If accessorizing feels like a challenge, it is my guess that when you dress casually the last thing you want to think about is finishing your looks with accessories. I'm not judging you for this, but will say it does make a huge difference. Plus, it isn't the difficult, time-consuming or challenging task you think it is. In the .005 seconds it takes to wind a scarf around your neck or slip on a pair of interesting shoes (you're putting on shoes anyway), you can make an outfit go from flat to fabulous.
For those casual days, in today's accessorizing post, I am going to show you how one, that's right, just one accessory addition or change to an outfit can make a world of difference. If you are new to accessorizing, or are just looking to make it easy, you don't want to miss my tips and outfit suggestions below.
Super Easy Ways to Casually Accessorize Outfits
Tip #1- Grab a scarf
You can't get more casual than a v-neck sweater and jeans, like this sweater from Athleta and these basic J. Crew jeans. While there are plenty of ways to accessorize this type of look ( here are some outfits), to keep it simple, grab a scarf and wind it around your neck. As you see in the outfit on the left and right, all the components of the looks are the same- a pair of Frye chelsea boots and a grey tote bag from Banana Republic. Yet, on the right, color and interest are added with this scarf from Nordstrom. Now how hard is that?
Tip #3- Stack some bracelets
If jewelry feels cumbersome or pointless when doing casual things, don't discount adding earrings to your outfits. While a necklace or bracelet may get in the way, a pair of earrings can add some effortless pop. You won't feel them once they're in and and can also bring attention towards your face. You don't have to go with a big pair, even the simplest of earrings can make all the difference. Really, if wearing earrings feels like too much pressure we may have to check your pulse for signs of life.
In this outfit, consisting of a pair of black Boden pants, a basic white t-shirt from J. Crew, a striped Modcloth cardigan, flats from Nordstrom and black bag from Big Buddha, the outfit on the right looks less bland with the simple addition of black earrings from Sam Edleman.
Lately, my favorite way to accessorize is to stack some bracelets on my wrist. You can do the same with your casual looks simply by wearing multiple bracelets that you already own or, because we're going for super effortless here, buy a set of multiple bracelets that are sold together.
In the outfit on the right, I took the easy, casual outfit consisting of a long denim top from Madwell, a pair of brown faux suede leggings, cognac boots from Frye, blue Rebecca Minkoff handbag and hoop earrings from Nordstrom, and made it a bit more interesting by adding the Bauble Bar stacked bracelets. Also note, that little punch of tangerine adds the perfect pop of color.
Tip #5- Change up your handbag Shop this outfitTip #4- Change up your shoes
When you have an outfit that doesn't allow for wearing much jewelry, this fair isle sweater that has a large turtleneck, look to your shoes to upgrade your outfits. In the look on the left the sweater is styled with the same jeans used earlier, (because who doesn't like to wear jeans multiple ways casually?), a navy Kipling bag, Ann Taylor earrings and navy TOMS desert wedges. This outfit totally works but is a little one-note.
On the right, all I did was change the shoes for a this burgundy pair from Naturalizer. Now the outfit is a bit more interesting while still being casually functional.
Few women want to change their bags when dressing causally. It's hard enough to get women to wear jewelry, forget changing the contents from one purse to another. However, does your one go-to bag have to be so boring? For the sake of versatility, most women will say yes, but this doesn't have to be the case. The trick is to choose a handbag that is just as versatile as black but in a different color.
In this outfit I am using this green handbag from Modcloth instead of the black version of the same style. Even cooler, both of these bags are reversible and have a cognac shade on the other side. Both bags work with this coral breton style dress from Boden, only the outfit on the right looks more cohesive and interesting. In both outfits, the rest of the accessories stay the same, gold flats from Born and earrings from Stella & Dot.
When choosing versatile handbags look for colors like metallic, green, yellow and teal. They are usually fail-safe shades that work with whatever colors you are wearing.
This year commit to one casual accessorizing addition to add to your looks and notice how you can remain comfortable but look a lot more stylish.
