My 5 favorite accessories for each season and how to wear each one.
I tend to get a lot of compliments on my outfits, even when I don’t think it’s one of my best. Not to fill my own head with hot air, but people love to see how I piece together outfits and ask for my help styling! I don’t always have tips for people when I’m standing there trying to tell them what to wear– it’s super different from writing to you in a blog post telling you how to wear a hot new trend.
After a while, I started to think about what really makes an outfit. What’s the common thread between all of my outfits that my friends fawn over and a pretty blah one? Because I don’t even dress up all that much,
I realized what makes a good outfit a great outfit is the accessories.
Here are my favorite accessories for each season and why they should be yours as well!
It’s not always the clothes but all the details that make it spectacular!
Table of Contents
What Makes A Good Accessory?
I remember in my first retail job at a big department store, my store owner had a template for her outfits that she swore by. She always used to say, “I wear $30 dresses but Chanel accessories.” And she wasn’t lying! And she always looked fabulous.
Accessories are what people notice. Accessories really tell people how they should read your outfit. Is it casual? Is it fun and flirty? Is it preppy or athletic or grunge?
We could all wear the same black tee shirt at the same time and look like we have completely different styles– because we do! All because of the accessories we choose to wear it with. Combat boots and ballet flats are all going to send a different message.
So what makes a good accessory? A good accessory is anything that helps you portray the right style for the occasion. Not only that, but brings everything together. Maybe you have a black dress and white shoes. A black and white pearl necklace or even an all white necklace rounds it out and makes it complete. There’s not a perfect way to pair anything together, but there is always something you can use to complete an outfit.
If you feel like it’s missing something, add something. If it feels like too much, switch it out for something else instead.
How To Pair Accessories Together
Pairing accessories is simple, but you do have to grow your eye for it!
Bottom line though, there’s no wrong answer. I’m a big believer in wearing what you like, because the reality is that our moods are more attached to our appearances than we would like to admit, so make sure you’re wearing what makes you happy.
Now. For my answer to the question, “how to pair accessories together,” is simple. You always need a little, and you never need a lot. I like to go with no more than four accessories at a time, and even that might be a stretch. So these top 5 accessories for each season lists are all pieces I think you should have on hand, not that you should wear them all with every single outfit.
It’s all about learning to balance. If I wear a silk scarf in a bold color and a chunky boot, I’m not likely going to have a statement bag. Subtle bag with two big pieces. It’s very case by case so there isn’t a set answer to what I think you should pair with each other. You’ll learn to feel it out the more you play with accessories. They’re a whole new world, so have fun with them!
How Accessories Change from Season To Season
Your personal style and how you piece together outfits may not change from each season but the pieces you use will! If you’re a maximalist, you’ll always be a maximalist even from summer to winter. If you’re minimalist, hippie, or preppy in the spring, you’ll be minimalist, hippie, and preppy in the fall too.
But pieces change.
In the summer, I might like to channel beach energy with a silk scarf, but in the fall might like to express some team spirit since sports are back on, so I might reach for a baseball cap instead.
It all depends on what vibe you’re wanting to bring into the season with you. I always dress for a little European beach in the summer and a fall day in New York in the autumn. Two very different styles, and likely I’ll wear similar clothes, but the style of shoe and handbag changes to reflect where I wish I was instead.
Check out my favorite accessories for each season and see what matches your vibe for each one!
Top 5 Spring Accessories
The spring and fall are the easiest seasons to utilize accessories in just the right fashion. Winter and summer you have to cater to harsh weather, but in the transition seasons you can have more fun and freedom with your accessories.
Here are my favorites and notes on how to wear them.
1. Silk Scarf
2. Loafers
3. Beaded Purse
4. Sweater (tied over the shoulder)
5. Staple Statement Necklace
Summer Top 5
Summer, while you’re trapped in the extreme heat, is usually pretty fun to dress for.
I love each of these to make what feels like a sweaty mess of an outfit feel cool again. You need these to spice up your summer wardrobe, and hopefully they help you pop without adding too many layers!
1. Chunky Sandals
2. Color Pop Handbag
3. Bracelet Stacks
4. Light Layers
5. Statement Earrings
Fall Favorites
The fall is always a cult favorite when it comes to fashion and accessories. It has our generations in a chokehold, always having us longing for fall fashion.
To me, fall is preppy and casual and back to school. Cool casual, with a little bit of Gossip Girl. Here are some accessories that will add that vibe to any outfit.
1. Loafers
2. Preppy Coats
3. Cross Body
4. Dad Hats
5. Lug Soles
Top Winter Picks
Winter is hit or miss for me– if I’m in the mood for boots and my favorite coat, I love it! If I need something a little more chill, then I’m out.
So here’s what I add to my winter outfits to make them polished and better than ever.
1. Pea Coat
2. Knit Layers
3. Ugg Minis
4. Headbands
5. Leather
These are my favs for each season, and I just know you’re going to love incorporating some of them too! Can you think of any that I’m missing??>
When you start to enjoy accessory play, you’ll love the puzzle of piecing everything together. It’s addicting as you collect new pieces and play with them with your old pieces and find fun and new ways to wear the same old clothes.
Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE clothes and could shop for clothes all day. But you’re going to find me having more fun with accessories while getting ready just to add those finishing touches for the day.
It’s easy to overlook how different a couple of rings can make an outfit, but it’s so beautifully polished or even makes it a little more rocker in a way that you couldn’t even replicate without the rings if you tried!
See these black and red outfits for color play ideas.