How to Style your Accessories
To Match your Personality
Statement jewellery (Photo courtesy of Vogue China)
Your personality helps define your personal style. There’s a reason why Dita Von Teese dresses like her ‘normal girl’ alter-ego (named Dina) for Halloween…and it’s because Dita would not be caught wearing Uggs, sporting blonde hair or using bronzer. Typical, blend-in girl next door is so not Dita Von Teese, but it does make for a great costume!
Whether you favor pin-up girl glam, skinny jeans and boots, or even funky vintage, what you wear says a lot about who you are. But fashion and style doesn’t begin and end with the clothes you wear. Accessories play into the big picture…the final look. An outfit isn’t true fashion art without the right accents.
However, accessories can make or break an ensemble. Throw too many necklaces together that don’t quite mix, and you’ll end up looking like a haphazard mess. While less isn’t always more, each accessory should be chosen and worn with purpose. Coco Chanel once advised, "Before you leave the house, look in the mirror and take one thing off." I live by that quote, because inevitably removing one accessory—a piece of jewelry, a scarf or even a belt—pulls the look back into balance to make the outfit sing.
Your style helps direct the accessories that you choose, but style—like personality—is more than simple black and white. Even if you favor more conservative preppy looks, if there’s a bad girl lurking below your surface…by all means let her out and let her pick the accessories!
Think of style as ‘fashion fusion’. Your personality may sway you to different looks depending on your mood, your love life…or even other circumstances. While you may always favor one type of style—like preppy, goth or vintage—mix in accessories of other style genres to give depth to your outfit.
The Conservative Prep
You favor more conservative fashion choices like wrinkle-free oxfords, shirt dresses, and pencil skirts. You also love a Breton stripe, chino shorts (prints or no) and a good day dress. While you may opt for hoop earrings or simple pearl or diamond studs, you probably have a crazy side waiting to take hold of your closet.
Photo courtesy of Naomi Shaw
A Leg Up: Mix a little naughty with the nice by adding fishnets under a conservative dress. Trust me, heads will turn.
A Touch of Daring: A skull pendant or brooch adds a bit of edge. Feeling really bold? Try out a studded choker (as in the pointed studs!) with a simple oxford and jeans!
The Goth Queen
If black is your love, and you just hate wearing heaps of color, you can paint with hues in subtle ways.
Hair: Add a simple ribbon headband to add a little innocence to the darkness. Or tuck a pale pink silk rose (or other bud) behind your ear.
In Your Ears: Choose simple gemstone studs like jade or bold glorious blue Lapis Lazuli. Mix in tiny bits of color if you are ready to step away from black.
Around the Neck: Celebrate your moon phase or star sign (and the night) with a necklace that bears your personalized lunar look…but add your birthstone to the necklace for a touch of depth (and color).
Design by Mary Quant (Photo courtesy of Pinterest)
Vintage Vision
For those of you who love scoring the perfect butterfly collar shirt, 50s circle skirt, vintage Mary Quant mod dresses or vintage grunge, add modern styling with accessories. Going vintage head to toe can easily look like a costume.
50s Pin Up: If you love the 50s…especially the Pin Up looks, nod to classic accessories. Think simple studs. Add punch with tattoo chokers and fun pendants. Play with mixing modern with vintage for a look that feels cohesive…and you.
60s Mod: The bold geometric prints of mod style means sleeker accessories. No embellishments, just simple. Don’t try to pop more color into your ears or in necklaces. Mod stands as a work of art. Let the outfit shine and keep accessories simple.
70s: The 70s were funky and fun. They also favored natural colors and even accessories nodded to nature. For vintage 70s wear, I like to pull in modern designed nature-inspired accessories. Think owl pendants, mood ring bands, shell necklaces and leather. Low-key…with character.
Eclectic style (Photo courtesy of Vogue Brasil)
Your personality influences what you wear…and how you wear it. Use accessories to paint the finishing touches on your look and to express the depths of you. Play with style, and don’t be afraid to venture into other looks with your accessories. Style is an adventure…so have fun and play hard!
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