FUNDAMENTALS of ACCESSORIES

An accessory is a piece with versatility that moves around your wardrobe and works more than one way.  It adds character and interest to anything you wear.  An ACCESSORY directs attention where you want it.  It is a great wardrobe extender, a wise investment that lasts longer than most garments and isn’t affected by weight or size variations.  Have you ever heard anyone say “I can’t wear my jewelry because I gained weight”?  What makes a look EXTRA-ORDINARY is all the little things like:

1. A perfectly placed pin.
2. A scarf tied just right.
3. A good-looking handbag.
4. The right colored hose.

You can experiment with new ways of using accessories:

1. Wear a necklace as a bracelet.
2. Wear a scarf as a belt.
3. Wear earrings as pins.
4. Put a bracelet on your ankle.

Accessories are the TOYS of fashion, they are meant to be played with.  They are the secret of the well dressed woman.  You should learn to use accessories to create the proper illusions and make magic with your clothes.  No where does detail count more than with accessories.

COLOR is the GREATEST ACCESSORY

COLOR is the most PERSONAL POINT of all fashion.  Color affects people physically, emotionally, and mentally.  Most people fear color:  example, “I can’t wear this color or that color”, which is ridiculous, they simply can’t wear certain shades of those colors.

COLOR has three characteristics:

1. HUE—the name of the color.  The main hues are red, yellow, and blue.  From these three hues, all colors are made and referred to as secondary colors.
2. VALUE—refers to the lightness or darkness of a color.
3. INTENSITY—refers to the brightness or dullness of a color.

Researchers have found that colors evoke certain responses:

NAVY—authority.

RED—exciting, stimulating.

PINK—sweet, gentle.

ORANGE—friendly, outgoing.

YELLOW—sunny, cheerful.

GREEN—tranquil.

BLUE—soothing.

PURPLE—regal, dignified.

BROWN—dependable.

BLACK—sophisticated, mysterious.

WHITE—innocent.

GRAY—safe, comforting, protective.

COLOR is important in creating the look you want to achieve.  Wear the right colors and your skin glows, your eyes sparkly and your hair is full of highlights.  Wear the wrong colors and you look tired and drawn.

Do you have warm or cool undertones?  Just as colors can be classified as warm or cool so can human beings.  If your skin, hair, and eyes ABSORB colors that match your own undertones, the result is a sparkling appearance.  When the colors you wear are of the opposite undertones, they will be REFLECTED and will deaden your appearance.  You can determine your own undertone category of warm or cool by holding pieces of metallic fabric near the face.  If gold is obviously more harmonious and flattering, your undertones are WARM.  If silver is noticeably more flattering, your undertone is COOL. 

So color is not only important in creating the look we want to achieve, it also affects how we feel and how people respond to us.

JEWELRY

A JEWEL is defined as an article of personal adornment.  Jewelry is an accessory with the greatest potential for creativity and self expression.  NEVER underestimate the IMPORTANCE of jewelry.

Jewelry can serve a host of different purposes:

1. Divert attention away from an area.
2. Focus attention to an area.
3. Hold a scarf in place.
4. Create illusions.

Try on jewelry items before you buy, make selections on how the piece looks on you.  Select jewelry that will enhance your coloring and work with your wardrobe.

Repeat one color when accessorizing a print or plaid garment; keep all the accessory accents in the same colors.  Use uneven numbers when you add an accent jewelry color to a solid colored garment (usually three).  If one jewelry item has a bold metallic accent, repeat that metal at least once more in the ensemble for visual unity.

Use your creativity to find multiple ways to wear items:

1. A pin on your lapel.
2. Hang a pin on a necklace.
3. Pin it onto a sash like a belt buckle.
4. Use a pin across a strand of beads bolo style.
5. Twist a strand of beads and secure them with a pin.
6. Gather up the hem of a tie-top for a flattering diagonal look.

Multiple uses for a slide-style belt buckle:

1. Use it as a buckle with a fabric sash.
2. Use it as a dramatic scarf holder.
3. Use it as a pendant on twisted strands of beads.
4. Use it to gather the edge of an over-size-tie-top.

Heavy jewelry looks best worn asymmetrically.  It makes a more interesting effect.  Remember to keep jewelry in proportion.  And experiment, experiment, experiment.

SCARVES

Next to diamonds, scarves should be a girl’s best friend.  Scarves are the quickest way to add color.  An attractive scarf can add pizzazz and change the look of an ensemble.   Multicolor print scarves that combine several of your best colors are the best investment.  Scarves NEVER go out of style.  Scarves can serve a multitude of purposes:

1. Made into mufflers, ascots, bows, belts, ties and cummerbunds.
2. Introduce new tones and accents.
3. Hide a sagging chin.
4. Cover a rip.
5. Hold up a skirt or pant.
6. Support a broken arm.
7. Keep the sweat off your brow.
8. Keep you warm wrapped around your shoulders.

Scarves brighten up, tone down, perk up, pick up, and are a perfect compliment to almost anything you wear. 

HANDBAGS

Most women would rather loose their husbands than their handbags.  A handbag becomes an extension of us.  HANDBAGS are the INDISPENSIBLE ACCESSORY of a woman’s wardrobe.  You “wear” your handbag everyday, so invest in a good one, preferably leather.  It is well worth the price for the many years of GOOD wear it will give you.  The color of your handbag should conform to your color scheme.  Make sure the bag you’re considering will hold your normal contents.  Try on a purse before you buy it to be sure it compliments your body proportions.  If it is larger than the area between your waist and hips, it is probably too big for you.  A shoulder bag is convenient but be sure the strap is short enough for the bag to hang at the top of your hipbone.  The handbag style is another classic with handles long enough to be worn under the arm or not.  Envelopes and clutches are a dressier look.  The best evening bag investment is a small clutch in black or metallic.  A good handbag should adapt to a great variety of clothes.

BELTS

Belts set off your waist and give a polished look to an ensemble.  Three reasons for wearing a belt are:

1. To add color and texture.
2. To control the volume or shape of a top or dress.
3. To make two pieces look like one.

What belts can do:

1. Hold up a pant or skirt.
2. Keep a blouse tucked in.
3. Keep a long slip from showing.
4. Make long torsos shorter.
5. Serve as a vault for “mad” money.
6. Serve as a hanger for keys, glasses, etc.

Leather belts in widths from 3/4” to 1 1/2” are fashion classics worth collecting in a variety of your best colors.  A basic black and brown belt can be worn forever.  A metal buckle can turn a belt into a piece of jewelry.  Belts can add interest to an otherwise dull ensemble.

SHOES

A good rule of thumb about open or bare shoes versus covered up shoes is that if your clothing is covered up, your shoes should be too.  Shoes should not only be comfortable but should work with most everything in your wardrobe.

Your shoes:

1. Should never be lighter than your hosiery.
2. Always be sure shoes match the mood of the ensemble.
3. A 1 1/2" to 2” heel is flattering to most legs, wear a minimum of a one inch heel if you are heavy, short or short legged.

HOSIERY

Use colored hosiery as an accessory to create a mood.  Every look has more than ONE hosiery choice.  When buying hosiery, pick one shade that MATCHES and one shade that CONTRASTS with the main colors in your wardrobe.  Already you’ve extended your wardrobe, giving every ensemble at least two looks.  A good NEUTRAL hosiery color is a color as close as possible to your own skin tone or a shade darker.  Create a polished look with colored hose.  With a neutral-colored skirt or pant, match all three color elements, example:  black skirt, off-black hose, and black shoes.  With a brightly colored garment, choose neutral shoes and match hose to shoes, example:  red dress, taupe shoes, and taupe hose.  The stocking texture should go with the mood of your shoe—a rough textured stocking with a low heel walking shoe and a sheerer stocking as your heel gets higher and the shoe becomes more delicate.

I hope I have enlightened you about accessories and how they furnish the all important EYE APPEAL.  The MODERN APPROACH is to change ACCESSORIES.

Facts from the past:

1. Purses:  The Crusades established the purse as a fashion accessory for men.  Priests issued one to every Crusader.
2. The first recorded wedding ring seems to have been used in the 3^rd Dynasty of the Old Kingdom of Egypt around 2700 B.C.  To the Egyptians, a circle having no beginning or end, signified eternity and gold was their most precious metal.

By Carol Knauf, Owner of Rae Baxter’s Fashion Shop