Preston’s Menswear Accessories (Tour, Part 2)

Supplementing larger garments, accessories serve as subtle yet powerful additions to an outfit, which is why they’re essential to a stylish, classic wardrobe. Today, as we conclude touring Preston’s wardrobe, we’ll examine his collection of accessories and how each underscores his personal style.

Transcript (Lightly Edited)

This is a snapshot of my wardrobe as it stands in the fall of 2020; with the point of this series of content not only being a look behind the scenes but also to show how a gentleman’s wardrobe can be ever-evolving.

Hats

Let’s start at the top of the body with hats. As you can see, I’ve got a variety of different styles of hats here – covering both felt hats and straw hats. 

Straw Hats

This is one of my newest acquisitions, which is a standard Panama-style hat, though it does have a brown band instead of a black one. This one was actually found for me at an estate sale by Raphael, and he found one in my size, so I was happy to take it.

Other straw options here include my coconut pork pie hat with a sort of madras-inspired band. This is one of my favorites and one that I wear quite often in summer. And, of course, we’ve got the straw boater here, which is a more formal style.

Felt Hats

Moving on to felt hats, I’ve got a number of vintage models. We can start here with this more charcoal gray model. You will notice that most of my hats have a relatively narrow brim as I feel that it fits my head shape best. We’ve also got this kind of mustard brown model, which, of course, you’ve also seen several times on the channel.

This next one is close in color to this one, although in a different light. This is darker charcoal and this is more of a medium gray. Lastly, the final vintage hat: a black fedora. If I were to wear a black hat more often, it would probably be in a style like a Homburg or a bowler, for instance.

I’ve got two newer wool felt hats. You can see that this grayish-blue one is actually quite misshapen and quite beat up. I don’t regularly wear this hat. And this was the first hat that I ever introduced into my collection. I don’t wear it as much anymore, but I have kept it for sentimental value.

Pocket Squares

You’ll see that I’ve basically got these grouped by color here. So, you can see here we’ve got this check pattern of red and black on a white ground, and here is sort of a standard red, perhaps with a little bit of a pink tone with some white micro pin dots there.

I have a standard red one. This is a pocket square I’ve had for many, many years and it’s a relatively cheap square, too. I’ve kept the base colors around just because they can be worn from time to time. This darker maroon, for example, is perhaps a little bit more elegant. So, that one sees much more wear than this plain red does. We’ve also got a white model with a contrasting red edge, which can look nice from time to time.

I also have a pink square, I believe, in a linen fabric. Here, we’ve got an orange one and featuring blue accents, as well. We’ve got yellow, this one with a contrasting edge and you can see it’s got several different patterns on it.

This is actually a commemorative handkerchief from my alma mater Gustavus Adolphus College that I received a few years ago. But, it’s got enough of an edge on it that it can be worn as sort of a plain yellow pocket square, which I do from time to time.

I have a traditional kind of tartan pattern, which you’ve seen on the channel before. And, of course, a plain white silk. We’ve also got a vintage purple square with kind of a linear pattern. Let’s say in black and featuring a blue border. This one, again, is sort of a four-quadrant pocket square in different shades of blue and white with paisleys.

I have another vintage one featuring a Prince of Wales check in blue and yellow with a darker blue border, and on the opposite side, you can see some white on the border, as well. Also, a plain blue silk, again, this one is very old and doesn’t see a lot of wear these days. Although, I have kept it around. I have some brown models. This one features small paisleys. Here, kind of a tan color; fairly simple.

This one is in a green shade. This one is newer but has become one of my favorites and it’s in a thicker, thicker fabric here – more rustic, more fall-like. On one side, it features this large, kind of geometric, floral, paisley-inspired pattern and, on the other side, it features pin dots on a green ground. So, I quite enjoy this square.

This one, I don’t believe I have worn really at all in many years. I could probably throw this into an “items I regret buying” category.

This one here in stripes of brownish-gray, let’s say, and light blue. And then we’ve got a plain black silk for sort of a more modern fashion-forward look, and a plain gray or silver, if you’d like to call it that.

Ties

Let’s now get into the ties. I’ve got two racks here. And, again, organized by color. So, we’ve got several red options – both neckties and bow ties. Things like a vintage Brooks Brothers tie in a houndstooth, very similar to a model we carry in the Fort Belvedere shop, actually.

We’ve got red and black stripes, more red and black stripes, blue polka dots on a red background. Here, we’ve got this one in kind of a military-inspired pattern, this another vintage tie.

Next, and this is actually one of my favorites that’s originally Parisian silk, I believe. And you can see it’s in sort of a micro floral if you’d like to call it that, with a stripe, as well. There’s also orange and blue.

This one is in yellow and actually navy blue. Although, it can look a bit more like black from a distance and under certain light. Another vintage silk; this one, I believe, from the 1970s as you can tell by the very large paisleys. More of a repp stripe here in blue-green and yellow.

This one I quite like, in matter silk featuring a repeating geometric pattern. This, of course, has a green ground and sort of orange, off-white, and light blue. And here, we’ve got a few vintage striped models in various shades of blue and white.

On the other side here, another plain red with some stripes. Also, I have a bow tie featuring some blue and white and, I believe, also yellow stripes on a red background. Slightly bolder stripe; more of a modern tie. I don’t wear this one too often. Here is a kind of knobbier woolier tie, in a kind of dark maroon. Although, there’s a subtle blue in that herringbone, which can come through in certain lights, which I quite enjoy.

Here, another vintage patterned silk, and here, one of our Fort Belvedere grenadine ties in a darker red color, of course. We’ve produced lots of content on grenadine, and on specifically for ties, which might be something you’ll enjoy.

Here, another of my favorites. You can see there from Cable Car Clothiers. This is another vintage matter silk featuring a geometric pattern. I quite enjoy that one. This is a Gustavus tie, again, from my alma mater. So, I don’t wear this one terribly often as it is quite bold. But for certain collegiate functions, it comes in handy.

We’ve got this yellow tie featuring blue squares and some patterning in the weave, as well. Also, I’ve got sort of a plain green tie again with a patterned weave.

White polka dots on green. And this a diamond end bow tie. I have this blue tie. This is one that I’ve had in my wardrobe for many years – another Calvin Klein model, I believe.

Of course, navy blue with a gold black letter P, which is a vintage model that I was very happy to find. Nice to kind of have that P for Preston, of course. And then, another vintage model. Many of my ties are vintage, in fact.

This one alternating a red stripe and kind of a crest-like design on a blue background. This one in matter silk with another geometric repeating micro pattern on a light blue base. Here is a light blue kind of more silken tie with a subtle stripe.

The next one is a little bit bolder and more modern. I don’t wear it terribly often, but I have just happened to keep it in my wardrobe up to now. Wore it in my younger years before I learned more about classic style and moved into more classic patterns and designs. This one here another vintage matter silk and kind of a plum purple with geometric patterns in orange, yellow, and light blue.

Here, a Fort Belvedere bow tie in purple with some paisleys, featuring light blue and green, and orange. Next is a purple sort of textured woven tie, relatively simple.

Novelty Ties

Everybody has to have at least a few novelty ties in their collection, even if they can’t be worn terribly often. And being a fan of classic animation, the quintessential Mickey Mouse novelty tie is a favorite of mine. Not exactly appropriate for too many situations, but, of course, a fun one to have. And we can all incorporate a little whimsy now and again.

And also, in that same feel, a Christmas novelty tie; this one, I actually did not purchase of my own accord, it was given to me as a Christmas gift.

More Ties

Here are some grey models this one featuring kind of a micro pattern perhaps. This a plain black silk for when somebody needs sort of that starker, more minimalist option – same with this plain silver tie I also have. Another gray option, a slightly more modern pattern, but small enough that it’s not too bold. This one almost in kind of a taupe gray, a little bit on the bolder side. I don’t wear this one terribly often, but every now and again.

I also have another vintage micro pattern. After all, it’s fairly large. Another Robert Talbot offering there. Here’s another Fort Belvedere grenadine tie: this one in brown. Here, we’ve got another brown tie, plain brown with a smaller denser weave.

Next is a pique white tie for the white tie dress code – again, from Fort Belvedere, if you can see the tag there. I’ve got the tie in my collection, but have not yet fully assembled a proper white tie rig, as it were. So, perhaps in the future, stay tuned.

Gaps in Ties and Pocket Squares

As far as gaps in this part of my wardrobe are concerned, with ties and pocket squares, the more, the merrier, really. I’m always looking for more designs, more patterns, more fabrics, and in particular, I’d like to get more Fort Belvedere pieces into my wardrobe; I just haven’t happened to pull the trigger on that yet.

Many of the accessories you see me wear in our content are property of the studio. So, it’s fairly easy for me to just go in and put those on filming days. But I would like to get many more of our Fort Belvedere options into my own personal wardrobe. So, that’s something I hope to do in the near future.

Cufflinks

Moving more strictly into the realm of accessories then, we can start with my cufflink box. Obviously, not nearly as robust a collection as Raphael’s, but I’ve built my collection up over the last 10 or 15 years or so.

We can start here on the top row with these fabric cufflinks – obviously, much more casual. You can see we’ve got green paisleys, gold and black, red, and a greenish color, purple paisleys, grayscale florals, and orange with accents of green and brown. I would say that I wear the purple, orange, and, to a lesser extent, gray colors more often.

This is a vintage model given to me by a family friend featuring a pattern of black and white. And you can see that these are solid piece cufflinks just one piece, although, they don’t have a design on the back, which would make them truly the most formal style.

Next up here, this is the oldest pair of cufflinks in my collection. Not in terms of the cufflinks actual age because, of course, I do have several vintage pairs here. But I should say that this pair has been in my collection the longest. I’ve had this pair for about 10 or 15 years. It was my first pair. 

Next, a vintage model in a kind of brushed silver with accents on the ends. Here’s another vintage pair featuring kind of a, a wave design with dots in the middle, and also kind of a shell design on these silver ones here. I also wear these fairly often.

And here are some more colorful models, obviously, again far less formal, far more casual, but they work for those circumstances. Here we’ve got red with silver accents. This is kind of a turquoise or teal fabric tied around silver.

These are faux stones in a turquoise color. I’ll wear them occasionally. These were gifted to me–more modern. This is one of my favorite pairs featuring these two blue colors within the silver. I’ve gotten several compliments on these over the years.

This, another favorite pair of mine. Another vintage pair featuring a kind of four quadrants. A simple design on these brushed silver links here. More brushed silver with shinier accents on one side there; another vintage pair. This pair in black but, featuring a Spartan’s head design there, reminiscent of the high school sports team of mine. So, those seemed interesting to me.

Another vintage model of black inlaid into silver. Here a starburst pattern with a check behind. Here, a simple gold pair with a bit of detail around the edge. And here, gold with a design on one side. This pair is also gifted to me – certainly a bit bolder – featuring a tree design on these cufflinks. Here, featuring inlays of what I believe to be a mother of pearl, so perhaps a bit bolder there.

These, another novelty pair, of course, featuring old-style lamps. And these, originally from my grandfather, the type of cufflink that is perhaps less commonly seen, which has a sort of mesh chain that wraps around the outside of the sleeve. So certainly, a bit bolder is that cufflink style. Also, we’ve got black and sort of green and purple. But I definitely appreciate having this pair of my grandfather’s cufflinks in my collection.

Gaps in Cufflinks

As far as gaps are considered, for cufflinks, I would like to, again, get into my possession, more Fort Belvedere models – that would be next on my list. And I’m always on the lookout for more vintage models, as well. This is a pair of shirt stays to keep my shirts down, especially those that are a bit big on me.

Boutonnieres

Loyal readers will no doubt be familiar with these green Fort Belvedere boxes, in which I’ve currently got a few different boutonniere styles; not all of them from Fort Belvedere, but I keep my boutonnieres in here.

We’ve got an edelweiss and the signature blue cornflower. Here is a prototype design of one of our red carnations that I’ve actually converted to a pin-style for some of my tuxedo jackets that don’t have a lapel buttonhole.

A more casual boutonniere style, this one featuring brown and off-white and blue fabric, and another more casual style in blue and gray. So some classic and some modern in that box in one box.

Meanwhile, I have some more Fort Belvedere options in my second box. Carnations in various colors – red, white, yellow, and pink, which come in handy for my tuxedos.

Gaps in Boutonnieres

I would, of course, like to get several more Fort Belvedere boutonniere styles into my collection. We offer a wide selection of different types of flowers, good for really any occasion. And I might be on the lookout for modern styles of boutonnieres every so often, as well, though, I certainly do lean more classic, most of the time.

Various Accessories

I’ve got one of our white linen monogrammed pocket squares. P for Preston, of course, which is another Fort Belvedere item.

We’ve got two pairs of suspenders or braces, as the Brits would say. This pair is convertible in that they can have either the clasps or can also be fitted to have more traditional button styles. 

Of course, for the more classically and formally-minded among us, having suspenders that only use buttons would be the most classic and formal and correct option, should we say. But, occasionally, given that most of my pairs of trousers don’t have suspender buttons sewn into them, at least not yet, having these clasps can also be handy for times that I would prefer to wear suspenders.

I have a black pair also featuring clasps. This has been in my collection a bit longer. A vintage white linen pocket square. I don’t normally leave my squares pre-folded, but this one, I wouldn’t really want to fold in any kind of a different design. So, that one sits there as is. 

I also have a couple of pairs of black silk, over-the-calf tuxedo socks from Fort Belvedere, which actually can be worn with both Black Tie and white tie ensembles.

Tie Bars

You can see here, this is a piece of an old shirt that I converted to a tie strap, which can be put through the keeper loop of a tie to keep your tie in place if you’d rather not wear something like a tie bar.

I’ve got several vintage models here, many of my tie bars have novelty designs. This one of course is a key. I suppose I could get my pocket watches, which you’ve seen before, out of the way here. Nothing special about those. They’re not valuable or expensive, but they come in handy when I’m wearing waistcoats.

I’ve got basic gold and silver there, and a few other tie bars. We’ve got more swords and arrows. Tie bars are not something I wear terribly often, but they’re nice to have. This, one another of my grandfather’s collection originally. I wore this on my wedding day as a matter of fact.

Over on this side of the box, we’ve got collar stays, a good majority, of course, are brass collar stays from Charles Tyrwhitt because I have so many Tyrwhitt shirts in my collection, but a few plastic ones in there as well.

And if we move over to the other side, you can see I’ve got collar jewelry over here. Many of these are Fort Belvedere collar clips. And, of course, we carry rose gold, yellow gold, and silver color clips, and also now, we’ve got them in standard and longer lengths for different sizes of collars. A few vintage models in here, as well – some in silver and some in gold and a few safety pins and other things in there, as well.

Black Tie Jewelry

Moving down here into this space, I can take out this smaller box, which features some of my Black Tie jewelry, specifically cufflinks in onyx and gold, and shirt studs also in onyx and gold from that set, as well.

Another gold set but featuring sort of faux ruby inlays for warm weather Black Tie ensembles. Some silver and black ones and collar stays for my tuxedo shirt and here are the cufflinks for that warm-weather ensemble. 

I also have this pair of cufflinks you’ve seen many times on the channel; this is a chain-link style. Just featuring simple black links there and I won’t go into detail on these boxes here, but we’ve got various buttons and things here.

Novelty Pins

I have novelty pins like a dala horse here or things I’ve picked up on my travels. This is when I went to Alcatraz in San Francisco. Various other pins from travels to the Nelson Atkins Museum of Art in Kansas City, just various things I’ve picked up over the years.

Here are some novelty pins, as well; things like the Golden Gate Bridge or Batman, for instance. I am in fact a comic book fan, which is one of my hobbies I share in my FAQ content.

In addition to a few other items, I have a collection of tie tacks. This one, of course, goes with that pair of my grandfather’s cufflinks that I showed you earlier. I don’t wear tie tacks as often but I do have a decent collection of them here.

Underwear Accessories

All right to finish up with the dresser, we’ll just take a brief spin through my drawers but I’m not going to go over anything too in-depth here. So just at the top, a collection of underthings mostly socks as you can tell here, and, in particular, a relatively wide selection of Fort Belvedere socks are shadow striped models, as well as designs with clock patterns.

Of course, we’ve got many, many different designs in the Fort Belvedere shop so you can take a look there and various other socks as well; again in staple colors navy blue, shades of gray, shades of brown, green, black, of course. A few athletic-style socks for when the time comes to do more sorts of physical things.

More Black Tie Accessories

So, I’ll just briefly mention here that, of course, a waist covering can always come in handy. We’ve got a black silk cummerbund here, and also burgundy silk for warm weather Black Tie ensembles.

Finally here, a few other Black Tie accessories – some more pairs of black silk socks from Fort Belvedere, a vintage pair of black braces. You can see that these have grosgrain fabric and, indeed, do take buttons on the trousers.

Another pair of black silk socks, although those are a bit older. And finally here, a collection of bow ties. So I’ve got a single-ended grosgrain model. This one also offered in the Fort Belvedere shop. Black satin silk, another black satin silk but this with a diamond end. Here, a vintage black model.

This one was actually given to me by my grandfather, but one I wear quite often as well, and to round things out the burgundy silk model, again, for those warm-weather Black Tie ensembles. So, that shows you a bit of the remaining Black Tie accessories in my wardrobe that weren’t covered in our earlier accessory discussion.

Gaps in Accessories

As far as gaps are concerned here, I would probably like to get a few other, bow tie styles. Perhaps in different weaves of fabrics and, of course, we offer several different varieties in the Fort Belvedere shop. But that wraps up this look at my accessories and my wardrobe as a whole.

Conclusion

Whether you’re just starting out on your sartorial journey or you’ve got a well-stocked collection that you know like the back of your hand, chances are that there’s always room for at least one new piece or for a new combination of pieces that you hadn’t considered before.

And if it’s been a while since you’ve done a thorough evaluation of your own wardrobe as I did here, we’d suggest that you do so. You may find garments that you’d like to toss, repair, or donate, or you might just come up with some new ideas for how to put your wardrobe elements together.

How has your style evolved? Share your wardrobe evaluation in the comments section!