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suit accessoriesMen don’t generally wear nearly as many accessories as women, especially if they wear a suit to work each and every day.

While most men are probably okay with not having to dig through their jewelry box for a pair of earrings in the morning, there are times when even the most reserved manly-man wants to spruce up his wardrobe too.

So what’s a guy supposed to do? The answer, of course, is to get some suit accessories that you can pull out whenever you feel like you need a splash of color or just a little bit of decoration to help you stand out from the crowd.

No matter what type of suits you like, there are suit accessories out there that will work for you.

Picking them out isn’t always the easiest thing though. You may not be 100% sure what’s in style right now. Use this guide to help you choose suit accessories that are fashionable and fit your personal tastes.

You’ll look better and you’ll probably feel like a million bucks once you get used to accessorizing in the morning.

Ties

Most men don’t think of ties as suit accessories, but they are. Even if you feel like you’re obligated to wear one to work every day because the other guys do, they’re still considered suit accessories since they aren’t technically required.

In 2015, one of the biggest trends in men’s ties is knits. They’re easy to wear with almost any suit if they’re the right color and they come in a variety of thicknesses, making them ideal for winter or summer wear.

Colors that are particularly popular for knit ties right now include royal blue and rich, dark greens and oranges.

If a knit tie doesn’t seem right to you, many fashionable men are sporting silk ties that carry a relatively narrow width, though maybe not 1950’s or 1960’s thin anymore.

Small prints, particularly microdots, are very popular this year and can work with almost any suit. Some things, like a good striped tie, really won’t ever go out of style.

suit accessories

Bowties

Bowties are really hot right now. Even if you’ve rolled your eyes at the guys wearing them, it’s never too late to come over to the other side. They might be trendy, but bowties are suit accessories that can really add a lot of character to your wardrobe.

If you’re pairing a bowtie with a suit, don’t pull that black one out that you wore to your friend’s black tie wedding. That’s not what you want to be wearing around the city.

What you want is a tie with a pop of color or a print that makes you look like a fun, trendy guy that’s still sophisticated enough to do his work on time.

Bowtie colors like high blue, hunter green and even pink are popular right now. Just like with standard ties, microdots are pretty much everywhere and you really can’t miss with the mini-print right now.

One interesting twist when it comes to bow ties – we’re seeing a lot of wide stripes. You may not love them on your regular ties right now, but they’re really trendy when it comes to bowties.

Pocket Squares

The pocket square is one of the oldest suit accessories out there and you won’t shock the room when you walk into a board meeting wearing one. After all, pocket squares are worn by bankers, rock stars and everybody in between.

When choosing a pocket square these days, you should really go in one of two directions. You want something that picks up on a color in your tie or you want to go with a pocket square that blends with your suit and doesn’t draw too much attention to itself.

For most men, that’s going to mean a white pocket square, which is always a safe and clean looking decision.

If you want color and a bit of visual interest, go with a unique fold. For something more understated, go with a presidential fold.

suit accessories

Lapel Flowers

Lapel flowers used to be common but then they went out of style for everything except proms and weddings. Today, they’re coming back and many men are wearing them as daily suit accessories.

In 2015, lapel flowers are all about creating visual interest, so many men are choosing silk models they can clip on and use whenever they feel like it. Lapel flowers are also being made in unique materials like enamel and metal. These add a different sort of texture to your suit. You’ll even find lapel flowers in paisley, plaid and stripes.

suit accessories

Cufflinks

A lot of men don’t want to wear cufflinks every day because they can feel cumbersome. You have to take them off to roll up your sleeves and get down to work, then you have to keep them without losing them all day.

Still, cufflinks can give a suit an incredible touch of class and that little bit of refinement that the average man just doesn’t have.

When shopping for cufflinks, you can pretty much go in any direction you want, from pure onyx high-fashion models to ones made of rope that look like knots. Everything in between can work well too.

For the best results, pick the cufflinks for the suit and make sure they’re noticeable but not over the top. For that vintage 1950’s and 1960’s look, get a set of cufflinks with a matching tie bar.

Watches

A watch used to be one of those suit accessories that every guy wore because he needed to know what time it is. Now that every man has a smart phone in his pocket, they aren’t so essential, but they’re still pretty wonderful suit accessories on their own.

The biggest watch trend in 2015 seems to be all about the mechanism and the face – meaning that watch manufacturers are back to complicated watches that do a ton of things that you’ll never need to use.

But more than that, they look cool and they give your suit and your sense of style a whole lot of personality and interest.

As for materials, many watch makers are going with heavy metals and coloring them either in black or a flat gold. Silver of course is still a mainstay. Circular watches seem to be the trend this year as well.

Socks

Most men don’t pay as much attention to socks as they should, but they’re suit accessories that say a lot about you. This year, go for socks with a bold splash of color like red and don’t be afraid of prints.

That same microdot that you’re wearing on your tie works, but bigger, bolder prints and wide stripes are also really popular, especially when paired with understated suits and plain ties.

men's fashion advice

Ralph Lauretta

Ralph is a co-owner of Sal Lauretta for Men. His areas of expertise include custom clothing as well as being the primary clothing buyer for the store. When not at work you can find him hanging out with his family, reorganizing his garage or watching a Denver Broncos game.