It’s not always easy or cost-effective to increase the anchors of you wardrobe like pants, shirts, or even shoes. Maybe your size isn’t available in-store, and even if it’s in stock online, the huge discrepancies between brands and even sometimes within them can pose fit problems (not to mention the issue of affording it all).
Luckily for folks who skew towards the dapper side of things, accessories can totally make an outfit — and require little or no sizing info, as well as a much smaller portion of your budget. Here are some of the sharpest ties, socks, pocket squares, and other little touches in stores right now.
Ties
1. Spotted Tie 2. Floral Tie 3. Chambray Tie 4. Nautical Bow Tie 5. Knitted Dot Bow Tie 6. Horse Racing Bow Tie
Ties (bow and regular) are such a fun way to play with gender expression. Choose a “men’s” design like a nautical print or plain chambray, a floral pattern most often seen in womenswear, or some classic spots and dots for good measure.
Pocket Squares
1. Green Swiss Dot Square 2. Shades of Pink Square 3. Floral Square 4. Paint Splat Square 5. Red Tartan Square 6. Tropical Leaves Square
Similarly, the colors and prints on a pocket square can challenge perceptions about who can wear what. Choose a perfectly preppy plaid, a giant pink madras look, or an abstract pattern inspired by paint splatters.
Clips
1. Monogrammed Clip 2. Silver and Gold Clip 3. Fork Clip 4. Mother of Pearl Detail Clip 5. Wood Inlay Clip 6. Glasses Clip
Tie clips are the perfect place to take your class level up a notch, or to get wild and whimsical. For the former, a monogrammed or inlaid option is ideal; for the latter, try some spectacles or a funny fork.
Cufflinks
1. Rod Cufflinks 2. Knot Cufflinks 3. Skull Cufflinks 4. Monogrammed Cufflinks 5. Pineapple Cufflinks 6. Art Deco Cufflinks
Cufflinks, too, offer opportunities for personalization and personality. Get playful with pineapples, tied up in knots, or for something a little more macabre, pick up some skulls and crossbones.
Socks
1. Bunny Socks 2. Paisley Socks 3. Mushroom Socks 4. Yellow Ruled Socks 5. Blue Star Socks 6. Vespa Socks
Finally, a little flashy footwear never hurt anybody! From classics like paisley and tiny star prints to socks for animal, vegetable, and vehicle lovers, these pairs might just convince you to hop on the cropped pants bandwagon.
Let’s talk accessories! What are your tips for super snappy occasion dressing, and what little flourishes will you be sporting this wedding season?
I can’t wear pierced earrings but I do wear ear cuffs. They can be hard to find, though. Do you have any recommendations?
I love MOC and Dapper style so much. Its super attractive to me. I’m to femme to pull it off, but someone else thats super sharp and put together, hey sailor!
I’m pretty femme-of-center in my presentation, too. But a randomly placed masculine accessory on an otherwise feminine outfit? Super hot. For example, women need to reclaim the fedora from awful hipster dude-bro “nice guys” once and for all. Fedoras are a typically masculine accessory which goes with even the most feminine style and looks drool-worthy.
I need to get paid so I can buy those skull cufflinks. I also need to buy some shirts with cuffs to link with skull cufflinks.
Don’t forget watches! In an era of cell phones, an analog watch feels careful and classic.
Not just wrist watches, pocket watches too!
These are very cute socks. And I like the pineapple cufflinks and the skull cufflinks a lot
Pretty sure those are the same skull cufflinks I got for a friend to wear in a wedding (along with a skull bow tie too)!
I come across as rather “femme” (very long hair, basic make-up) but have lately taken to wearing ties with a few of my monochrome shirts and work blazers. Thanks to my dad who wanted to give away some of his old things and who, when I grabbed my favourite, aubergine-coloured tie of his and put it on, commented that somehow it looked better on me than it ever did on him.
So far I’ve only gotten compliments. And a lot people don’t even think twice about my newest fashion choice defying heteronormative dress-codes because women wearing loose ties had apparently been a trend in the 80ies(???!!).
Which is fine by me because I’m a bit of an introvert and don’t necessarily want to explain to random people why I am wearing what I’m wearing. Despite that and the fact that I usually just throw on whatever is convenient at that moment I regularly find myself thinking about fashion as a cultural practice and a conveying method of comfort and identity (including culture, status, personality, interests and at times sexuality). So reading Autostraddle’s fashion advice columns, even though I’m not the most stylish of people, has become somewhat of a guilty pleasure of mine.
Anywhoooo…now I can’t wait to try pepping up my outfits with some whimsical but elegant cufflinks.
If you’re looking for a descriptor for your new style leanings, I’ve taken the tag “dapper femme” for some of my own style choices. A few others on instagram have too, finding that happy mesh of traditionally masc-wear and make-up/”femme” hair. But also no worries if you don’t feel like it fits :) :) :)
I just put “dapper femme” into the pintrest search bar and now I’m faced with a whole lot of clothing options/items I didn’t know I needed (or even wanted).
Thank youuu!