll see newness: boat shoe varieties, iterations on derbies, the boat shoe comeback, etc. You’ve got your boots and your sneakers, now you need something fresh.” — Barrett
The current state of fall footwear: “Is everything just… boring?” — The notes I took while doing some window shopping across sites that fit our demographic.
Outerwear
As expected, outerwear usually takes over when we begin to ruminate on anything autumn. It’s hard to not do an episode on coats/jackets alone, but we did our best to not spend too much time in this area. Here are our in-house notes:
Chore coats, barn jackets, trenches, non-down vests all seem to be players across a lot of sites.
I discussed my recent affinity for attempting to buy vintage outerwear on eBay, something I’ve had minor success with over the last month. I referenced a guide from
about shopping for vintage pieces that may help you in your journey as well.I also brought up modifying old outerwear instead of donating or selling it on eBay. The Deadhead in me has jumped out in a big way, but I’m now of the thinking that none of us should be afraid to sew a patch on a jacket or vest we love.
Long Coats: We’re sooooooo back. Producer Randy is absolutely fiending for this one from Bonobos.
In terms of things we weren’t feeling on the outerwear front, the conversation really started and ended with inauthentic varsity jackets like this one from Ralph Lauren. But if you’re in your 30s wearing a varsity jacket, can it ever really be… authentic?
Shirts and Sweaters
Two of the largest trends we caught for this fall were driven by this specific category. The first is simply a shifted color palate — brown has somewhat replaced green as a fallback color, and more men are wearing red than they were last season (which is probably a nod to all the red popping up in women’s pieces both last fall and this past spring).
The other trend we saw was textural — so many popular pieces this season have a feel to them that make them stick out more than anything else. Likely driven by the “quiet luxury” movement, brands are trading in large logos for high-end fabrics (or, at least, fabrics that look high-end). “Dressy can be ultra cozy,” Barrett said. Overall, this is a very good thing.
Far Afield Long Sleeve Sweater Polo — Shop
William Ellery Weekend Rugby — Shop
Frizmworks Zip-Up Cardigan — Shop
Loud Sweaters from various brands — Example, Example, Example
Some trends that are definitely popping up in this space:
Cropped everything: Outerwear is leaning cropped already, and this means it’s time to mix in some cropped tees so you’re not walking around with your tails sticking out.
Rugby Shirts = In: While there’s a case that rugby shirts are never actually out, more and more brands are carrying rugbies this year whether you’re into it or not.
Loud Sweaters: A lot of brands are upping their sweater game, for better or worse. I put a few links above to these but (in all honesty) I’m feeling them less and less this year vs. others. Are old graphic sweaters grandfathered in? Absolutely. But if there’s ever a time to avoid Cosby sweaters, it’s now.
Pants
Hindsight is 20/20, but we really didn’t call out a ton of specific pants throughout the episode. Instead, we honed in on the styling our demographic may enjoy — straight-fit pants and Abercrombie’s 90s fit jeans.
Always keeping our eye on Gen-Z and the Soho bros in NYC, it’s easy to begin thinking we all need to wear voluminous trousers. Luckily, no one is actually forcing us to so we can get away with just wearing normal pants that aren’t (1) skinny jeans and (2) adjacent to wind pants.
These 90s fit jeans are a great compromise if you’re still worried about zagging away from skinny jeans. But overall, don’t be afraid to go straight leg this fall. It’ll feel weird for the first few times you go out but I promise you’ll get used to it and wonder why you ever allowed fabric to crowd your legs like that all these years.
Everything Else
Pleeeeeeeeease do not show up to the function in a long-billed fishing hat.
Exposed Belts — A ton of FW24 styling has exposed belts peaking through. But as Barrett noted in the episode, it’s “more complex than simply tucking in your shirt.”
Maybe just ease up a little bit on the jacket from The Bear.
“The chore coat of the fall.” — Shop
Articles of Interest
Somehow, we had enough time to run through some quick articles of interest that pertain to the Retail Therapy universe. Here’s links to all of them (and no, we don’t agree with GQ’s clickbait-y chore coat take):
A Case for Ladcore — Link
Liam Gallagher at Maine Road Manchester — Photo
$100 US Open Chicken Nuggets — Link
$1500 Loro Piana New Balances — Link
Resort-core — Link
Friends Don’t Let Friends Wear Chore Coats — Link
Of course, we closed things out with our wishlists and imminent cops.
For 2024, we’ve hit the reset button on our wishlists and made them a bit more digestible for the year ahead. To access the complete version of our 2022 and 2023 wishlists, look no further than our final Listener Digest of 2022 and our final Listener Digest of 2023.
Will’s Wishlist (2024)
RRL Officer Khakis ($241.50 on sale) — Link
Abercrombie Workwear Pants ($68) — Link
Nike ACG Russet Moc ($100) — Link
Soho Home Nadine Rug ($1,016) — Link
Acqua di Parma Colonia C.L.U.B. Eau de Cologne ($150) — Link
Drake’s Swim Shorts ($145 on sale) — Link
Dark Brown Belgians ($675) — Link
LL Bean Field Coat (price unknown) — Link
A&F All Day Shorts ($60) — Link
Vintage Duck Camo Pants ($225) — Link
Boy Smells x Kacey Musgraves Deeper Well Candle ($56) — Link
Kavu Organic Strapcap ($40) — Link
Predator Mundial 2024 ($120) — Link
Every Other Thursday Hat ($44) — Link
Kermit Oak Foldable Chair ($300) — Link
Block Crochet Knit S/S Shirt Navy ($450) — Link
Nike Air Zoom Infinity Tour NRG ($190) — Link
Vintage Patagonia Stand-Up Shorts on eBay ($25-$60)
Drake’s Soleil Graphic Tee ($145) — Link
We Are Rewind Cassette Player ($159) — Link
Drake’s Olive Seersucker Games Suit ($1,790) — Link
Will’s Note: Please send me any reasonably priced alternatives you have for this as I’d love to buy a new suit in this style before August! Thanks!
Adidas x SNS Predator Mundial ($130) — Link
Frame Crewneck Cashmere Sweater ($498) — Link
Aimé Leon Dore Tassel Loafer ($350) — Link
New: Thames Mudlarker Shorts ($96.00) — Link
New: Clark’s Desert Boot ($150) — Link
New: APC x Tame Impala Mules ($400) — Link
New: William Ellery Rugby ($150) — Link (Sold Out)
Barrett’s Wishlist (2024)
Margaret Howell Fireman Trousers ($495 Retail / $371.25 Sale) — Link
Vass Shoes Black Leather Cap Toe Oxfords (€417) — Link
Uniqlo Down Parkas ($40-$150) — Link
Montblanc Meisterstück Stainless Steel & Black Onyx Cufflinks ($280) — Link
Second/Layer Pico Blazer & Trousers ($340 on sale) — Link
Lululemon Soft Jersey Short 5” ($68) — Link
Abercrombie & Fitch “Handcrafted” 3-Button Polo ($90 on sale for $72) — Link
Bode x Nike Sneakers ($150) — Link
JJJJound Sambas ($250) — Link
Post O’Alls x Bagsinprogress Beach Bag — Link
Toga x PORTER Nylon Backpack ($1,135) — Link
Sacai x Carhartt WIP Cotton-Canvas Shorts ($470) — Link
Guest in Residence “Breezy” Sweater ($395) — Link
Noah Slouchy Sock ($22) — Link
Garrett Leight “Webster” Sunglasses ($249) — Link
Buzz Rickson Type CWU-9/P 1960’S Jacket Liner ($355) — Link
Prada Woven Shopping Tote ($2,050) — Link
(Madewell ($80.50) — Link)
Buck Mason Seeded Natural Herringbone Short ($128) — Link
Timex Q 1978 Watch ($179) — Link
Gap’s Linen Collection — Link (Imminent Cops linked below)
Leesa Sapira Hybrid Mattress ($1499) — Link
Vinny’s Fisherman Sandals ($320) — Link
Abercrombie & Fitch University of Texas Crewneck ($90) — Link
New: J.Crew 1983 Heritage Barn Jacket ($178) — Link
New: Kapital 16-Panel Stripe Jersey Big Rugger Shirt ($542) — Link
Listen to Retail Therapy on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube (see above), and anywhere else podcasts are found.