Accessories are the finish. They are the flourish. They immediately make any outfit look more thought-through and put together. You can make a basic wardrobe into so much more with the right accessories, and similarly, you can help ground your more eccentric, bright, and loud outfits by pairing them with blocked staples.
While a great piece of advice from Coco Chanel was to always take one thing off before you leave the house, as it is better to be underdressed than overdressed, not wearing accessories at all is a mistake. From simple additions to bold features, accessories can help keep you in charge of your style:
1. Have Timeless Neutrals
Timeless neutrals in all your staple accessories will immediately give you more versatility and options. When you match your shoe to your purse, you can try a variety of interesting combinations because you have that common color throughout your look.
Neutrals are staple colors that look great on almost everyone. They generally range from white to black and include all skin color variations. Navy can also be a neutral, though it isn’t always the best option. If you have a warmer skin tone, for example, a dark purple or burgundy color may be a better alternative to navy as your specific neutral.
As for timeless? The styles that are simple, effective, and have been around forever are great investment pieces. You can even enjoy some wiggle room with the material. You can opt for one of the beautiful, timeless clutches at www.judithleiber.com made of snakeskin or crocodile and keep your neutrals exciting.
2. Have Statement Pieces
You want every outfit to make some sort of statement. Generally, you can use your makeup, your outfit, or your accessories to stand out. When your makeup or outfit are the standout pair of neutral accessories, but when you want your accessory to stand out or to balance out your makeup, you will want and need a few statement pieces that call to you.
The statement doesn’t have to be the most eye-catching item you can find unless you want it to be. Many love the unique statement clutches at Judith Leiber, for example, but if you aren’t someone that enjoys bejeweled items and wants something more classic, a bright red clutch or show can do the trick just as easily.
3. Keep Accessories Minimal
Accessories work to draw the eye to the parts of your outfit or your body that you want most to focus on. Keep this in mind when choosing which accessories you wear for the day. If you want attention on your face, then a bright lip color and a necklace or earrings can help draw the eye. If you want to balance out your outfit, which is the focus, then neutral shoes and a clutch can be a great choice.
Whenever you are done putting on all the items, consider how you feel when you look in the mirror and then take one thing off at a time to see if you have overdone it or done it just right. In those immortalized words of Coco Chanel, it is always better to be underdressed.