Picks of the Week: Accessorise All Areas

If tops and trousers are your sartorial bread and butter, then accessories are the icing on the proverbial cake. Besides demonstrating your flair for fashion and your ability to construct outfits thoughtfully, accessories are a great deal of fun to incorporate into your ensemble, and a gateway into the minutiae of men's luxury. A striking leather briefcase can turn a boring boardroom meeting into a catwalk of cool accoutrements. A judiciously chosen scarf can be a great way to introduce colour contrasts to suiting or to give voice to your passion for patterns. This week, our staff have chosen their pick of some of the finest accessories from the most illustrious brands. Ryan Thompson, Digital Editor God is in the detail, so the idiom goes, and nowhere is this more pertinent than in the way we dress. It's why here at The Rake we spend an enormous amount of care selecting brands for whom attention to detail is paramount. It's why we also go to great lengths to tell the stories of these brands because context is everything. With that being said, it can be all too easy to focus one's entire attention on one's clothing, when it's very often your accessories that catch everyone's attention. The peep of a bracelet, the patina of a shoe, the leather of a folio case – such details are powerful signifiers, but none more so than a fine timepiece. This 1992 Omega Speedmaster Professional Moonwatch is a stunning 18ct gold iteration of this most iconic of watches and is an absolute magnet for compliments (prepare for a modicum of jealousy too). Ettinger's bridle hide zip portfolio is, by the same token, an eye-catching way to stand out in a sea of navy business suits, especially when bookended with these exclusive Baudoin & Lange alligator loafers (which, we can verify, are the most comfortable shoes ever). As Charles Eames, the legendary American designer once said, "The details are not the details, they make the design." Jessica Beresford, Managing Editor Some of the best kinds of accessories are those that serve no functional purpose whatsoever other than to provide joy to the wearer and, perhaps, those that observe them: a pair of outrageously-oversized sunglasses, a la Elton John; or a wrist weighed down by every bracelet one owns, like Iris Apfel. You don't, however, have to go down the eccentric fashion route to show a humorous side – instead try adding subtle yet superfluous accents to your outfit: a decorative flower lapel pin, for example, or a pair of sunglasses with a previously utilitarian detail that's now redundant. Benedict Browne, Associate Style Editor The ‘briefcase or backpack’ conundrum can prove to be a complex one but thankfully a happy medium between the two is the tote bag. Not too formal or casual, it’s befitting of modern day standards of dress and provides one with all the necessary requirements that a daily receptacle needs. The Royal Warrant holding, family-owned leather goods supremo Ettinger unsurprisingly provides one of the best in the business. Crafted in its factory in Walsall, an area of England that’s renowned for leather goods, from a hybrid of hard-wearing cotton drill canvas with veg-tanned leather trimmings, there are ample places to store your essentials, such as a wallet, but most importantly a hip flask. Don’t forget the hip flask. Aobh O'Brien-Moody, Editorial Assistant As we approach the tail end of summer, the novelty of warm weather dressing is beginning to dwindle and sartorial inspiration is in short supply. But don’t distress: enlivening your summer wardrobe and re-sparking that excitement is easily achievable with the assistance of some key accessories. Personally, I always feel invigorated with the purchase of a new pair of sunglasses and one can never go wrong with round-framed Ray-Bans. A pop of colour is another fail-safe way to shake things up and a little goes a long way. These delightful lavender socks from New & Lingwood will add just the right amount of whimsy to any outfit, while a simple silk bracelet from Rubinacci is the perfect finishing touch. Desmond Huthwaite, Copywriter Ah, the bandana. Nineties neckwear nobility! The scourge of the scarfing world! Tupac’s trademark, Jack Sparrow’s swashbuckling signature, and Sheriff Woody’s secret weapon. Yet, for reasons I cannot grasp, one of the most maligned accessories in all of menswear. This may of course be due to the fact that by wearing a bandana you run the risk of looking like a Wild Western train robber come fresh from the whiskey saloon (not a bad look, I might add); more likely it is simply because most men don’t know how to pull it off, or are too afraid to try. The trick is to modernise the bandana by eschewing classic paisley for a more exciting pattern: this Batik-dyed bandana from Japanese brand Kapital is the perfect elision of contemporary design and traditional technique. This navy fedora by Lock & Co. Hatters is an opportunity to channel cowboy coolness and will serve as the perfect partner for your bandana. Finally, a pair of simple, chunky shades by Oliver Goldsmith will complete the look, putting an accent of contemporary chic onto an Americana-inspired look.