Clothes to accessory ratio

jenanded

I have seen some blogs say that the secret to feeling like you have multiple looks in a work capsule is to have enough accessories to mix up the changes. It seems to make sense in that I am not really after another black/grey dress etc. For example Bridgette Raes suggests you can get a lot more looks out of work basics through the various accessory 'looks' - colour, tans, metallic etc.

What do you think? What have you made work?

AKA can I justify more shoes, jewels and bags

9 years ago

Dressing

13 replies

Latest reply was from Deborah

Anonymous

Shoes make a big difference. I'm think of, for example, wearing a heel with jeans, vs wearing a sandal wedge, vs wearing a sneaker. All very different.

Bags and jewelry don't make as much of an impact on the look of the outfit, IMO. However, it makes an impact on me personally. I feel like I'm wearing a significantly different outfit when I wear boho-ish dangle-y earrings vs. pearls, for example, but I don't think others notice it as much as I do.

9 years ago

Anonymous

It works wonders to change accessories and third pieces like jackets, cardigans, vests, etc. if you have a basic plain neutral dress or top and bottom, you can use accessories to make it seasonal, more casual or dressy, fit in with certain regional looks, change proportions, and more.
I agree with Smittie that footwear is the place to start.
For example, a black dress with a black lace jacket and pointy heels is a different look from the same dress with taupe suede Birkenstocks and a denim jacket or with a chunky cable knit pullover worn over it and knee high or over-the-knee boots. Then scarves, bags and jewelry can define the look further.

9 years ago

rachylou

Veteran

Got to admit that this has never worked for me. One outfit with different scarves looks like one outfit with different scarves to me. Although going from loafers to sky high satin pumps... I guess that *would* signify a day to night change to me. So a shoe change to me, then, is probably the heavy hitter.

9 years ago

El Cee

Veteran

Having variety in accessories (shoes, jewelry, scarves, bags) has always been my secret. I am very tall, so until internet shopping was a thing, I was very limited in my clothing options. When I started my first corporate job back in the 90's, I owned exactly one 3 piece suit (slacks, skirt & jacket)… in black. I had spent over a decade working in hospitals and wearing scrubs/uniforms, so it was going to take a while to build a new "business casual" wardrobe from scratch. I wore at least one piece of this black suit each day for the first three months, and usually alternated between the black skirt and black pants. I had a variety of tops I could mix in, as well as a few coordinating "third pieces", and I got very creative with jewelry and scarves. No one I worked with realized I had been wearing pieces from the same suit every day until I jokingly mentioned it over coffee a few months into my new job. I still use this strategy to get more mileage out of my wardrobe.

9 years ago

Dee

Veteran

I think it depends on whether you have statement pieces under the accessories or not. Most simple black pants or neutral shells are probably not very memorable to the average person, so a coworker is much more likely to notice a pop of color from a necklace or scarf than that you are wearing the same pair of pants, again.

ETA - exactly what El Cee said. That's what I get for posting before reading the entire thread.

9 years ago

Anonymous

I believe in this. The best example that comes to mind from my own closet is the couple of marled looking mid-gray Current Elliot t-shirts I wear all the time ,12 months a year. Both have slightly angled feminine short sleeves, and one is a deep V and the other a wide crew. Both are distressed and have worn looking hems, edges etc everywhere . Kind of rate. But , I wear these t-shirts under a suit and with lots of jewellery as well as with cargo pants and shorts and totally different jewellery all summer long. It's all about the scarf or the jewellery or the shoes or the makeup. Same top , all of the time It's become so ridiculous that i have the same thing now in a tank top (one white and one black) and in a long sleeved t. So basically I wear the same top all the time and for just about every occasion - lol. The ratio of accessories to clothes in my closet is about 5000 : 1. It's because accessories always fit and never let you down.

9 years ago

Anonymous

Listening to Dee, el cee, and lisap, it seems like the key to successfully using accessories as the main "spice" is that you have a few basics that you're really happy with.

I think I'm almost there: I've got bottoms that are great, but the "perfect" mix-n-match top still eludes me.

9 years ago

Aziraphale

Veteran

I'm not sure I consider shoes an accessory, since it's not like you can leave the house without them -- unlike scarves, jewellery and bags! But I do agree that changing up the shoes can change the whole outfit, especially if the shoes have "personality".

As for jewellery, I think it can make a difference if it's huge, but otherwise no. Scarves more so, since they take up a lot of space and are worn up by your face. I haven't reached the stage yet where scarves feature in my wardrobe, but I see other women wear them and look fab. Bag? I don't know. Maybe.

One thing you didn't mention is jackets. They can change an outfit completely. Think about if you wear the a simple tee and jeans with Converse and a leather moto, versus if you swap out the Converse for heeled ankle boots and the moto for a blazer. Completely different!

9 years ago

rabbit

Veteran

Like Aziraphale for me jackets and shoes make the biggest difference. I like statement bags, but they don't change the 'vibe' of an outfit so much for me, just introduce a new color or texture.

For awhile my solid color tops were barely getting worn, I usually defaulted to patterned tops because my shoes, coats and jeans/pants/skirts were solid colors. Now I've added a few two-toned or patterned shoes, pants, and coats and suddenly my solid tops are getting worn more often....

Also for example a solid navy sweater and jeans could look differently with a gray leopard coat than a white blazer, or with no topper it would look different with leopard booties then red ghillie shoes, even though it's basically a navy column of color.

9 years ago

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

(Footwear is not an Accessory, btw. Footwear is Footwear).

I'm high fiving rabbit and Aziraphale.

Footwear and handbags (my favourite accessory) make a huge difference in terms of changing up my look. But then so do jackets and updated essentials. I am DEFINITELY not a neutrals-only gal, so colour makes a big difference for me too. Unlike Lisa, jewellery does not play a huge role in my style at all (just pearl necklaces), and I usually only wear one scarf (my Burberry).

9 years ago

Anonymous

The only way I can think of for accessories to make it look like you're wearing a different outfit is for the accessories to be bold and very noticeable. I personally think jackets would have more impact than shoes or jewelry. My problem is that although I love jackets and want to have more, I have a difficult time finding the cropped and shaped ones that I think would look best on me. I keep looking, though.

9 years ago

Aida

Veteran

I don't really use accessories to change my look, though I do have a nice collection of jewelry and bags (I'm with Angie, footwear is its own thing) along with scarves though I don't wear them often. I use my accessories as accents and completers. They certainly aren't a defining feature of a given "outfit" for me.

Jackets are high impact, but if the jacket has any interesting details then it becomes less useful as an "accessory" to my mind; wearing, say, a bright orange jacket a couple times a week over different tops will be very noticeable compared to, say, a black turtleneck sweater worn with different scarves, but for me neither offers much actual outfit variation. I feel this way about toppers in general though, and I know many don't.

I think it really depends on your personal dressing preferences. Some people like simpler, more basic individual clothing elements so that they can add interest with their accessories; others (like myself) prefer more complex individual items and those become the interest. There's also the idea of how much difference is desired from outfit to outfit. Dressing simply with fun accessories doesn't work for me. I like the clothing to provide the interest and also desire quite a lot of change from outfit to outfit. Finding what works for you is important!

9 years ago

Deborah

Veteran

I think that sounds like an excellent justification for more handbags:). I am moving a little more in that direction at the moment. I am very happy with my neutral wardrobe and don't need much variety by way of silhouette so adding colour and freshness via accessories feels like a natural evolution of style to me. I just bought two hammered silver cuffs to wear on each wrist with black dresses and tops with elbow and 3/4 sleeves. I would say I give my accessories purchases as much consideration as I do my clothes

9 years ago

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