It's never just a men's suit, nor a blazer and pants, not even just jeans and tee shirts; it's an outfit and the right accessories make it work. This men's accessories buying guide includes some basic information to help you wade through the available options, so you'll know what options will best meet your needs.
When it comes to appropriate dress, each place or activity has its own standards and level of flexibility; each person has his or her own style. Always dress appropriate to the venue and event and, within those parameters, step to the tune of that different drummer within you.
Traditionally, the rule to match men's belts to men's suits was easy -- don't wear them. It was thought that belts interrupted the visual appeal of a business suit, so men wore suspenders. Today, the rules have changed -- but not disappeared. Generally, match men's belts to men's shoes: Black leather belts with black men's leather shoes, brown with brown or red-wine. For khaki pants, light brown fabric belts are okay. Second, even if you are the world champion bull rider, save that manhole cover you call a belt buckle for your jeans; that is to say, be subtle, wear belts that don't attract too much attention.
With men's casual apparel, the rules are always changing, but it wouldn't hurt to try reducing the number of pants in desperate need of belts to keep them from falling down.
Men's wallets, according to some pundits, are the most sensitive part of a man's anatomy and, therefore, a very personal item. Several men's wallet styles are common, and the only way to know what works is to try out a few and pick the one that feels right. Wallets are designed to carry cash, credit or identification cards, business cards and a few receipts (''few'' -- from Old English feawe, meaning ''not enough to fill a 4-drawer filing cabinet''). Bifold wallets or trifold wallets are just that--they fold in half or three parts before being stuck in the pocket. They may be very small, like a business card wallet or credit card wallet with room enough for the basics; or they may be large travel wallets, tall enough to include a checkbook, notepad and a big wad of cash.
Men's wallets are now available in an array of designs: The nylon wallet is very durable and inexpensive; the waterproof wallet makes a good gift for those who plan on getting wet (and, not surprisingly, those who get wet without prior planning); the money clip or coin holders work well for men who pay cash. By the way, a couple of chic women's wallets (especially designer wallets) are a good thing to keep hidden close by if you tend to forget important things like birthdays or anniversaries.
Eyeglasses come in three types -- prescription glasses, sunglasses and reading glasses. Eyeglass frames are now designed by some of the top names in fashion, and you can spend a bundle or spend little, depending on your ophthalmologist and vision insurance plan. Most people get reading glasses at the corner drug store; where you can also pick up a spare eyeglass case.
Key rings are another way to express yourself. Hardly a key ring or key chain is made anymore without a logo or advertisement of some sort. For those who tend to lose their keys, some wallets now come equipped with a key chain to which the keys can be attached securely.
Men wear gloves for protection. For environments where hand injury is a serious risk, full grain leather, as in good quality motorcycle gloves, is the best choice. When winter comes, mittens and winter gloves are a necessity. Wool is great at trapping air close to the skin, but offers little wind protection and can be itchy. While synthetics like fleece are comfortable and keep the wind out, they don't let sweat evaporate as freely.
Driving gloves (the best of which are deerskin gloves) and neoprene gloves (synthetic rubber) are great for added grip and warmth driving down life's highway or shooting the rapids. Snug fitting satin gloves are great for activities in which you don't want to leave fingerprints (...but you didn't hear that from me).
Two items to consider when thinking about hats are brim and crown. The crown is the top section, the brim extends outward to shade the face and neck. These are described by the style. If you need to stay warm in winter, a fur or felt hat is the best choice. Straw hats, loosely woven to let air circulate, are better for summer. Cotton and synthetics are used occasionally for athletic caps. Of course, you knew that, sooner or later, fancy designer labels would end up attached to fancy designer hats.
Crowns come in three basic modes, pinched front, telescope and dome. 'Pinched front' are molded as if to fit the fingers for easy removal and tipping toward ladies. 'Telescope' style simply means the sides go straight up until they curve inward and come together. 'Dome' covers most of the rest, the fabric may hug the skull (as in baseball caps) or not (the derby), loose enough to fold to the side (beret) or the front (drivers cap).
Classic dress hats, called fedoras, aren't as popular as they have been, but the narrow brim and pinched front design will never go out of fashion as long as Harrison Ford keeps making movies. For cowboys, wide brimmed western hats still ride the range as felt, straw or leather hats with crown styles enough to suit any taste, but unless you've lived in the west, don't try to pull this one off -- wannabees need not apply. Baseball caps are sporting logos of every team in every league, plus schools and businesses, the long duck-bill brim makes them perfect for casual wear. Knit hats like toques and Navy watch caps remain the perennial favorite winter hats. Fur truly wintry weather, you probably can't beat an aviator cap or an ushanka from Russia. Both hats are primarily fur; the American version has the fur on the inside, the Russian on the outside.
As to coordinating hats with your other men's clothing, if you don't wear baseball caps with business suits, if you don't wear ushankas in the summer, if you don't ever wear any hat indoors, you will probably look okay whatever you decide to do.
For women, scarves are about color, fabric and style; for men, the scarf is also about keeping the neck warm. A wool scarf is warm and comfortable, especially if it's premium wool like a cashmere scarf or the ultimate, a silk scarf. These are more expensive than a knit scarf, but at Overstock.com, more expensive still means less expensive than retail.
The neck scarf can also make a great fashion item. When you're puttin' on the Ritz, drape a long, white, silk scarf around your neck so it drops behind your lapels for the Fred Astaire look. Hello, Ginger!
Until about 1750, according to history, only women carried umbrellas and only for protection from the sun, not the rain. That year, Englishman Jonah Hanway decided to make his umbrella one of his every day accessories. Englishmen and the ''bumbershoot'' have been attached at the hip, so to speak, ever since.
Today, umbrellas come in several sizes; you can choose among a small collapsible model, a medium walking-stick size and the large golfers' two-person format in any color or multi-color or logo style.
What kind of leather should I get?
'Full grain' is the best for most leather accessories. Full grain leather is the complete hide and retains the thickness, texture and markings of the original. It looks most luxurious and is most durable. When the hide is cut for thickness, you get 'top-grain leather' and 'split leather.' Top-grain is the outer skin, which looks almost as good as full grain but is usually sanded and painted. Split leather (and its fraternal twin, suede) and are the lower quality, lower skin layers that are heavily treated to have the full grain appearance or a velvety touch.
How do I determine my hat or glove size?
Using a tape measure, start one inch above your eyebrows and go around the widest part of your head. Have a friend help and repeat a few times so you know it's correct, then check online for a hat size guide. For gloves, measure the hand with which you write by stringing a tape measure around all four knuckles. Glove makers use both inches and letters, check online for their guides.
Be sure to browse through our entire clothing store for additional great men's clothing ideas at great prices. You will be amazed how a few little things can change the whole look of an outfit, whether it be sportswear or more formalwear, at a very reasonable cost, even for designer brands. The same is true for women's clothing and children's clothing.
Now that you have the look right, take it on the road with luggage from Overstock.com, and book a trip through Overstock's travel site.
As you consider clothing accessories, consider the makers. Men's accessories and women's accessories from our Worldstock partnership come from skilled local artisans all over the world. Some use commercially produced materials, but many items are handcrafted by talented artists who are also independent small business owners. Each item may vary slightly in size or pattern, making your Worldstock accessories unique pieces of art. Worldstock prices these goods as inexpensively as possible in order to drive up volume and create as many employment opportunities as we can for these talented smiths.