What are
fashion accessories? In our opinion, a fashion accessory is
anything that can accessorize your outfit. Wow, did I just use
the word "accessorize" to define "accessory". After further
thought, that description may not really help you too much. OK,
lets try this again... In our opinion, a fashion accessory is
anything that can dress up your outfit. Something that can take
a basic (boring) outfit and give it something that will turn
heads. For example, you may have a solid black dress, and you
need to attend a dinner party. Possibly, you would utilize a
colorful handbag to spice up your outfit. The handbag in this
case would be considered your outfits accessory. In addition,
you would most likely utilize some sort of jewelry to help you
accessorize for the evening. Don't forget to select a nice pair
of shoes... The jewelry, shoes, and handbag would be
accessories for your dress. Because sparkling jewels, dressy
shoes, and fabulous handbag help make your outfit more
fashionable, I hereby declare these accessories to be
officially called "fashion accessories".
A fashion
accessory is an item that will compliment what you are wearing
for the day (or evening). If you were to ask me to mention a
few of the most common fashion accessories, I would have to say
that belts, scarves, jewelry, handbags and sunglasses are the
first to come to mind. Certainly, the list can go on and on.
When
determining which accessories to utilize you should take into
account various areas of the body. It is important to wear the
proper accessories from the top of your head down to your toes.
Don't get caught wearing an out of style hat and certainly do
not wear a toe ring if the fashion community deems it to be old
news. In regard to accessorizing the body, I venture to say
that some would consider body paint, body glitter & tattoos a
fashion accessory. However, here at Apparel Search, we wish to
primarily discuss more traditional fashion accessories such as
hair bows, cufflinks, shawls, and hats (we can discuss body
piercing etc., another day...).
An
accessory can help you highlight a particular area of
your body or outfit. Conversely, the proper fashion
accessory can help you hide areas that you wish to have
hidden. Those of you that are not models, may have experience
using an accessory to distract someones eyes to another
location... For example, you may have noticed that some
women at the beach may wear a shawl (sarong) to cover up their
lower half. Some other women (the ones that exercise every
other minute of the day, and eat nothing but salad), often do
not use a shawl. Either way, I think you get the idea of how an
accessory at the beach can be utilized.
More often
then not, the fashion accessory is used to bring attention to
the wearer. However, it is important to not allow your
accessory to become over powering. A careful balance is
necessary. You do not want to wear an overstated accessory that
will dominate your appearance. The idea is to look good from
head to toe. Yes, it is wonderful to have someone point out
that you are wearing a beautiful bracelet. But it may be even
more flattering if they point out you are dressed to perfection
from head to toe. "Use your accessories as a method to complete
your overall look for the day. Do not wear an accessory simply
to wear an accessory" (Hey, I really like that last quote so I
have put it in quotation marks. I wonder if anyone else
has ever used that exact statement... If not, maybe I should be
famous..)
When
thinking about what fashion accessory to wear, it is important
to think not only about color and fabrication. It is also
important to consider the shape, silhouette, or style. The
accessory market changes as rapidly as the clothing market. If
you are buying a belt, make sure you get the proper width. Last
week a fat leather belt with a tiny silk closure may have been
in style, but this week it is a thin leather belt with a
monstrous buckle made from sea shells..
Do not get
caught on the wrong end of the fashion cycle. Maybe you should
put the latest fashion magazine in your closet or dresser
drawer... Anyway, the point is that you should be conscience of
the current trends. Just because the handbag you are about to
utilize is your "favorite", it does not mean that your favorite
is actually in "fashion".
By the
way, although I mention above to keep you eye on trend spotting,
but the reality is that you should probably just wear what feels
comfortable to YOU. Do not wear clothing or fashion accessories
to impress others. The most important thing is to feel good
about yourself. Impress yourself, and you will do fine.
"Please be
careful with your fashion accessories". Your accessories can
work with you, but they can also work against you.
Here are a few accessories that
you may wish to consider.
