Perhaps without them your coordinates might look obscure and unexciting; Accessory comes as a secondary requirement next to your outfit. It is definitely a man’s duty to add essential accessories to his ensemble while sprucing up, it not only finishes your look smartly but radiates strong signal of your powerful personality.
Let us name top to bottom all essential and next-to-essential fashion accessories for men.
Sunglasses
Sunglasses are essential when you need to shade your eyes from dazzling sun rays, beat the wind or flaunt style even at evenings. Based on these facts sunglasses can be considered almost essential because nothing can fill in for them.
Finding fit sunglasses for your face shape is as tricky as to match a perfect tie to your outfit. However if you know your face shape exactly you can wear one, two or three different types of shades in rotation, if not more, one at least.
In general men’s faces are oval, rectangle, square, round, oblong or triangular, so there is a large family of shades out of which you can choose one- Aviator, Wayfarer, Clubmaster, Square, Round, and Oval. These mentioned designs can fit most of the face types satisfactorily.
Shopping tips for sunglasses
- Determine your face shape first
- Never prefer exact same frame as your face type. For example round frame for a round face shape or rectangle frame for a rectangle.
- Check the frame and lens for cracks. Check the border of the frame for a systematic shape.
- Find a sturdy frame and arms.
- Wear the sunglasses and check the fitting in the mirror.
- Feel how bridge sits on your nose. Sometimes bridge is too tight or loose. If it cannot be adjusted don’t buy it.
- Check the lenses if they are properly encased.
- Go out in the sun and check the visibility. Walk between indoor and outdoor few times to judge the transition of visibility. Some men might experience vision problem due to lens colour or shape.
How to check fitting of the frame
Check the tension of the arms on temple, if it is too tight you are wearing a small frame for your head. Tilt head forward to see if the frame stays firm on your face, if not ask the seller to adjust the fitting. Minor adjustments can be made instantly but anything that is taking too long, say no to it.
Necktie
No suit is complete with a tie, yes that’s correct. You may wear one without a tie but there will be a void emphasizing the need of a tie. If you are wearing a suit, tie is the only most noticeable accessory among all the other ones.
Chief reason is the position of the tie. It comes in the centre of the torso starting from the neck which itself is a prominent area of human body for attention and attraction. Second is the length; tie lies lengthwise along the torso arresting the glance on it.
Ties are multilevel accessory. Starting from simple solid to multicolour patterns, from dots to stripes to then checks, from satin fabric to silk. Then there are dozens knot types which further enhance the power play of neckties.
Cravat
Worn around the neck as a style article cravat is a plain or printed piece of cloth that goes inside the collar. It is a predecessor of neckties which are worn over the shirt with the neckband hidden underneath the collar. Necktie has overtaken cravat, although cravat is an easy to wear fashion accessory for men.
Earlier kings and emperors wore cravat as a decoration in the neck to look suave, it also enhances the manliness more than a tie but ties create a proper effect in business and work setting.
There are some stunning ways to wear a cravat which still remains unparalleled to any other a neck accessory.
Scarf
Scarves are another neckwear, a necessity in inclement weather and a style bonus. Why would you need one in first place? Well the first quick answer can be scarf just looks fabulous when worn properly matched appropriately.
Besides, due to its good length it can be draped around neck to shield it from cold wind to freezing weather. Moreover, a scarf can be styled in many ways to different tastes.
Scarves are especially a winter item but also sold in cotton for hot weather. Neck needs special care in both cold and hot weather. Luckily both cotton and woollen scarves can be used to cover neck or head, just in case.
A scarf can be worn over a shirt, sweater, jackets (looks splendid with a leather jacket or denim jacket), other jackets, sports coat, and overcoats.
Few methods of wearing a scarf are draping, looping, knot, or interlacing.
Every method is unique and has some variations, every man might like one or the other way or more ways wearing a scarf.
Colour of the scarf is also important; since you will be wearing it for many hours it must look attractive. To look sober all the time wear navy, brown, grey, golden, multicolour are some common colours. You can either choose a contrast for a striking look or merging colour for a systematic gentleman look.
Scarves too come in patterns like stripes, checks or dots etc. Select basic colour with no-pattern for a minimalist fashion, it also gives scarf versatility to accessorize with a variety of outfits.
Boutonniere
A small unit of flowers tied at stems to wear in buttonhole of a suit jacket. One flower such as rose with small stem can also be accessorized as boutonniere.
Boutonniere is combined with a dinner suit or a common suit jacket and supposed to be worn on formal events such as wedding. Many men wear this decoration piece on their wedding to appear more arrayed. It also attracts women since they have an affinity with flowers.
Although worn predominantly by every other man in past nowadays not all men prefer to wear boutonniere since it is an extra accessory.
In case the buttonhole is sewn shut boutonniere is fixed to the same spot with a pin.
A man should not copy the style unless he recognizes the need of a boutonniere else he would be only carrying extra two ounces.
Pocket Square
Another fetching and high-powered accessory next to necktie is a pocket square. An immaculate and ideally matched pocket square can make you look handsomer. It is a smaller size silk or other material piece of cloth, especially designed for wearing in breast pocket of a suit jacket.
While buying a square keep in mind following points
Size
Ensure at least a 12’’ x 12’’ size for achieving any fold. This minimum size can be adjusted to any shape and fold.
Colour
Don’t go for orange red or yellow, to be safe stay on navy, white, and maroon. If your first pocket square is orange or green you may hardly wear it with any suit, therefore see with your mind in addition to eyes to judge the functionality of square with various outfits.
Patterns
A formal pocket square is plain or has no bold prints on it. Generally the design would be polka or small circle. Other patterns may be dash, circles. These designs are less busy and lend all-round appearance to square.
Handkerchief
A white hanky is best for men in all contexts, formal, casual or informal. It may have blue, grey, brown linings along edges, but no details beyond that is a classic thing to carry in your pocket. Leave blue or pink for women.
A 12’’ x 12’’ is a good size for handkerchiefs. A much smaller size will prove unusable and much bigger hanky will look like a towel and bulge inside your pocket.
Prefer carrying hanky in front pocket of trousers not in shirt or rear pockets.
Wristwatch
Can we complete the list without a wristwatch? Next thing you want after dressing up is to check time before you leave for any event and you do that via a watch. It is more than an accessory, in fact a perfect watch to a man is like a gun to a soldier, he can’t step out without it.
First thing a watch does is to save you from dire embarrassment; shocked? Yes, when you are fully dressed with nice shoes and enquire time from a bystander it may sound usual to you but for the bystander you are an incomplete man. Since when he can wear a watch, you too can and should!!
Watch is worn on left or right wrist depending upon the comfort of the owner. Conventionally it will go on left wrist.
A dress watch fits suit and other formal outfits. It is a basic design with roman numerals or dashed marking in the dial with three hands of watch. Dial colour may be black, navy, blue, white, grey for a dress watch and strap colours should be black, brown in general. Tan and grey are also acceptable.
As a dressing rule match black belt and black watch strap with black shoes. For brown and other colour shoes match dark brown belt and watch strap.
Belt
Belt is essential. If you wear perfectly fit trousers and denim you may think of a belt as unnecessary piece of fashion but the truth is most men wear fit trousers around waist and still need a belt to enhance the outfit, especially if you have loops in pants. Belt connects the whole ensemble together by lending a sleek effect to your silhouette.
Buy a pair of dark black and dark brown belt; that is sufficient. Don’t beat your brains about matching other different shades like tan or grey. For grey or green shoes see which fits best out of black and brown.
You may seldom wish to skip belt; that is no sin since it is a change from routine.
Buckle is a vital aspect of a belt. Pay attention to the detail of the buckle. Any decoration can turn a buckle from formal to casual or sloppy. Wear a rectangular frame with prong for a business look, at work. Other variations are box-frame, flip closure, clip or emblem style.
Socks
Imagine a man wearing shoes without socks and another with socks. Which one looks systematic? No doubts a man wearing socks.
How come socks create a better look? Socks work to complement or match either the shoes or pants. They also connect the attire with the shoes so as to create a trim look.
Socks not only function to integrate your outfit but save your shoes by absorbing perspiration. Likewise foot skin remains fresh and does not suffer from stench.
