Essential Accessories: Part I

After my post on wardrobe essentials, I had a lot of emails asking me what the next steps are once the capsule wardrobe is sorted. So to continue the theme, i’ll be doing a weekly feature over the next few weeks with plenty of tips on building the perfect wardrobe to suit your life.

So over the next two weeks: accessories! While perfectly cut basics lay the foundations of a look, it’s the accessories which make an outfit fun, interesting, and more importantly – you. Accessories are my fashion weakness, and the complete undoing of all my sensibly laid financial plans. When it’s time to cut back, I know I must avoid at all costs the accessory floors of Liberty and Selfridges or the vicinity of a Mimco boutique. I’ll be the first to admit that I usually tend to err on the side of being Over The Top when it comes to adding the acoutrements, but these tips can apply regardless of style. To tone it down, wear only one or two of these at once. If your name is Miss B or Rachel Zoe, wear the whole lot at once and be your own Christmas tree!

JEWELLERY

Statement neckpeices – While the first instinct is to save one’s biggest, sparkliest baubles for parties and special events, I get much more wear out of my most statement making peices dressed down during the day, when they are least expected. Why save all the fun for after dark? I love gorgeous, bold peices worn with a simple tee or layered with a tank top and blazer. My favourites are by Lanvin, Mimco, and Marni’s amaaazing bib collar necklaces.

Cocktail rings – Channel some 60’s era cocktail glamour (is anyone else lobbying to bring back the cocktail hour?) and wear gumball sized costume jewels on your fingers. I love big gold and semi-precious stone designs, Chanel-style rose rings, or something a bit quirky and unexpected. In this case, few people (with the exception of the Olsen twins) can pull off fistfulls of rings at once, so stick to one or two bold rings at a time. Of course, if you have a huge diamond on the ring finger, it would be rude for the other fingers to compete for attention.

Wrist adornment – Bangles, cuffs, bracelets, men’s-style watches… Whatever it is, I love piling up decorations on my wrist. In winter it might be a stack of embellished hard bangles, in summer a small Liberty print scarf tied in a bow. Unless i’m wearing particularly elaborate sleeves (and even then a simple bangle can even the whole thing out), I feel naked without something on my wrist. I love Chanel’s giant cuffs each season and Mimco’s hard acetate bow or chain bangles.

Earrings – While earrings aren’t actually part of my essential jewelry artillery (something to do with my round face and feeling like it’s one thing too many after i’ve piled everything else on – not words I usually utter…), I know that for most women, they’re the first thing they reach for. That said, although I don’t wear them every day, they’re one of my favourite things to buy and I have fond memories of playing with my mother’s enormous collection of magnificent statement pieces that were art for the ears. Like statement necklaces, if you’re going for big statement earrings, try not to wear too much else in the general vicinity (ie. neck, hair) that would otherwise compete.

The smaller pieces – While i’m all for larger-than-is-strictly-necessary adornments, sometimes all that is needed is something delicate and tiny. When wearing a shirt with a ruffled collar, for example, a simple gold charm necklace or a long rope of pearls is all that is needed (anything more would compete for attention). Similarly, when wearing a giant stack of bangles, don’t then wear several statement rings on the same hand. I love small vintage rings, necklaces or earings, or gold charm necklaces by Anina Vogel or Alex Monroe.

What are your essential pieces of jewelry?

Love, Miss B xx