It's Wise to Accesorize

Developing style is about cultivating personal flourishes that set one apart from the next person.  Not everyone will wear their tie the same way as you do (or wear a tie at all) or tilt the brim of their hat in the same fashion as you.  These small consideration help men maintain their individuality and are demarcations of somebody willing to go the extra sartorial mile.

I keep my accessorizing minimal because excessive adornment is the mark of a preening fop, a self-obsessed narcissist who cares more about his vanity than about the cultural influences that go into style and what it communicates about one's place in the world.  A shark-tooth necklace looks perfectly at home on men like Keith Richards and Johnny Depp, but would look ridiculous on me.  I stick with staples like sunglasses, neckwear and the occasional bracelet because they’re an understated way of acknowledging that the devil is in the details.

While I have two pairs of sunglasses, I wear my Warby Parker Ormsby frames far more than my Caravan-style specs.  The Ormsby is a classic sunglass style that riffs off a large-framed Wayfarer.  The profile isn’t ostentatious and the marbled tortoiseshell and keyhole nose bridge assert the frame’s bold masculinity.  It’s a style that Steve McQueen would have worn in the 1960s, and looks snappy dressed up or dressed down, equally at home with a suit or a Baracuta jacket and merino-knit sweater.  Though some sunglass purists question Warby Parker’s quality, they’re better manufactured than I’d expect a $150 pair of sunglasses to be (the price includes prescription polarized lenses, a godsend to someone who is nearly blind without them).  While certain names are more vaunted within the optical world, the Warby Parker route is one I’ll go down again when buying my next pair of sunglasses because the company understands the intricacies of style, pattern and details.

My other current go-to piece de resistance is an acquisition from my trip to Portland last month.  On the same day I picked up my vintage U.S. Navy chambray shirt, I found a vintage Fast Color bandana that was made in the U.S.A.  I've been on the lookout for a red bandana for about a year, but the $3 Army surplus store numbers didn’t float my boat and other vintage specimens commanded prices far beyond what I was willing to pay.  Not only was the Fast Color bandana reasonably priced, it was stitched with a selvedge edge.  While such stitching makes the bandana more durable, it’s the crisp, straight lines and impeccable weaving that make the look matter more than the construction.  And though more people will commend a bandana's ability to top off an outfit than notice its craftsmanship, such is the beauty of neckwear and other clothing accoutrements.  Though these garments appeal to the masses, the small yet substantial details in accessories communicate that the wearer is a man who knows what's up with his wardrobe.

Sunglasses: Warby Parker, Bandana: Fast Color (vintage), Newspaper: New York Times Sunday edition

Location - Penny's Coffee, Minneapolis, MN