Accessorizing Archives - Page 13 of 23

Wearing Unflattering Colors: Pastel Blue and Green

December 31, 2015 Oh, I could tell you stories about wearing mint green...

I decided to combine these two posts, because it wasn't tremendously easy to find nice things in these colors - especially nail polish. That surprised me; I would have assumed that all pastel colors would be pretty readily available...

A LOT of these items appealed to me, and I thought that the combinations turned out well. And what I wouldn't give for a pair of lace trainers...

I love this look - it reminds me of mint chocolate chip ice cream! And that can ONLY be a good feeling...

I also thought that this was lovely - soft and feminine...

The ring just makes the all come together! I don't suggest that you wear ... View the Post

Wearing Unflattering Colors: Khaki

Khaki turns out to be another one of those colors that means absolutely NOTHING, in absolute terms. I saw things all over the spectrum that answered to my call for khaki jewelry, bags and shoes!This, in my mind, was what I expected when I started searching for khaki; I really quite like this with black; it's unexpected, a bit earthy, but rather sophisticated, too.

Bag – DKNY; loafers – Eileen Fisher; tee shirt – Uniqlo; crop knit pants – Helmut Lang; Khaki nail polish – Burberry; leather bracelet – Veronica Bettini; pearl spinner ring – Topshop

And then I saw this more brown-ish color, which I think looks glorious with the brown outfit. Again, it's not an expected choice of accessories, but it has a richness that ... View the Post

Wearing Unflattering Colors: Olive

December 29, 2015

Wow, I had no idea that olive was such a controversial color! But I guess since there are different colored olives, there are going to be different search results when you start looking for olive green...This is sort of what I expected to find when I started searching. The boots that have the black elastic inset in the side sort of subtly hold all of this together pretty well.

(if someone gave you this ring for the holidays, kiss them repeatedly...)

This was the other sort of shade that I expected to find, while hunting down all things olive. When you see a bag that you like, in the color you want, with leather details in YOUR neutral, you know you're in good shape! I wouldn't usually include a ... View the Post

Wearing Unflattering Colors: Purple

I adore purple - I could easier become a really nutty "wears nothing but purple" person... There's a woman here in Chicago who wears EVERY shade of purple, and nothing BUT purple, every day. She combines the shades and nuances with reckless abandon, and carries it off with panache. I don't always like it, but I always notice it. And she seems very happy....Frankly, I'm not convinced that all of these combinations work - certainly they wouldn't work for me. But everybody gets to decide for themselves, and if you love it, go with it!

This grouping all started with the very cool purple shoes...

Bag – Jimmy Choo; trainers – Fratelli Rossetti; tee shirt – Uniqlo; crop knit pants – Helmut Lang; Night Creature nail polish ... View the Post

Wearing Unflattering Colors: Pink

December 26, 2015

While the right shade of pink is flattering to most women, what do you do if your favorite pink ISN'T the really flattering one? Move it away from your face, and indulge!

Some commenters specifically said that really bright, intense fuchsia is hard to wear, and I can agree with that! But nail polish, or a pair of snazzy flats? That could be just perfect....

I looked for a pink that was just a touch softer and warmer to wear with brown. And now I absolutely long for this nail polish... (the name is hysterical...)

This is a kind of bubble gum color, which looks great with grey. Something to consider, as warmer weather approaches: if you've got a color you'd like to have around the ... View the Post

Wearing Unflattering Colors: Yellow

December 25, 2015

A very Happy Christmas to all of you celebrating today, and a joyous and wonderful day for everyone else! Let's all remember what's most important, and remember to share love, patience, and endless care to everyone around us. We are strong; we can do this!The more I work with "unflattering" colors, the more I find that there are some really lovely items available in the world that might, at first glance, seem difficult to wear. But I think if we keep these kinds of colors away from our faces, there's no reason in the world to avoid them, if they really speak to your heart.

Yellow and black can be REALLY difficult to wear - threats of the nickname "Bumblebee" are always present. But I think this shade is ... View the Post

Wearing Unflattering Colors: Orange

December 24, 2015

I think a lot of us find orange challenging, because of its associations with Halloween, or fast food. That's too bad, because it's really quite nice, and there are a lot of gorgeous accessories in the world that just happen to be orange...

Hardest of all is combining orange and black, but I think using prints, or defiantly non-Halloween details, helps a lot. Using accessories from other cultures, who DON'T think have the same associations with colors that we have, can make a big difference, too.

Orange and brown feel like a match made in heaven, don't they? I think it's important to break this combination out of the "only wear it in the autumn" category and use it more of the year...

One of the benefits of ... View the Post

Wearing Unflattering Colors: Green

December 23, 2015

It's a frequent question: "I really love ______, but it looks terrible on me!"

Well, first, let's answer 2 questions:

Does it REALLY look terrible on you, or were you told that once, about 40 years ago, and it's stuck with you since then? Are you sure that you want to wear this color, or is there some other way to solace your longing? Towels, thrown cushions, table wear, a cell phone cover - there are lots of ways to inject a color into your life without putting in on your person.

Okay, you really DO want to wear this color, and it really DOES make you look ghastly. Maybe it's one of those "local high school" things, or college homecoming, or.... YOU JUST LOVE THE COLOR. You don't have to ... View the Post

Choosing an Hermes Scarf, using handbags, shoes, Chanel brooches…

December 18, 2015

Yes, I'm absolutely going to write more about Paris, probably later today, but this was sort of a rush, emergency request...A chance to choose a scarf for a holiday gift... and you wanted to see how they paired with Chanel brooches??!?!?!??!?! Chanel brooches aren't in my usual repertoire, but why not take a look?

She's narrowed it down to these:

This looks a lot like my friend: smoothly coiffed hair, always in immaculate taste. Plus I like the oval pearls that echo the tiny faces in the scarf!

Sometimes, there's nothing more fun than the juxtaposition of a Chico's necklace with a Chanel brooch. Coco would flip...Although I could easily see her in this also, the sheer ... View the Post

How Do I Define and Refine My Personal Style?

Oooh, I am often asked this, and it's a great question. It's important to have a personal style "mantra" or touchstone of adjectives that help you determine when a purchase might be outside of your realm. And a wee collage of things that inspire you wouldn't be the worst idea either.I also like the concept of trying to imagine a potential purchase as being part of a larger "family" of items that might make it into your wardrobe. Yes, you really like the earrings, but do you want the ENTIRE grouping to be in your closet? Maybe best not let the rogue into the house, lest he bring the entire tribe along...

This is an exercise in Choosing a Scarf: A Black and White Hermes

This was a post about Choosing a ... View the Post

Choosing an Accent Color for Charcoal

December 9, 2015 One of my favorite colors - easier to wear than black, and easier to pull together outfits! So long as your grays are in the same general tone, things don't have to match exactly - always a help.

I used all kinds of schemes for finding pieces this time - I started by looking at men's scarves (always a mystery to me...). The crinkled scarf here is worth taking a look - it's actually a large image of Napoleon. Wearing sunglasses. Designers are an interesting lot, aren't they? (and PLEASE admire that I found square earrings to echo the gridlike nature of the quilted jackets... these are the things that entertain me no end! and the earrings on the left combine the warmth of gold and the coolness ... View the Post

Choosing an Accent Color for Teal or Petrol Blue

December 8, 2015

First up, I have to confess that the whole question about what, exactly, this color is called is a mystery to me. I found all sort of shades and tones of these color under both Teal and Petrol blue. It seemed, in a general sense, that it was more likely to be called Teal in North America, and Petrol blue in Europe. Further, the things that claimed to be Petrol were generally more expensive than those that were called Teal. You may find different examples...But whatever it's called, it's very pretty!

In the time that I've been looking into the idea of accent colors, I've approached finding ideas a few different ways. Some color I just knew would work well, and some were combinations that I have wanted to ... View the Post