A holiday homecoming doesn’t require reverting back to your highschool sweatpants and sports team winter coat in order to fit in. Looking your best when you’re home for the holidays will make the event an occasion and tells your loved ones how much you care. The objective is to show how you’ve matured into a refined gentleman that knows how to look the part.

Here are three style ideas to make the right impression this year:

​Like many fellow sufferers of the chronic “wanderlust”, one of my favorite things to do is to travel and I am always thinking about the next big trip somewhere exotic or at least far enough away to feel the escape. Although, the problem when you're constantly dreaming and planning of the next dream vacation to somewhere on the bucket list, you tend to forget about the mini excursions that lay at the foot of your own backyard. As in my case, I live in the Toronto area in Canada and often take for granted the easy access to the vast wilderness and nature just minutes outside of the city. So this past weekend, we decided to ditch the city for a little hiking while the autumn leaves were still in full viewing bloom. 

​I don’t know what I would do without autumn because it’s the one time of year when it’s actually hard to choose what coat to wear. There’s an endless array of stylish options to chose from that are also light enough that won't get you mistaken for the Michelin man: trench coats, leather moto jackets, quilted jackets, the husky jacket, wool field jackets, bombers, suede blousons, etc. You get the idea. Read my article on trench coats for styling ideas.

​The polo is one of the most popular garments worldwide, and happily in its element as athletic attire. They are relatively stretchy and easy to move in, and commonly made in a cotton pique fabric that breathes well during the warmer months. The collar adorns them with a slightly more sophisticated touch making them perfectly suited for country club sports. The most iconic version definitely belongs to Ralph Lauren, who built an entire sub-label clothing line – beyond just polo shirts – based on the name. Similarly to the Lacoste polo, they are also easy to counterfeit, which only increases their massive popularity.

​Walking into any decent menswear shop these days can be an overwhelming experience with the seemingly endless rows of suit racks. You’ve got your blues, browns, grays, blacks and everything in between in solids, pin stripes, checks, houndstooth and countless others. Where do you start? There is one suit colour, often overlooked, that has the right character to impart a debonair edge both day and night: charcoal.

It is easily considered one of the most versatile suiting options and it’s often touted as the prime choice for the first suit a man should invest in. Though when young and inexperienced, the common mistake is to invest in a black suit because it has a "formal" nuance attached to it, and one can wear it for "any occasion" whether it be for work, in the evening or for a special occasion. But in reality, it poses a big risk of looking like a funeral home director in the day light.

​When you think about the neck tie, it's a rather peculiar item of clothing. Apart from adorning a shirt and tie, it doesn't really have any practical purpose. The origin of the neck tie apparently dates way back to the French who caught on to the small-knotted neckerchiefs that were worn by soldiers of the Croatian military during the Thirty Years War of the 1600s. This was the birth of the Cravat, as it was known, which was later made fashionable amongst French nobility by King Louis XIV. The industrial revolution eventually ignited the desire for a less complicated, low maintenance cravat to specify one’s status in society; right from the very beginning, the tie possessed an inherent association with position and formality. 

One look at a trench coat and the unique details instantly reveals its military origins that date back to the first World War. The coats were created for officers in the British army and then modified to active combat use in the trenches. As to the original inventor of the trench, this is an ongoing debate, as both Aquascutum and Burberry claim this title.

For most of us, the winding pathway of life often leads to a sort of river crossing, where the only way to move forward is to dive right in and swim across. These are the defining moments when we have to take what we deserve, sometimes with a bit of force. You may need to close your first major sale or challenge a colleague for a promotion. Nevertheless, the image you project must leave zero room for doubt. It's these times when something as seemingly mundane as choosing the right navy suit and tie can mean difference between failure and making a powerful impression.

It's that time of year when the morning air is crisp and the leaves are changing colour. The best part about autumn is busting out the flannel jackets. Autumn flannel sportcoats occupy a special place in my closet and have been the foundation of my wardrobe and personal style for years – I couldn’t do without them. 

Weekend getaways are a chance to escape the day to day and take a style adventure. When flying is involved, strategic packing is key. Maximizing your air travel experience requires two things: comfort and style. The vast majority of travelers seem to only care about the former. But the way you look absolutely carries with it some added bonuses, from cruising through customs to arriving at the hotel and not appearing like you just got off a plane. Fortunately, there are ways to get the best of both worlds.