Are accessories worth adding to an outfit? Here's how to make them work for your figure & style type

Accessories are like frosting on the cake.  They take any look and step it up a notch. Like frosting on a cake, you can sweeten your look with accessories.   

1. Accessories can HIGHLIGHT the POSITIVE.   Love your slim waist?  Play it up with a fabulous belt! Looking to minimize the waist? Wear a long necklace that draws the eyes to a vertical line at your center.  (In a recent presentation, I asked audience members what their favorite attribute was.  One person said that she loves her wrists because they are slender and beautiful.  Her wrists are screaming for a lovely bracelet or bangle.) A well-placed accessory can divert the viewer’s gaze away from areas on your face or figure where you don't want attention and direct it to an area where you do.  We've all had those days when Mount St. Helens decided to erupt on our face.  Yes, make-up or a large bandaid is an option.  But the make-up never tends to wear off too soon and the bandaid looks nearly as bad as the volcano you're trying to hide. Accessories can take the attention away from the negative and accentuate the positive.  
2. Accessories make the look UNIQUELY YOU! This is your chance to add a piece of YOU and what you’re all about to any basic pieces. The right accessory will give "assembly line" clothes a look of distinction.  Using similar black pants and black pull over sweater, we have created a dramatically different look with the addition of a few accessories.  Your accessories are pieces that signal your personal style.  Add a more classic/romantic with pearls or drama with with a fringed collar. Bows are popular. take a basic white button up shirt and add a black tie - great to dress up jeans for a holiday party and help people to focus more on your face. Square toed mary-janes will look more approachable and cute - while a more pointed toe heel will look a bit more poised and assertive.  The accessories you choose and their line, shape, color, texture and pattern all coincide with your unique taste, your physical attributes and the garment they are added to.   If you have blue eyes, add a touch of "you" to the outfit with blue earrings or a blue beanie.  Accessories are a fabulous way to reinforce the best in you.  
3. INSTANT PANACHE, the finishing touch.  Burgundy boots? They may look out of place until the color is repeated somewhere else - try adding a burgundy beanie or bangle.  A harmonious accessory can be a "completer piece" that pulls together the look of a new outfit coordinating separates and creating a finished appearance. This sweater is nice, but add a scarf that ties in the color with yours and it’s sweet. It's amazing what a few accessories can do to enhance even yoga pants and t-shirt.  There have been times when I've been knee deep in housework, with little time to change before going out.  By throwing a ruana on over my t-shirt and jeans, and adding a boot with a cute boot, I look as polished as ever.  See more on ruanas here.  A nice pattern in the accessories that combines the colors of the basic solid colored pieces is a fabulous way to pull everything together. 

ALSO...

• off-black stockings for warmth, neutral enough to work with most things
• layered necklaces best layered under a collared shirt or simple jewel neckline top
• size and scale should be consistent with the size and scale of the person - if she’s a taller, fuller figured woman then accessories should be medium to large.  If smaller, petite woman accessories should be small to medium in scale.

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Well chosen accessories that enhance your PERSONAL STYLE will NEVER BE OUT OF STYLE. Want to delve deeper to discover the details of your personal style? YOU'LL LOVE LEARNING YOUR NEW LANGUAGE OF STYLE HERE.

Nail Your Look Here

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