Male Fashion Tips: Accessorizing

I was never comfortable with accessorizing (wearing rings, wrists straps, etc,) but after my shopping trip a month ago, I’ve become addicted (Laurie you have created a monster!) Over the past month I’ve sought different accessorizes (primarily rings and straps) that would match my new outfits. There’s plenty of ways a guy can accessorize, but it must fit within the boundaries of the style. An example: I’m following a layered casual look, this means scarves, wrist straps, and rings are all within my boundaries. Other styles may include arm straps, chains (which I frown on), and hats (i.e. Kangol’s.) Before deciding on which accessorizes to purchase, take a moment to browse though AskMen’s Fashion section (especially the seasonal fashion preview area) or a male fashion magazine. Pay attention to what people are wearing, the type clothing style and which style you feel the most comfortable. Once you have a style chosen, begin to determine the accessorizes that will compliment the style. In most cases, a ring and wrist wear are necessary; for the colder months, hats or scarfs.

Rings were the hardest for me to understand. My instinct was to get a “cool” looking ring instead of a basic ring that complimented my style. Rings are the male equivalent to women’s earrings, a different outfit will call for a different type of ring and ring color. I now have 4 rings, a silver ring that matches with a brown and blue outfit, and 3 black rings that match with separate black outfits. Silver rings are easy, a simple silver band will do, but this grooved gold plated titanium ring adds an extra flair without going overboard. Black rings are harder as I’m not a fan of plain black bands. I highly recommend a black ring with a small design on it that can used as a story piece. This black ring with Chinese Zodiac signs or this ring with a black dragon design would do the trick. You just have to come up with a story.

Wrist wear, includes watches, bracelets and straps. If there’s a watch you’ve already incorporated into the style, you’re in great shape and may not need any additional accessorizes. If your cellphone has replaced the need for a watch (like it has in my life), keep on reading. Wrist wear can get very complex and scary easily; unless goth is the style, stay away from studs, spikes, or any complex design. Wrist wear should be kept simple and match the outfit and its colors. Something generic like a leather wrist band will do the trick. For additional flair, this Kenneth Cole bracelet is simple and elegant enough to incorporate with many outfits. Remember, the wrist wear must match the outfit, thus a variety will be needed. When I’m not wearing black, I have a black and brown leather cord band like this one that matches nicely with many outfits, but this stainless steel bracelet would make an adequate replacement. For black outfits, gravitate towards simple black bracelets, like this leather woven bracelet or this black braided one.

During the colder months, you may be forced to wear additional clothing (i.e. hats, scarves, gloves.) The rules here are simple, color match. Black with black, brown with brown, etc. Don’t not introduce a third color, unless you know what you’re doing. I will note, I struggle with Navy Blue in the winter. While it may be easy to find matching gloves, scarves and hats, Navy Blue can act as a compliment color if wearing black in my outfit (i.e. black shoes or pants.) A navy blue jacket with black gloves, hats, and scarves would make the navy blue act as a highlight color.

However, if you’re trying the same technique with bright yellow and still single, you may need more fashion help than I can provide in this blog post… or hope you can return the jacket for black or brown one.

(Full Disclosure: Links to products in this post lead to Amazon.com thru the Amazon Associates program. Products were used to serve as examples.)

Image Credit: Frederic della Faille on Flickr