The Best New Accessories To Make Your Spring Look Sing
Sometimes, the best outfits are the simplest: a crisp white T-shirt with a pair of jeans, an all-black ensemble, a well-cut grey flannel suit with an Oxford cloth shirt. But sometimes, those simple looks are made even better with a bold pop of colour — and what better way to liven things up than with choice accessories.
Spring — quite literally a season for new starts — is a great time to experiment with more vibrant colours than we’re used to, injecting a celebratory feel into otherwise timeless, understated but still put-together looks.
Whether it’s a pair of colourful socks, a bright necktie, a playfully patterned silk scarf or an irreverent take on the classic ball cap, the Spring ’23 collections are chock full of fun and vibrant accessories that can elevate your looks.
We’ve picked out some of our favourites to suit every sense of style and every spring occasion.
HAROLD Technical Stretch Woven Belt
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When it comes to belts, the best bet is often to play it safe and hew to the classics: black or brown leather. It can be risky to try and inject some colour with a belt — it’s easy to end up looking like a PGA Tour golfer who’s trying a bit too hard to please his sponsor. That said, woven belts are great options if you’re going to pick a belt that packs a punch. This HAROLD belt is rendered in white, yellow and two hues of blue. It’s a light palette that’s fun but not too fun. The woven detailing adds some texture and creates a subtle pattern that can ably break up an otherwise toned down look. And a little stretch is always welcomed!
Loro Piana Bicolour Baseball Cap
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This spring also marks the last season of HBO’s hit show Succession, which has — at least in part — helped propel the rise of the stealth wealth aesthetic and more widespread interest in Loro Piana, the Italian purveyor of luxury goods that caters to the 1% of the 1%. It’s only fitting then to include this orange ball cap, crafted using the brand’s signature Storm System that protects against the elements. The colour also pays homage to Loro Piana’s signature textile: vicuña, which is considered to be the “fabric of the Gods.” With a tonal embroidered logo, it’s restrained and tasteful, while also adding an unmistakable pop of colour.
Burberry Vintage Check Umbrella
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There’s something very tongue-in-cheek about this Burberry umbrella. For one, it’s a check that is most famous for being the lining on Burberry’s rain jackets and trench coats, so seeing it applied to an umbrella — which ostensibly renders said jackets and coats obsolete — is fun. The second thing is something that you’d only appreciate from afar, sitting in an office looking down at hundreds of passersby milling about down below in the rain, the tops of their umbrellas forming a blanket of black or dark green or dark blue, only for one checked umbrella to punctuate the otherwise drab mass. It’s fun to be different — it’ll make someone smile.
Paul Smith Space Dye Socks
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If there’s one brand that’s made bold pops of colour its calling card, it’s Paul Smith. The British imprint — and the designer of the same name who’s still at the helm of the brand — has made a habit of reimagining menswear staples with irreverent patterns and colours. Socks are so often the accessory of choice when one wants to add a bit of colour and this Paul Smith pair doesn’t disappoint. Instead of its trademark lines, this pair of socks features a quirky space dye pattern that melds together green, blue, red and yellow in a tasteful way that won’t overshadow the rest of your outfit.
Kiton Medallion Patterned Silk Tie
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Still wearing a tie to the office? Have a spring wedding to attend? Decided that you’re going to become the kind of guy who’s always wearing casual, unstructured British tailoring with Shetland sweaters, unbuttoned button-down collars and a patterned ties? Whichever reason has you tying a tie around your neck this spring, make sure this is the tie you’re reaching for. Crafted in Italy from a single piece of silk using a traditional three-fold technique, it lives up to Kiton’s incredibly lofty standards in terms of quality, craftsmanship and luxury. Plus the colourful take on the classic medallion print doesn’t hurt, making it easier to pair with a more relaxed take on tailored clothing.
Thom Browne Madras Cotton Bucket Hat
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Ah madras, the warmest of patterned fabrics, in the sense that it’s literally designed for warm weather. It’s also something that we tend to intuitively associate with being outside — in a backyard, in a park, by the beach — during the warmer months, if not for it’s lightweight construction then for the colourful pastels that it’s usually offered in. Thom Browne’s take on the bucket hat sees different swatches of madras — albeit in the American brand’s hallmark palette of reds, blues and white — patched together, creating a playful headwear option for your more laidback outings.
Drake’s Green Unicorn Print Wool-Silk Scarf
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The silk scarf is poised for a moment this spring. Not only does it fit neatly within the broader shift towards prep and tailoring-adjacent clothing, it does so in a very laidback manner, while also serving a utilitarian purpose: keeping you just that little bit warmer on days where the chill sets in once the sun has set. The real beauty with a nice silk scarf is that it looks good whether it’s casually draped around your neck, artfully knotted, or stuffed into the pocket of a jacket, with some it hanging out, pattern and fringe visible for all to see. Drake’s, the British menswear outfitter with stores in London, New York and Seoul, has been making some of the most interesting — and popular — wool and silk scarves on the market for a few years now. This iteration, from the Spring ’23 collection is a bit more reserved, but still offers up a touch of colour, while also tapping into a funky Renaissance aesthetic.
