Nathan here! If you were on Anna’s Instagram over the weekend, then you’ve seen our latest update: It’s a boy! We are absolutely ecstatic for this next chapter of life for our family!

We’ve regularly updated our weekend finds, but in honor of the big news, this one is for the boys!

I’ve stumbled upon some really good fall clothes lately, and I wanted to share a mix of things I found this past week, from an insanely cozy pullover to a few closet staples and a pair of loafers that were too wild not to share. I hope these pieces offer some inspo for you!

If you or the person you’re reading this for has a more traditional or classic style, it can be kind of difficult to shop online these days. A lot of brands style things in ways that aren’t, well, “traditional”, so thinking about how certain items will fit on your or pair with what you already own can be a bit of a guessing game.

Two things I always consider when online shopping are material and fit — simple enough right? Most sites will give you details on each item you’re looking at, so it’s good to use those insights to get as much context as possible.

With material, you’re really thinking about what an article of clothing is going to look like 6 months from now, not right out of the bag. Is it cotton? Will it shrink in the wash or is it pre-shrunk? Is the color garment-dyed to give it a vintage look? Is it the type of material that will wrinkle really harshly and require regular ironing? Is it a wool blend that may pill? (Pilling refers to those little fabric balls that start showing up on your sweaters.) What is this jacket’s lining? Do these jeans have any percentage of elastane in them, or will they require some break-in?

Colors will fade and change over time, and that’s the beauty of owning something for a long time, but what an item is made of will dictate how you need to care for it! If it’ll pill, there are ways to deal with that (EG, shaving them off with a razor). If it’s 100% cotton (and not listed as pre-shrunk), maybe hang dry those jeans or shirts to avoid shrinkage or size up to account for the change. If a wool coat is polyester lined, it probably won’t be helpful on days in the 20s.

Every material is different, and learning what these details mean for how you wear and care for your clothes can really help when it comes to buying something online. (We could do an entire blog post on this, but I’ve honestly just used internet searches to piece together my own understanding of it.)

When it comes to fit, things can be a bit more unclear. For instance, ever check the details on a shirt and a website says “Model is 6’3″ and wearing a size Small”? That’s insanely unhelpful. Most websites don’t give you the exact measurement of the clothes you’re looking at, but they’ll use terms like “relaxed”, “slim”, and “regular” to help provide context, and if you check the details you can at least get some sense of what you’re looking at.

In the example I gave above, it’s extreme, but it probably means the piece is oversized, and I may need to order 2 sizes below my own to get the look I want — or, maybe I should skip out on it altogether. If something reads, “slim fit”, and you prefer things to fit regular, relaxed, or if you’re in between sizes, then you should probably size up one from your normal size to get your desired look. After awhile, you start to get a sense for how sizing works with some brands based on the descriptions and product details.

And lastly, when it comes to shoes, especially loafers, dress shoes, and boots, I recommend doing a quick google search to see how their sizing is. Most run about 1/2 or full size too big, so it’s good to use the internet to get more info. IE, searching “Dr Marten Loafers Sizing True to Size?” will give you a good idea of what size you need.