Men's accessories and style advice
Yellowed sneakers ruin a suit, a dive watch crushes a fine shirt, and a burgundy jumper over rust trousers hurts the eyes. That's the kind of detail this section deals with. Shoes, watches and colours, with rules simple enough to apply on a weekday morning, before coffee.
You can tell a man by his shoes, they say
The saying is unfair, but it points at something true: finishing touches get noticed. A crisp pair of white sneakers is enough to wake up jeans and a t-shirt, and a watch that belongs with the outfit does the rest without a word. The reverse works too, sadly. The best-cut suit in the world doesn't survive yellowed trainers. The good news: upkeep costs less than replacing, and our guides explain what to do when.
Colours, without the colour wheel
You don't need theory to dress matched. The colour matching guide boils down to a few reflexes: a base of navy, grey, ecru or olive, one bold piece at a time, and leathers that agree with each other, belt included. Try tonal blues too, deep navy over mid blue: the hardest combination to get wrong in menswear. These reflexes work everywhere, from everyday clothing to the big-day suit.
Frequently asked questions
Which white sneakers work with dressed-up outfits?
A smooth leather pair with a thin sole and no visible logo. Sobriety does the work: tone-on-tone stitching, clean laces, immaculate sole. With chinos or relaxed suit trousers they replace derbies without breaking the line, provided they are kept clean.
Should the watch match belt and shoes?
A leather strap follows the other leathers in the outfit, brown with brown, black with black. A steel or fabric strap is free of that rule and follows the register of the outfit instead: polished steel when dressed up, NATO or rubber when casual.