One of the biggest fears many men have regarding fashion is to try something different. While you may constantly be updating your wardrobe it is very easy to become stuck in a fashion rut where you buy the same type of clothes or the same colours, season after season.

Once you are happy and comfortable with your attire, this is often where the problem starts, you may feel too comfortable and secure with the clothes you are wearing and may be afraid of pushing your fashion boundaries and stepping out of your comfort zone by trying something new, as a result you will usually choose the same styles and colours year after year.

Men's fashion is often influenced by your peers and social circle and this often develops a mindset of being afraid to try something different, even if it is highly fashionable. A city banker, for example, will usually be associated with tailored suits, shirts and ties, and trying something different will often be frowned upon. A teenage student, whose friends primarily wear jeans, t shirts and sweatshirts, wearing something smarter would be seen as the exception to the norm.

While our attire may be influenced by friends or our social circumstances there is no reason why you can't express your own individualism without feeling too uncomfortable in your surroundings. Subtle changes to your attire can make a huge difference to your appearance and you can look both fashionable and stylish, without completely alienating yourself from your peer group.

Firstly consider experimenting with colour, many men continually opt for monochrome colours year after year, one reason is that they don't want to stand out from the crowd and be remembered for the wrong reasons. Many will choose the colours they feel comfortable with again and again, black, blue and grey which often form the staple colours of many men's wardrobe, while they are relatively safe colours, they can become rather tedious too. Wearing new colours can make you appear more confident, friendly and allow you to display your individualism, as well as freeing up your wardrobe to a host of new options and colour combinations.

Next we should consider accessories, which can add a whole new dimension to any outfit. Hats are a great accessory and can be worn without changing your traditional attire at all, while at the same time they will completely transform your appearance. While beanies and baseball caps are often worn casually, consider brimmed hats which can be worn formally or casually to give a great personalised and stylish look.

If you have never worn a hat before, the drivers cap is an excellent item to start with, usually found in tweed, they are also available in a variety of materials including wool, cord and leather and they look excellent with casual as well as smarter wear. The trilby is another great hat which can be worn casually or formally, very popular during the 1960's, the trilby faded from fashion for many years, but is now very popular again. The bowler hat has also staged a comeback recently and while traditionally worn in a formal setting it can be a very versatile accessory and is definitely worth experimenting with, and worn less formally.

Braces are another fantastic accessory that can add a huge amount of style, they can be worn formally with a suit and casually with jeans or a pair of chinos. Braces are a great and fashionable alternative to a belt and are an inexpensive way to transform your attire.

If you are a regular tie wearer, consider the change to a bow tie, traditionally associated with a certain type of person or profession, bow ties are now the height of fashion and give a great opportunity to express some individualism and you will look very stylish when wearing one too.

Simple changes can make a big difference to your look and when you make the decision to make some changes into your attire, be brave and embrace the change.