This story is part of our end-of-year series This Year in Gear, rounding up the most notable releases of 2021.
Accessories are the extras — hats, sunglasses, jewelry, fragrances, bandanas, belts, you name it. They’re supposed to be fun, and they serve as a way to express yourself even in corporate settings. Can’t wear your favorite band tee into the office (if you’re still going there)? Try a ring or some colorful sunglasses for the car ride in. The options are endless, but these were the some of our favorite accessories released this year.
This simple brass cuff has a slightly beveled edge and comes in five different fits, designed to mirror the particular oval of the wrist. The understated design will compliment a range of styles, and it’s ideal for jewelry aficionados and newcomers alike.
Price: $58
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LA-based cannabis-adjacent shop Mister Green Life Store loves tongue-in-cheek releases. From the outpost’s General Psychedelics line to their “Rose Tinted Lenses for Red Eyes” eyewear collaboration with Akila, they’re always slipping in reminders that they’re 420-friendly. The second installment of the aforementioned accessories release, dubbed Philosophy, is no exception. It takes cues from styles worn by jazz players and “cultural revolutionaries,” all while establishing a unique look of its own.
Price: $115
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Western Hydrodynamic Research’s hats have been sold out for a while, but they just got a restock. The hat features an adjustable shock cord bungee closure secured by brass grommets.
Price: $42
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Sabah, the brand best known for comfortable Turkish slippers, stepped into eyewear this year. These rounded, burnt amber shades are handmade in Italy using acetate and Carl Zeiss lenses. Every pair comes with its own unique leather case, by the way.
Price: $265
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Chaz Bear (aka Toro y Moi) makes a bunch of products through his studio, Company. The newest collab is a set of hats and masks with Bay Area brand Joshu+Vela. The printed fabric is made from South Carolina-grown cotton in L.A., and the mask is cut and sewn in San Francisco. Also, of course, it’s adjustable.
Price: $30
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I’ve seen plenty of collaborations between publications and brands: the New York Times’ concept store with Knickerbocker; our own collab with Taylor Stitch; Monocle’s clothing line with A Kind of Guise. They’re all impressively cool, and Warby Parker x The Paris Review is no exception. A tad pretentious? Maybe. But I wear glasses and I read The Paris Review. This is right up my alley, I guess.
Price: $95
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Gramicci and Brain Dead’s collaborative bucket hat features a mix of colors, and the duo’s redesigned text logo on the brim. It’s made from 100-percent cotton and is available in one size.
Price: $60
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Bandits Bandanas are made from organic cotton at a Fair Trade-certified facility in India. The brand’s designs feature work from various artists — like this one from Brooklyn-based tattoo artist Rosa Bluestone Perr. On top of being one of the cooler bandanas you can get, 10 percent of the proceeds go to support a charity of the artist’s choosing (in this case Food Bank 4 NYC).
Price: $30
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These sold out fast. In fact, all six styles New York made-to-measure clothier Stoffa released this week vanished within hours. They were part of an ongoing series — called Edition — of special releases launched by the brand. Edition 004 was a “series of vintage deadstock F.O.C.A. sunglasses. Crafted in Cadore, Italy in the 1960s. Curated and prepared in collaboration with Lucio Stramare and his talented team of restorers.”
Price: $275
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A mix of the familiar and foreign, 19-69’s collab scent with peace-peddling streetwear brand Camp High features notes of nature and davana, vetiver and plastic. It’s pleasant, I promise.
Price: $189
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Fields Outfitting launched The Market this year, a place to showcase other Argentine makers. This La Peña Belt from Tutu is made from best-in-class vegetable-tanned leather and finished with hand-done beeswax thread embroidery.
Price: $99
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Sure, sure, sure. I hear you. What’s an incense holder have to do with style? Well, this one was made by jeweler Good Art Hlywd in a limited number — just 25, to be exact. They’re available via Knickerbocker, whether to hold an incense stick or to cradle your cigarette (or joint).
Price: $1,625
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Every purchase of this Parks Project Balaclava — in a kind of mossy, marine tie dye — supports Open OutDoors for Kids, a non-profit that provides National Park access and education for children across the US.
Price: $58
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Oftentimes the most noticeable upgrade to your everyday wardrobe comes via a softer, more stylish sock. Drake’s does a Striped Sport iteration made from ribbed knit 100-percent cotton. (Get three pairs for $60, by the way.)
Price: $25
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Jeff Goldblum and Jacques Marie Mage’s collaborative sunglasses sold out fast. (There were just 500 pairs.) Black from the front but made from clear acetate and precious gold metal wiring on the sides, they’re a striking set of frames that prove thinner — they say tailored — than most. They’re an ode to Goldblum’s style, but also quite the flex from JMM.
Price: $650
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