When you think of accessories, some might instantly think about women’s fashion accessories, because there are entire shops and brands specifically for that. But men’s accessories are just as good at adding range and depth to a man’s style. Fashionable men know very well how to use accessories to make themselves look more interesting, cooler, edgier and even just more sophisticated and smarter.
Adding accessories to your look can really help to determine your style and show others what kind of person you are. In bald men’s fashion particularly, adding a few touches to your look can be very defining for you as we don’t have that ability to “peacock” our look with a hair style. So we find other ways to express ourselves and stand out from the crowd.
Before we look at some of the great options available and what styles you can combine or contrast to give yourself the look you want, I will just say one thing: do not pretend to be someone you’re not. Deep down you have a personality, and you shouldn’t try to completely overhaul who you are just to look good. You can absolutely change your style or upgrade your look a bit, but it’s difficult to show that you’re genuine if you’re rocking a look that just really doesn’t suit your natural character.
Bracelets
I’ve always been a fan of bracelets. When I was a teenager, I was the one with multiple pieces of tat wrapped around both of my wrists; from festival bands to beads and even just pieces of string. If you’re old enough, you’ll remember when we all went through that “coloured rubber bracelet for a cause” phase that all started with Livestrong – I had plenty of those! Within reason, even doing this as an adult is sometimes ok. Take a look at some of the famous men that you might consider to be “cool” guys and notice that they’re likely to have at least one or two bracelets of varying design.
One of the reasons I have always enjoyed a bracelet is because I find my wrists a bit thin and I’m perhaps a little self-conscious of them. A couple of well-placed bracelets along with a watch can actually hide this quite well. Just remember that not all bracelets are created equal.
Beaded bracelets – these are a popular choice for a lot of people (men and women) and you’ll find these EVERYWHERE, from stalls by the beach to high end fashion shops and even supermarkets. These are so popular, and I’m not surprised. Now I wouldn’t recommend being and adult with wrists full of beaded bracelets, but actually 1, 2 or even 3-4 beaded accessories divided across both wrists can really add a little character to your look and not make you look like a wannabe pro surfer. I’d recommend grabbing yourself maybe 2-3 that vary in style and size, and you can mix and match them (even with a good quality watch).
Leather bracelets – this is a popular look amongst “bad boys” and bikers, rockers and such like. Something about leather is considered to be tough or strong or badass so a lot of men like to rock a leather band or a leather cuff. These are absolutely fine too, just make sure it fits your style. You absolutely do not want to be wearing a wide leather cuff if you’re dressed smartly – it will just look ridiculous. You’ll also find thinner, leather bracelets in markets all around the world as well as malls and designer shops. A narrow, leather band is a good match for a beaded bracelet, so feel free to mix and match.
Smarter/Metallic bracelets – this is where we get into the smarter category of the style. These will be the silver or black or gold bands you see men wearing even with a suit (and they will likely match a watch or a ring). A smart, metallic bracelet is a good way to add some flare to your smart style and you can absolutely wear these with a suit or smart clothes and it won’t look out of place at all. You can still have a clean-cut look whilst wearing a subtle, metallic bracelet. I would just be conscious about mixing these with beaded or leather bracelets as it might clash a bit. Also, unless you actually have arthritis, maybe avoid the copper/magnet ones that you buy at pharmacies.
Watch
Watches are an absolutely essential item for any grown-up male. I know that some of you might tell me that you don’t need one because you have the time on your phone – and that’s true. But that’s not my point, a watch shows the world you’re a smart adult who prefers to look at his wrist for the time that to pull your phone out of your pocket and get distracted checking texts or Instagram likes. I’m personally not a fan of smartwatches either if I’m being honest; I’m not bashing them, I know that a lot of people find them incredibly useful and good to have and I’m not knocking that. I just personally find them a bit gimmicky and unnecessary (call me old fashioned!)
As with bracelets, your watch should really match your style in that it should coordinate with you and possibly the outfit you’re wearing. Watches with metallic bands and link bracelets can be considered more professional and smart looking, whereas a brown leather band might be considered more suitable for casual wear. In all honesty, this doesn’t matter as much, it’s just a point to consider when you think how much time you spend in either outfit. If you work long hours in the city and rarely spend time out of your suit, go with a metal/link band, or if you’re more of the casual type, choose a leather band option.
Just please try to avoid those G-Shock style chunky, brightly coloured watches – they’re just awful. And be conscious of the face diameter and band width; men with smaller wrists and hands should avoid big, chunky watches as they'll make your wrist and hand look even smaller.
You should be spending a decent amount of money on a half decent watch as this is something that can last you decades. Try to buy for your budget but I think a watch is one of those items that you shouldn’t cheap out on. For a brief guideline of a few watches that I think are great, read my article on men's watches.
Rings
These are a little different in my opinion as you can really use a ring to show some character and it doesn’t necessarily have to directly match your style (although a matching ring and bracelet can be used to give yourself a smart look).
Rings come in all shapes and sizes and with a myriad of meanings and symbolism. From the college ring to the football ring, the signet ring, wedding ring, etc. Rings are a fairly accepted accessory in most cultures (especially wedding rings) so use this to your advantage and choose something that will express who you are or show your personality. More than one ring is ok too, but I would say no more than 1 or maybe 2 rings per hand as a general rule, unless your style is rocker, biker or bad boy, then you might be able to get away with a few more. I would also stick to the middle finger, wedding ring finger and pinkie – as I just find that thumb and index finger rings are a little too try hard and they actually just get in the way (I used to wear both of these for years so I’m speaking from experience!)
Some exceptions, and maybe use your common sense here but maybe don’t go with a big skull ring or multi-finger knuckle duster type ring if you have a job where you need to look smart and wear a suit.
Necklace
Necklaces fit into a few fairly distinct categories, similar to those of bracelets. And whilst necklaces are also a great accessory and I’ve worn plenty in the past, just be a little more conscious of how you choose which one to go with and it might give off the wrong vibe.
Necklaces that I think are ok are small, metal link ones, simple bands with a small pendant or figure on them, or a thin, leather style one. I personally think that if you’re going to wear a cross necklace for example, you should be a devout Christian (or any other religious symbolism). Similarly if you're not in the army you shouldn't really be wearing dog tag necklaces. And once you’re over the age of 20 you really shouldn’t be wearing beaded or puka shell necklaces anymore because they just don’t look good on most non-Polynesian adults and non pro surfers.
As with bracelets too, it is ok to wear more than 1, but only for the thin, pendant style ones – you shouldn’t be mixing metal and leather or wearing 2 metal necklaces.
Sunglasses
A mandatory accessory for anyone who goes outside in the sun, mostly to protect your eyes from harmful UV rays. However, sunglasses luckily do add an incredible aesthetic to people who wear them, making you look cooler and they really can complement your style and your face/head. I did write an article on choosing suitable sunglasses so do have a read here if you wanted to look more into this.
Sunglasses really need to suit your style, your character, your face, and they shouldn’t be ultra-cheap as they’re just not going to protect your eyes in the way they’re supposed to. Don’t cheap out on a pair of sunglasses because good ones will protect your eyes properly and they’ll last you for many years. And I’m begging you, don’t wear them inside… no one likes that guy!
I would suggest sticking with simple and non-outlandish colours for your sunglasses (avoid those brightly coloured skiing or cycling sunglasses unless you’re actually skiing or cycling because they’re just going to make you look ridiculous). Choosing a rounded frame or square frame with rounded edges is a solid choice for most men be sure to check in the mirror that they don’t stick out too far on the side of your face or make you look like a fly with giant eyes as this is just going to make you look like your head is a matchstick, especially for bald men. Stick with simple and plain colours like blacks, greys/silvers, browns and golds. If you have darker skin, a gold frame can really complement your face. If you have more pale skin, then maybe go with a grey or black frame.
Wallet
A wallet should be a given really as every man will (and should) have one, and I’m sure most men have been through a few of them too. My first wallet was a Velcro, surfer style wallet and I seem to remember I kept my one bank card and national insurance card in there along with never more than 10 in cash.
The good thing about a quality wallet is that they often aren’t that expensive, even a real leather one can be quite reasonably priced. The issue I’ve found with wallets is that they tend to get frayed and split over time, particularly as I keep mine in my back pocket so I’m always sitting on it. This was also partially one of the reasons I switched from big, foldable wallets with coin pouches to card holder style wallets that are much slimmer. Luckily for me I now live in a country with no coins in the currency so this isn’t an issue for me at all.
When it comes to wallets I’d say there are far less rules to follow in terms of style – just please avoid those Velcro, material style ones that we had when we were teenagers. No man over the age of about 16 should still have one of those. The vast majority of wallets will be black or brown (with some minor exceptions, I once had a white wallet) so it makes the choice easier. I would try to avoid those giant, thick, full of random membership cards and receipts and coins type wallets as they just look terrible and they’re going to be annoying to carry around too.
Stick with something slim if you can, minimise the amount of cards you have in there because I’m certain you don’t use half of them and most people use their phone as a bank card now anyway. Get rid of those receipts and train tickets and please get rid of the condom if you still carry one in there. Keep it tidy and organised and that’s really it, you’ll find it simpler to use and much more practical.
Phone Case
If you still have a multicoloured phone case with some kind of joke slogan on it, then you need to get rid of that and replace it. We’ve all had smart phones long enough now to get over the novelty phone case, so it’s time to get a proper one that actually protects your phone but also looks good. I’m not saying you can’t get one that’s a colour you like and maybe a colour that expresses you as a person – just make sure it’s simple and plain and isn’t covered in glitter or whacky patterns. Personally, for me, a phone is just a phone and I hardly have any apps on it, so I just have a simple black case. I also went for the slimmest one I could find, with rounded edges. The reason being is that I tend to keep my phone in my front pocket and if the case is too thick or the edges are too square, then it makes a large impression on the outside of my trousers – and I’ve actually had one pair of jeans ruined before by a chunky phone case after it left a frayed outline on the outside of the pocket.
There are a good number of quality and sharp looking phone cases available so this isn’t a difficult choice. Really you can either go for the standard case (plastic, metallic or maybe leather) or you can go for the flip/wallet style case that covers your screen and often holds a few cards in it too – these are usually leather or faux leather. If you tend to keep your phone in a bag or in your suit jacket pocket then you might not need to worry about it being as thick as for those guys who keep them in their front trouser pocket.
If you’re prone to dropping your phone, there are plenty of good quality protective cases too that will withstand some impact. And get yourself a screen cover, they’re so cheap! Don’t be the guy with the smashed phone screen, it just looks lazy and tacky.
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