15 Most Essential Accessories For Men | Top Men's Accessories | Wardrobe Essentials

Putting a good look together is more than just the jacket, shirt, pants, and shoes that you wear. It's those small details and accessories that can really make the outfit and pull everything together. With accessories though, it's not just about clothing. They can extend to other areas of your life as well. So in this video, 15 of the most essential accessories for guys. Let's get to it. Number one, a white pocket square. So this is one of the most versatile pocket squares to have. It's super easy to style. You can wear it with a formal look. You can wear it with a business look. It can be business casual or smart casual. Works with a variety of jacket colors and patterns. Now in my opinion, you actually need two white pocket squares. You should have one in cotton and you should have one in silk. The reason for this is that you want to be able to cover the spectrum from very formal to more casual. Silk being more formal. Cotton more casual. I will say that because you're going to get so much use out of this, it's worth spending some money on a really great example of each. My personal choices are for cotton, Paul Stewart, or Eton. And for silk, you can't do any better than Charvet. Number two, a tie. Now maybe you're someone who doesn't need to wear a tie on a daily basis, but whether or not it's a wardrobe requirement for your job, it's something every guy should have. Again, like pocket squares, I don't think one is enough. You should have at least two ties to cover you from a more dressy standpoint all the way to something more smart casual and relaxed. For that one, for the more smart casual tie, I'm going to recommend a navy grenadine. It's got some texture to it, so it lends itself to more casual looks. And then for the dressier tie, we're going to go with a classic striped tie in silk. Again, to play it safe and get the most versatility, I recommend going with navy. Also a good choice if it's your more dressy tie. Number three. So as an accessory for your tie, an accessory for the accessory, a tie bar. It's a nice little extra touch every now and then and also very practical as it keeps your tie attached to your shirt so it's not going to be blowing in the wind or dipping into your coffee or anything like that. Choose one that is simple and one that matches most of the metals that you wear. So if you wear a steel wristwatch, I'd recommend getting the same for your tie bar. Stay away from novelty tie bars. Not the right way to attract attention. Number four, sunglasses. Every guy's got to have a pair of sunglasses and the sunglasses you choose should really match your style and your personality. So it's hard for me to say that this is the one pair of sunglasses you need to have. If you've got a more classic style, I might try some club masters. If you've got a more sporty style, you might look into some aviators like a classic Ray-Ban, Randolph Engineering, or American Optical. If you've got classic style and you're comfortable and confident with sunglasses, I would try something by Persol, either the 649 or the 714. Number five, a scarf. So scarves serve two purposes. Practical, they keep you warm, and aesthetic. They look nice. They can be an accent. They can complement your outfit and actually pull everything together. Again, the scarf you have should reflect your style and personality. I would recommend a wool scarf. If you're a more traditional guy, just go with something in a solid color. Navy is always a great choice. Camel or burgundy, if you're looking for something maybe a little more seasonal. If your style is more adventurous or, say, more advanced, definitely go with a pattern. A big plaid is great. And you can also find scarves with really, really intricate and interesting patterns. Number six, a belt. Now, the biggest thing people wonder about belts is, do they need to match your shoes exactly? Ideally, your belt and shoes are the same color. It looks good when they match, but let's be real here. If you have multiple pairs of shoes, it is impossible, not impossible, but kind of unrealistic, to have a belt to match every single pair of shoes that you have. If you have a black leather belt and a medium brown leather belt, you'll be pretty much covered sufficiently in any situation. Number seven, a briefcase. Now, just because you don't have that traditional office job doesn't mean you can't carry a briefcase. Like I've been saying throughout the entire video, any accessory you have should match your style, it should match your lifestyle, and the purpose for which you would be using it. There are lots of different kinds of briefcases for all different types of people. If you have that more traditional kind of office job, I would say that a leather briefcase is a great choice. Frank Clegg happens to be my personal favorite. If you want something on the more casual side, a classic Filson briefcase and twill is the way to go. And then if you're looking for something that's kind of an in-between style, I would recommend the Cary briefcase by Stuart and Lau. Number eight, a weekend bag. I'm talking about a duffel bag. The suitcase is fine, but to me there's something much more stylish and classically elegant with a good weekend duffel bag. Fits everything that you need and nothing that you don't, which really helps you become a more efficient packer as well. The most stylish and of course most expensive weekend bags are leather duffel bags. You get what you pay for here in terms of the quality of the leather. A higher quality leather bag will last longer and look better over time. Again, my pick is Frank Clegg. For something more casual and outdoorsy, Filson is a great option. And if you're going to go with that, I would go with a medium size. Number nine, a wristwatch. Come on, you couldn't be here and watching this video and not know that I was going to choose a watch. I think it's good to have two watches in your collection. You need to have a dress watch as well as something on the sportier side. Dress watch should be something rather simple. It could be time only, just have a sweep seconds hand, possibly a date window, and on a leather strap. Sporty watch can be bigger on a metal bracelet. Of course, the sky is the limit when it comes to pricing in terms of watches. You should pick something that fits your budget as well as your style. Number 10, a wallet. Full disclosure here, I am not a huge wallet guy. I actually use a card case, which is also a good option. A good wallet or something to keep your valuables in, like IDs, cash, credit cards, is absolutely essential. And like all accessories, the one you choose is really something of an expression of your personality and your personal style. There are lots of cool, more techie-oriented wallets out there, but if it was me, if I was a wallet guy, I would choose a leather billfold or trifold wallet. Number 11, cufflinks. Well, if you don't have a French cuff shirt, you don't need cufflinks, but you should get a French cuff shirt because they are super stylish. So, a simple pair of cufflinks is an absolute must. Again, think about the metals that you wear most and get cufflinks in a matching metal. As far as shapes, you can do a simple oval, you can do a knot. These are both very versatile and can work across a variety of outfits. Cufflinks can also give you the opportunity to show off a little bit of your personality or your interests. Tons of different kinds of cufflinks out there, all the way from bicycle gears to rubber chickens. However, avoid these more novelty style cufflinks, especially if it's going to be the only pair that you own. You want your details to be subtle and not crying out for attention. Number 12, a pen. And I'm not talking about a Bic or the pen that you stole from your last hotel you stayed in. In my opinion, having a pen is one of the marks of a modern day man of style. Like, when you go to a restaurant, it feels nice to kind of take out your pen to sign the bill. If you've done it before, you know what I'm talking about. It doesn't have to be a super fancy pen. It can be something like a Fisher Space Pen or the Karas Customs Retract Pen, or it could be something a little fancier, more expensive, like a Montblanc. Number 13, a dop kit. You know, when you travel, you need to have some place to store all of your toiletries and grooming supplies. Don't just haphazardly throw them into your bag or suitcase. Get a proper dop kit. A decent dop kit will run you around $30 to $40, but you can, of course, pay more for a premium product. Whatever one you get, make sure it's durable and that it's big enough to hold all of your stuff. Number 14, a pocket knife. So, this is a great tool to have and one that comes in super handy when you least expect it. From opening up packages, to cutting twine, to spreading peanut butter, or just being the guy who has the knife when someone randomly asks, hey, does anyone have a knife? It feels good to kind of help out in that way and just get things done quickly and easily. It could be something as simple as a Swiss Army knife, or there are any number of high-end knife makers out there that you could spend lots of money on. I have a few okay knives, I would say. I have a Benchmade Griptilian, also from Benchmade, an Emissary, and also a Spyderco Sage. And finally, number 15, a flashlight. I'm talking about like a small pocket-sized flashlight. Like a knife, this is something you won't use all the time, but when you need it, you will be extremely glad that you have it. I don't have a ton of experience with different flashlights. For the last 10 years or so, I've had this really small Phoenix LD-01. I think the E-01 is the newer version. It's like 40 bucks on Amazon. Totally gets the job done. So those are my 15 choices for the most essential accessories for guys. If you have specific recommendations for products or brands in any of those categories, definitely leave them in the comments for everyone to see. I put links to some of my favorites, both at a more budget or affordable price point, as well as a more luxury price point down there. Thumbs up if you like this video. Don't forget to subscribe and hit the bell so you get notified when we publish new videos. Until next time, everyone, thanks for watching, and stay tailored.