If you know me then you know that I love accessories and I believe in their value 110%!
The easiest and most fun way to expand your wardrobe, once you have the basics, is through strategically purchasing and using your accessories which include necklaces, bracelets, watches, scarves, and earrings. Accessories can include your footwear, gloves and handbags but for this particular article it is all about jewelry. Bracelets for starters. (How can I resist a peek at a couple of my sparkly necklaces ?)
The final hour of the first appointment I have with a brand-new client, which is called the Style Appointment, is dedicated to putting new looks together based on the information that I have gleaned about the person’s lifestyle, desires, values and image goals. I use their new ‘Style Words’ . This part of the exercise often involves their accessories because of the transforming powers they have.
No longer am I surprised when they pull out boxes, beautiful velvet ones, the coveted pretty turquoise ones or Ziploc bags with carefully wrapped pieces inside, introducing me to their accessories. Often times these have come out of dresser drawers, the top ones to be precise, where they have been buried under all kinds of garments typically lingerie, hosiery. Red flag: these accessories are not doing the job that accessories are intended to do and haven’t seen the light of day….in a while. When I ask the question “Are you wearing your accessories ( it’s rhetorical) the answer is faint, a shrug or a frustrated groan.
Here’s the deal. If you cannot easily access your accessories, you are not wearing them. Full stop. There’s really no need to try to convince me otherwise. I know how busy you are as women, I also know how frustrating it is to reach into a drawer and pull out a knotted mass of necklaces or to be flipping through boxes of jewellery pulling apart nicely placed cotton to find that piece you were looking for without success.
Accessories, like anything else, need to be organized. They also need to be edited. And loved.
Here’s another tid bit about your jewels. They should make up 70% of your wardrobe. Yup. That’s right. The easiest transition from a day to evening look, wearing the same core pieces, is switching out jewelry and footwear.
Because I’m all about you wearing your clothes more, seeing them through new style eyes, I’m going to do a couple of posts about accessories. Full confession: I am an accessory, a jewelry junkie. I edit them regularly but I must admit I have a difficult time parting with many of my pieces. I wear them all!
Because of the numbers I have collected over the years, they must be organized. I also like to plan my outfits ahead of time and I have been known to change my style – mind last minute. Organization allows for getting dressed quickly and getting me where I’m going in a timely manner.
I’m sharing my go to strategies – for my bracelets and watches.
I love wearing bracelets and as you know it’s a strong trend. Stretchy ones are my fav’s!
I organize by tone. That is my ‘warm’ bracelets are together, my ‘cool’ ones together and my miscellaneous which are mostly organic thus ‘warm’ are together.
Something else to keep in mind- how you organize them. When your jewelry comes out of the boxes and into full view, it’s prudent to think about what that looks like. Is your space modern, are you a minimalist in terms of decorating/ clutter, is your decor taste Mid Century Modern or an eclectic mix of life? Use what you have, what you love to display as storage options for your bracelets. That way your decor is consistent and you are repurposing things you already love . When you enjoy looking at them, you’ll reach for them.
When I am in my clients homes and discover the need for an accessory audit, my style eye (and resourceful eye) is looking around and planning what type of storage will help them enjoy and wear their jewelry more. So for me anything elemental / organic/ vintage works— old rusted coloured hooks, plate shelves, vintage and international candle sticks, little wooden containers, woven baskets. You’ll see these in the posts to come.
BRACELETS:
As I mentioned I love vintage finds– here I have repurposed an old plant stand, very old, by tying a colourful scarf inside & securing it underneath (the wicker is broken now) so it holds my go to wrap bracelets of all genres.
This first group, on my gorgeous Italian candlestick holder, are organic – so combos of wood, fabric, leather, string.
This second grouping are my cool tone bracelets from black to Stirling Silver to reds and baby blues.
Lastly are my go to warm metal pieces. I do have some higher end pieces in a small visible box just to keep them out of view from others. I know where they are and reach for them easily.
A small decorative bowl, that my daughter gifted me on one of her trips back from where she lives in Africa, is the perfect home for my watches which I wear daily. The bowl, which I love, serves dual purposes here making for easy access and automatically bringing a smile to my face thinking of Kellee.
Remember the rule – if you can’t see them, the likelihood of your wearing your pieces decreases. Accessories add so much value to your everyday look. They’re the easiest way to transition from one season to the next, they speak to your personality and are fun to wear. Not to mention they’re the most economical way to update your look.
I’d love to hear from you about what you learned, any insights you gained or steps you’ve taken to make wearing your bracelets easier from this post.
When you look good you feel fantastic. And that’s a wonderful thing.
Because confidence is always in style.
Reach out to me here
Check out my youtube channel for more weekly tips!