When developing your personal sense of style and fashion, you should not overlook the value of accessories. These are the last items you should be putting on when dressing yourself, accessories. My strict interpretations of accessories for the purpose of this article will be any item that goes on your wrist, neck, fingers or waist… I’m going to assume that none of you out there are in a quandary as to whether you should purchase an ankle chain.

Belts
A basic fashion faux pas I see when men dress formally is not matching belt to shoes. The leather color of your belt must always match the leather color of your shoes when dressing formally, in business attire, or even casual chic. The shades don’t need to be spot on but, they do need to be close enough in hue so that it’s unnoticeable.

For your basic wardrobe you’ll only need a few belts. Go to any reputable clothing department store and purchase a black genuine leather belt and a brown genuine leather belt. Make sure that the buckles of your belts are silver in color, I’ll explain why exactly a bit later. Your belt size is usually two sizes larger than your pant waist size. For example, if your waist is a 32, your belt size is a 34. Always try your belts on before purchase as brand sizes vary slightly. To be extra safe wear a pair of jeans or slacks so you can run the belt through the loopholes for an exact fit.
If you want to purchase extra belts besides the basics above consider getting one that has a removable buckle allowing you to add your own belt buckle. Also, consider buying a few cloth belts of diverse colors. I have an olive military belt that looks smashing with casual outfits.

Jewelry
Rings, bracelets, and necklaces can make or break an outfit. The most important thing to remember about jewelry is to not mix your metal colors. If you are going to wear silver-colored jewelry then wear all silver-colored. Note that this doesn’t mean that your metals must all be the same. If you are wearing a white gold ring but it matches your silver pieces this is perfectly fine. My suggestion to the fashion novice is to wear only silver colored jewelry as gold can be extremely gaudy if done incorrectly. Also, note that if you are wearing leather jewelry that you should match it to your belt.

When first exploring the world of accessories, you will tend to over-do it and wear too many. For the fashion initiate here is my rule: you may wear one ring, one bracelet or watch, and one necklace at the same time. Unless you have a specifically unique look that you are trying to achieve such as a anarchist punk rocker or hip-hop DJ then keep your accessorizing simple.

Either buy the most expensive pieces you can afford in your budget or pieces that are extremely inexpensive but meaningful. If you get a silver necklace with a shell dangling from it on your trip to Fiji for $12.95 you’ve got a cheap piece of jewelry but its sentimental value and DHV story is priceless.

Watches
The world of watches can be profoundly confusing and expensive if you don’t know what to buy. I am no watch expert but as above I suggest that you adopt the same strategy here as you did for jewelry. If you can afford an expensive watch you can’t go wrong with any well known brand like Tag Heuer, Omega, and Rolex. Alternatively, consider the sentimental but functional route. For a birthday or other gift giving event suggest to a loved one, preferable a woman such as a sister or mother, that you want a watch. Tell them you are interested in any model of the less expensive but notable brands such as Fossil. Once you have your gifted watch, you now have a great accessory and DHV story in one.

Two of my favorite fashion quotes revolve around accessorizing and they are good guidelines to follow:

“When accessorizing, always take off the last thing you put on.” –Coco Chanel.

“Last thing on, first thing noticed.” Carson Kressley