Rate My Look

Good morning, everyone! I feel like I have a lot to say, so I'll just dive right in. So many of you express difficulty in accessorizing. I admit, it's something that takes practice and it's also something that's incredibly personal. In other words, what I love and what works for me, might be a complete disaster on you and vice versa. Yesterday I wore a simple black and white outfit, but I photographed it with two different accessory options.

First, the basic look with a cute purple satin headband (a Christmas gift from the BFF, btw) and my favorite round-toe black wedges.  

Second, a slightly more "edgy" version of the same outfit with a beaded cluster necklace, black oxford heels, and a faux-patent leather wide belt.

It's pretty clear to see how the belt and bold jewelry takes this simple black and white look to a completely different place. The headband look is sweet and simple, but still stylish. And in case you were wondering, NO they do NOT work together. Take a look at this photo:

Even if the colors in the necklace and headband were more complimentary, this combination would not work. Becasuse the headband is so large and the necklace is also making a bold statement, they are in competition with one another. If this exact same style of necklace were actually a bracelet, then the combination would work better because they would be far enough from each other in terms of placement on the body that they would no longer compete so dramatically. Because they are so close together and so similar in size and impact, they are fighting to be the focal point. Make sense? If you insisted upon wearing a headband AND a this necklace, then the headband should be something that blends more seamlessly into the hairstyle. Or vice versa- if you are choosing to wear a headband that makes a statement, then tone down the necklace. Accessories should work together without competing with one another. Here's another outfit I wore this week where the accessories balance each other out:

The belt, cocktail ring and necklaces may seem like "a lot of look" as the fabulous Tim Gunn would say, but they are each serving a different purpose and complimenting each other. (P.S. I wish I had taken a better picture of these booties to show you. They are actually brown faux-patent leather with a micro suede fold-over cuff and gold button detail on the side. They're super cute.) The brown color story is continued from top to bottom, which keeps the eye moving in vertical direction- from the brown booties, to the brown tights to the brown belt to the brown turtleneck under the dress- it's all vertical. The vertical shape of the gold necklaces only enhances that effect. The cocktail ring just adds another punch of personality and style to the outfit. It's actually a really fun ring, partly because it's so big. I got it over the weekend at Forever 21 for a mere $3.80. (I temporarily lifted my self-imposed shopping ban while at the KOP Mall, particularly where cocktail rings and accessories were concerned. But for less than 5 bucks? How could I walk away? More on that shopping trip at a later date.)