Arlington · Est. 1972
Outerwear fora mild winter
North Texas gets perhaps six genuinely cold weeks. Buying for a Chicago winter is a waste of money and closet space.
Men’s outerwear at The Man’s Shop in Arlington, chosen for the climate we actually have. A light shell, a quilted or field jacket, and one proper topcoat cover a North Texas winter. Anything heavier gets worn twice a year and takes up space the rest of the time.
What matters
Worth knowing
- A light shell
- The most-worn piece. Wind and light rain, packable, worn from October through April.
- Quilted or field jacket
- The middle layer that does most of the work here, worn over a knit or a sport coat.
- One topcoat
- Wool, knee length, sized to go over a jacket. For the handful of genuinely cold days and for anything formal in winter.
- Sizing over tailoring
- Outerwear must fit over a sport coat, which means going up in the shoulder rather than the body.
- What not to buy
- A heavy parka. It gets worn twice a year here and never looks right over tailoring.
The process
Two visits, not five
- First appointment
- About an hour. Cloth, measurements, and a conversation about how you actually wear the garment.
- Build
- Four to six weeks. Nothing is rushed and nothing is sent overseas without us knowing where it is.
- Collection
- Twenty minutes. Anything needing adjustment goes to Enrique, who works on site.
- Alterations
- Included on what we make. There is no separate bill at collection.
- Afterwards
- Your pattern stays on file, so the next order is a phone call.
Common questions
Outerwear, answered
What outerwear do I actually need in North Texas?
Three pieces: a light shell, a quilted or field jacket, and one wool topcoat. That covers the whole range of a normal winter here. A heavy parka gets worn twice a year and never sits well over a jacket.
How should a coat fit over a suit?
It has to accommodate the jacket’s shoulder, which usually means sizing up there rather than through the body. Try it on over the tailoring you actually wear, not over a shirt.
Is a topcoat worth it here?
For anyone who wears a suit in winter, yes. There are a handful of days when it is genuinely needed and a number of formal occasions where an anorak over a dinner jacket looks exactly as bad as it sounds.
Where are you and what are your hours?
100 S. West Street in downtown Arlington, parking beside the building. Monday to Saturday, ten until five, closed Sundays.
Arlington to Arlington
Book with Patrick or Austin
In stock and on the floor. Alterations on site.
Book with PatrickBook with Austin
100 S. West Street, Arlington, Texas 76010
Mon–Sat 10am–5pm · Closed Sunday
(817) 265-1116