What are your top tips for accessorising please?

[blissieblue]

This is the thing I find most difficult when putting an outfit together. Am ok with jewellery I think (less is more, big earrings or necklace not both..) but find shoes, bag, belt etc quite tricky.
Always worry about what should match and wearing too many colours.

The only thing that I find hideous is when someone is too manic about matching accessories. I saw a woman last week with red polkadot shoes, red polkadot scarf, red polkadot bag and yes, you guessed it a red polkadot hairband.

Cute on a 4yo perhaps but not on a 40yo.

I am the same.....great with jewellry etc but not bags and shoes and scarves and belts.

I never wear belts.

My shoes never match my bag but am not sure why they should.

Scarves look ageing imho.

I will just stick to the jewellry and make sure my hair and makeup look fab!

A good rule of thumb, I suppose, would be that if your outfit is bright/patterned, you need to stick with neutral accessories. And vice versa

So: Tropical-print sundress needs cork and tan leather wedges and a natural raffia bag

But: Black evening frock can work with turquoise satin slingbacks and a gold beaded clutch.

Because floral frock plus pink shoes and yellow patent bag = Su Pollard.

Matchy-matchy bag and shoes is very ageing, IMO, but I think that you can match your belt to either your shoes or bag (though I don't know anyone with an extensive belt-wardrobe).

Or you can just wear black like the fashion pack do.

Oh, that is good, Missblyth. The whole matching bag/shoes thing always reminds me of my mum going to a wedding in the 80s with a red bag/shoes/hat combo. I seem to recall that she also had red plastic jewellery on too. Very classy.

So if (for example) I was buying a purple waist belt and silver wedges to wear with black dress, what colour should my bag be? Silver, purple or something else maybe?

Well, Blissie,

if eventhing else is plain, you could have a patterned bag, but still based around the other colours.. .

Or plain black or purple-not neccesarily leather though, could be fabric/raffia/whatever.

But not silver, as too matchy-matchy to pair up bag and shoes, you see?

Missblythe - that's really helpful. Why don't I know this already!! There's always something at the back of my mind that says that shoes and bag should match - why is that???

It's not a rule, though, you know!

If you want to have matching shoes and bag, no-one will mind (not even me), the earth won't stop turning, boys will still like you, all that kind of thing.

Just buy the things that make you happy

I'd rather not match shoes and bag. It's quite boring isn't it?

I just always have this feeling that if I introduce a new colour to an outfit by way of shoes / bag etc then I have to repeat it elsewhere in another accessory [hmmm]

miss blythe I like your thinking and your style. have you recently name changed?

No, have been MissB since I joined MN, earlier this year

Ok, as you were

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Okay,

The cream stitching/plunging V-neck means that you can't really wear a necklace at all, so stick to earrings and bracelets for jewellery.

I would keep to cream/gold jewellery-H&M have some lovely cream plastic bead bandles at the moment that are £4.99 for 4, and you could have gold hoops, which will look really summery with your blonde hair.

Cork wedges would look lovely, and help your black dress seem a bit more summery. New Look have some fab ones with patent uppers and a peep-toe. I think they come in a few colours, but their website is not running, so can't check, but sure they were only £15-I'd get the black

The thing with a black dress is that you can't really wear it with bright colours, as it can look very dated (think 80s power-suits), and the black cheapens the bright colour and vice versa.

Instead, you need to add other neutrals, so I would add a raffia/natural coloured bag,

maybe like this one, which does have a bit of coloured detail:

www.monsoon.co.uk/invt/28949311

If I can ever get onto the New Look website, they have a cork clutch too, for £10 I think, which would be perfect.

Love this muted coral bag too, which would work if eventhing else was black/cream/cork:

www.marksandspencer.com/gp/product/B0018APO48/sr=1-24/qid=1214170642/ref=sr_1_24/203-2011775-2600747 ?ie=UTF8&node=&m=A2BO0OYVBKIQJM&keywords=&mnSBrand=core&size=9&rh=n%3A43178030&page=3

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I think black to a wedding is fine...its all about the accessories to stop it looking funereal

Black to a wedding IS fine, but black during the day, in summer, needs lifting with accessories to stop you looking drab.

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