Robbie CanaleAs sure as The Pogues, Slade and Shakin’ Stevens will all get a good run out on the radio over the festive season, so too shall male accessories fill the column inches of newspaper supplements, magazine pull-outs and webzines the length and breadth of the British Isles.
There is something very endearing about our winter accessories; they are, in the main, at a price point which doesn’t have us all requiring a new mortgage and adding to our countries financial burden; they add some much needed verve to our winter wardrobe and best of all, you get to wear them day in, day out for a good proportion of the year. In fact I’ve had my beanie out for several weeks and I don’t suppose it will be going away until the embers of Winter subside around February / March time.
Stepping out of the front door on a dark morning in the depths of winter can be a rude awakening to the start of anyone’s day but with a good scarf wrapped tight around your neck, a warm pair of gloves and beanie hat pulled down atop your head, it makes bearing the winter climes that little bit easier.
So now we are all just a little warmer thinking about it, here’s your guide to warding off winter.
Scarves
Before I head out of the door in the morning, I always put my scarf on before any of the other aforementioned accessories and also before I’ve pulled on my winter coat. The scarf really makes you feel as though you are ready to tackle the elements and face the start of the day head on rather than sheepishly hiding your head in the confines of your coat.
The scarf is an easy accessory to get wrong, you need to be careful that it goes with your coat or suit – well dressed men know the importance of accessories so it’s imperative you get it right. The scarf / coat combination is much like the shirt / tie rule: if one is patterned, the other is plain and vice versa.
From chunky knit scarves to fine cashmere there really is a world of choice in the scarf department so there is little excuse for getting it wrong, unless you are off to the football and then it’s ok to wear your teams colours.
Gloves
Ever since Mr Ryan Gosling donned those black driving gloves in Drive, no man has looked at their winter warmers in the same way since. Gloves should be suave and refined yet cool and comfortable at the same juncture, they should say something about your attire while not glossing over the rest of your attire.
You don’t want your gloves too tight but at the same time, you don’t want them to be like mittens either, remember, you are a full grown adult, leave the snowmen on patterned gloves to your children.
Thankfully smart leather gloves are very much in vogue and you will not struggle to find yourself a pair this season. From Dent to Reiss, Paul Smith to ASOS you can at least pretend you are Ryan Gosling, even without the scorpion bomber jacket.
Hats
When I say hats, I actually mean beanies and bobble hats not flat caps nor baseball caps. The beanie is undeniably the essential part of your accessory tool kit. Gloves and scarves are important but the beanie atop your head is the essential cog in the wheel.
They say we lose the majority of our body heat through our head so it makes sense to invest in a decent beanie come the winter months. There would appear to be a real penchant for cable knit beanies this season as well as the tiny beanie which seem to have little effect in creating any sense of warmth but look cool nonetheless.
I always think plain is better than patterned and the bobble hat for me is a non-starter but who am I to judge? Anyhow, take a look at the beanies below and make your own decisions on the bobble debate.
Conclusion
Winter can be a cruel beast but the beauty of the cold is it gives us all the opportunity to don a spectrum of accessories and enables us to constantly update and alter our wardrobe.
From leaving the house and heading to work, going to the football or heading out for a walk in the countryside before finding yourself nestled in a warm village pub, there is nothing quite like getting all wrapped up in your hat, scarf and gloves and tackling the world head on.