3 Stylish Accessories for Men to make any outfit look luxe and polished

I don’t really write about style for men because women’s clothing it’s where I tend to spend most of my time.

BF is a true minimalist dresser at heart, that is.. he doesn’t care about what he wears.

I mean, he cares to an extent — nothing ripped, baggy or outlandish — but other than being clean and neat, fashion itself holds no interest for him.

I don’t care what he wears either. It doesn’t bother me that I look way more dressed up most days than he does (people must think: Who is that mismatched, odd-looking couple!?), because as long as he is not vulgar or outlandish, and is clean and presentable, it’s fine for me.

I am the opposite.

I find fashion exciting and a lot of fun, but unfortunately with such a minimalist BF, I don’t really get to dress him (not that I want to necessarily, it is a lot of work to look for nice things for girls, let alone guys who have practically nothing geared towards them).

That said, I will be creating counter-posts to each style for women post that I do.

It might take longer (unfamiliar territory), but I’ll just keep my eyes peeled for well-dressed men and pass along my observations.

JACKETS / SWEATERS

A jacket or a sweater more than anything, is a key essential to a man’s outfit.

Women have plenty of options for types of clothing and don’t need to rely on a jacket, but men tend to stick to a basic uniform consisting of shorts or pants, a top, and a jacket.

Men also have limited options in terms of decoration without coming off looking like an overdressed peacock.

There are plenty of great jackets out there and even the dressiest of jackets can be dressed down. Guys can also just wear jackets the entire time, covering up otherwise boring old t-shirts, making them look crisp and stylish.

Here is what I think looks fairly stylish on most guys I’ve seen:

THE LEATHER JACKET

It’s a cool, casual style that lends a bit of that rock and roll edge.

Great leather jackets are simple and minimal without a lot of zippers, logos or anything fussy. I find that very thick leather jackets that are super heavy (like for bikers) look dated, or specific. Something more general for a guy is usually a jacket that looks effortlessly cool.

I’d also stay away from leather jackets that have a lot of different leather patches (it doesn’t look good, even for women).

Bomber jackets, and asymmetrical Perfecto-style jackets tend to be safe styles of jackets and look great on guys.

THE CASUAL BLAZER

This is not your suit blazer. I repeat, this is not your suit blazer!

Treat it like a sport coat, you know, something casual and it doesn’t have to match your pants. You can throw it on over cargo pants and a t-shirt, or jeans.

Great fabrics are casual ones like tweed, plaid (but not wild looking plaid, something in muted tones) or anything that looks cosy but casual.

Stay away from elbow patches (too Professor-ish and trendy to last as a classic piece), and look for a lapel that flatters your form.

Most guys have an inverted triangle form (incidentally, the same body shape I have!), and while I try to play down my shoulders as a girl, guys would look great playing them up (makes you look manlier with broad shoulders, but you have to have proportionate legs too, not skinny toothpick ones).

The thing about tweed or plaid jackets is that it looks slightly dressier without being too formal.

I’ve even seen guys rock the tweed blazer over HOODIES and it looked great. It lent an air of sophistication to an otherwise casual sweater.

THE SWEATER

Goes without saying that it gets cold. I featured yarn and knitted sweaters, but even sport sweaters (you know those zippered looking ones), look good as a topper over a simple outfit.

Those sweaters look good even unbuttoned which is why I chose them, but even pullover sweaters in a knit, look nice on guys.

Personally, I think those kinds of sweaters make you look huggable, which is always a good thing.

I will note that if you are on the heftier side (round IS a shape 😉 ), you might want to be careful with how thick and chunky your knitted sweater is.

The thicker and chunkier it is, the more heft you add to your frame.

THE QUILTED JACKET

This is something I’ve seen once in a while on guys and it looks nice, although the real trend is the Waxed Cotton Jacket these days.

It can remind me a bit of a quilt, but if you pick a style that has enough pockets and buttons to eliminate that “ooo puffy quilt” reaction, in a slimmed down, flattened-quilt (not the puffy kind) style, with zippers it looks quite good.

It’s also comfortable.

THE WAXED COTTON JACKET

This super classic jacket is making a comeback, even for the women.

This kind of androgynous, waxed cotton that looks like leather but isn’t, and has a sort of rugged, hiking feel to it, is a nice change from any of the other options above.

The best colours are ones that are more military inspired — khaki green, olive green, navy blue and dark grey. Stay away from brown, it tends to remind people of the UPS company (sad but true).

It even looks military-inspired without going too far with epaulets on the shoulders or the gold buttons.

SCARVES

As it is for women, a scarf for a man can actually make an outfit. I’m not talking about ascots or frou-frou scarves, but a well-made scarf in complimentary colours can make a guy look finished.

 

Just the addition of a scarf (no beanies please), can not only keep your neck warm, but add something to an unfinished outfit.

SHOES

You thought I was going to talk about watches right?

Well shoes to me, make a bigger difference than watches. Men’s watches are pretty simple — black or brown, without gaudy faces or glitter, and something simple, elegant, minimalist and stylish.

(Heck that’s what I like in women’s watches too).

When I see guys with watches that are too big, glittery, or ostentatious, I think they’re peacocks.

SHOES are where it’s at. Casual, semi-casual and work.