Ask yourself: would you wear the same shirt every day? Would you wear the same pants? The answer is (or at least should be) a resounding “no.”
The same thinking must apply to your oft-overlooked accessories. These outfit accents are just as important, if not more important than the base clothing items you pick out every day. If you’re trotting out the same boring watch, solid pair of socks, or even the same pair of sunglasses on a consistent basis, you might want to beef up your wardrobe.
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Challenge yourself to sport a different accessory combo every day. That means wearing a different belt on Friday than you did on Monday, or swapping your watchband from Wednesday to match the accent color of the fedora you’ll wear on Thursday.
Be warned, though: while others may haphazardly cobble together a catalog of accessories, this isn’t an “anything goes” kind of situation. What’s more, the pursuit of accessory perfection can cost you a pretty penny if you aren’t careful. Here are a few cost-conscious style tips that can help you up your fashion quotient while avoiding common pitfalls.
Watches: It’s all about changing bands
Don’t make the mistake of thinking that your smartphone can replace a watch. Wearing a watch isn’t just about keeping time, it’s about adding a splash of color or texture to your look. And the key is diversity. Don’t go out and spend $3,000 on a watch with limited applications when you can spend $30 one with versatility. Watchmakers like Timex and Fossil offer affordable pieces with interchangeable bands, allowing you to adapt your watch to every occasion -- without breaking the bank.
Belts: Holding your look together
Every accessory you wear is an opportunity to enhance your look. Unfortunately, belts are commonly missed opportunities. With the right belt, you can seal a classic outfit, or add flavor to a bland ensemble. For leather, shoot for one black and one brown as a base. Then go colorful with a couple woven belts, and round out your collection with a funky, patterned belt for extra special occasions. The good news about belts: Unless you’re wearing Burberry, no one is going to notice the brand. So feel free to hunt for stylish bargains.
Socks: Be loud and proud
If there were such thing as an accessories celebrity, it would be socks. Recently, loud, patterned socks have become a necessary pairing to shoes of any kind. And if you’re not rocking your socks out, you might as well not wear socks at all. Two general rules of thumb: 1. The louder the better; 2. Your socks don’t need to match your outfit. It takes some time to adjust, so if you’re just getting your feet wet, try out a few blue and black variations that can pair to your pants. Then, when you’re comfortable, bust out the pinks and oranges. For the value hunter: You can score 2-packs of designer socks like English Laundry at most department stores.
Ties: Not your dad’s accessory
Possibly the oldest men’s accessory around, the tie is experiencing a surprising renaissance. While neckwear has always been required in most professional circles, the tie is now cool in several social contexts as well. Dressed up or down, every man needs a power tie, a skinny tie, a knit tie, and a bow tie. Throw in a tie clip as well, for good measure. Just don’t overspend on your tie -- discount brands like The Tie Bar have graced have graced the pages of GQ and cost less than $30 a pop. Like watchbands, quantity can be more important than quality.
Miscellaneous: The accessories you need, but don’t need 5 of
Sunglasses, headphones, wallets, hats, and shoelaces are all necessary components of any fashionable repertoire, but they don’t require as much rotation as other items. A quick miscellaneous makeover: Put down the Ray-Bans and grab yourself some Wayfarers you don’t care about losing or breaking, sub out your white Apple buds for a white pair of Skullcandys that actually sound good, swap your bulky bi-fold for a card holder (no one carries cash anymore), use a fedora instead of a baseball cap, and punk out a pair of shoes with laces in your favorite color.