Bags, buckles and bangles: Express yourself with accessories

OK girl, you’ve got a closet full of basics: brown leather belts and boring buckles. You want pizzazz and jewellery that pops and brings out your personality. Here’s what to look for and how to get it.

Getting the colour right

If you want crazy colours, before you buy, make sure the colours are right for you. Colourful accessories can be fun, they can really emphasise your personality, but they can also create a culture shock – throwing you back into your parent’s day (Eek, the 1980s!).

What’s in right now is a “pop” of colour. This means wearing pretty safe and tame colours and accenting them with something really crazy that “pops”. So, you might wear a nice dress, or skirt, a white blouse and then add a gold or silver accessory to set off the outfit.

You can also use wild colours like fluorescent green, or bright orange or red. Flowers in your hair will also work, just make sure they stand out enough or it won’t look right.

Getting the right size

OK, on to size. The basic rule of thumb is to wear clothes that fit you. Yeah, it’s tempting to go baggy, but you will look so much better if the outfit actually looks like it belongs on you. Wear simple accessories on days when you’re wearing patterns and try not to look too busy.

Of course, on days when your clothes are rather plain, don’t shy away from bling. Ultimately, it’s about mixing and matching styles.

Fitted jeans, shirts, and dresses will make you look a lot more chic, modern, and not to mention older – who doesn’t want that? They’re also “intelligent”. In other words, you won’t look homeless and, at the same time, you won’t look generic.

Getting the style right

Style is important and everyone has different ideas about this. But, there are a few basic principles that will help you stay cute without looking like a five-year-old. When trying to project your personality, choose your top five values in life and try to incorporate them into your wardrobe in some way.

Maybe you could have your favourite music bands embroidered onto the back of your jacket. Maybe you could pick out your favourite shade of blue for that dress you’ve always wanted. Or, maybe you could get your hair cut like your favourite celebrity.

Whatever you do, keep things just ever so slightly understated.

Mixing and matching styles could make your wardrobe clash so make sure the clothes that you do have can be reassembled into an infinite number of ensembles.

This is done with basic colours that always go well together, paired with accessories – lots of accessories. So, lots of whites, blues, browns, reds, yellows, and denim. Prints are fine, but keep in mind they won’t go with everything.

As for accessories, the sky is the limit. Pick up as many earrings, hats, bracelets, silk flowers, scrunchies, necklaces and headbands as you can.

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