Punk Rock Accessories

What makes a great outfit? 

I prefer clothes with clean lines and simple cuts. That’s because I’m a minimalist at heart: no frills or frou frou, no ‘interesting’ (= complicated and / or impractical) cuts for me. In fact, I’m happy with the boring old basics most of the time. Mainly because they’re practical and comfortable…

But I do want to look good. No, let’s rephrase that: I want to look devastatingly stylish, in that ‘I-don’t-really-need-to-make-an-effort-because-I’m-too-cool‘ kind of way. I’m sure you’ve met a woman who looks like that. We all have. In my case that woman was my mother. Her clothes were always simple and casual, yet she was always  the most stylish woman in the room.

So, given that I’m not into clothes that make a big impact,  what’s the secret ingredient that takes a bland outfit to the next level? The simple answer is: accessories, and attention to detail.

This is something I learned from my mother. She used accessories sparingly, but she spent a lot of time selecting just the right accessories to complement a particular outfit. And that’s the paradox here: it may look simple and easy and as if you’ve made no effort at all, but it actually does take some time and effort to get every little detail just right.

Now, I don’t even pretend to have the same skill (not to mention patience) as my mother did when it comes to accessorizing. I’m really a slob, and there are days when I can’t be bothered to dress up or make an effort. But when I do make an effort – even a haphazard, half-hearted one – I want my accessories to do the heavy lifting as far as making an impact is concerned. I want my accessories to pop. And I want all of my accessories to tell the same story.

I’m not talking about matchy-matchy here, just that all the accessories seamlessly fit together. That’s rather important when accessories are the cornerstone of your style. Because it is the accessories that create the look and the mood of the outfit.

And the look and mood here? Well, I was going for a bit of a punk rock vibe. That’s why I went for black, white and silver accessories.

I’ve posted 3 looks featuring this chambray shirt dress before: a simple summer look with minimal accessories, an all-out glam look with red accessories, and a classic but quirky look with red, orange and brown accessories. I like them all, but sometimes I like one more than the others. Which one,  well, that depends on my mood. And as my mood changes, my favourite look changes…

Outfit details:

dress: Phase Eight (old) / sunglasses: Marimekko / shoes: Clarks /

bag: Chanel / belt: LP Selection (old)

How do you accessorize?

Tiina

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