excessories

My journey through Rachel Zoe’s book, a sort of guide to finding your own sense of style, is continuing. I am finding time slowly but surely to get back into this game, so bear with me here.

If anyone knows how to accessorize, it’s Rachel Zoe. Her first chapter is all about that, which, I find sort of odd. I mean, isn’t accessorizing suppose to be the last thing you do to tie together a complete look? Even Rachel says that on her show The Rachel Zoe Project. She always pulls the best dresses for clients and then goes ahead to choose the best shows, bags, and so one and so forth, that will create the picture perfect look that’s going to drive page six up the wall and photographers crazy.

Nonetheless, Rachel hits the perfect make with her first sentence, “Accessories are everything. To me, they’re more important than clothes.” Which, I suppose is why the chapter comes before anything else in Rachel’s style guide. Rachel’s more is more theory is likely an expression relaying most to her obsession with accessories. Anytime you see photos of her at fashion week, on her show or just tabloid photos, bracelets are stacked up her arms, bags are bigger than the top half of her body and the frames are her face keep getting bigger and bigger. Don’t get me wrong, all of this is just fine. But I choose to, on my own accord, go with the less is more theory, choosing one major staple and then going minimal with everything else. Why would you want a huge shoulder carry all, all bling’d up with a gold chain, and then a giant pair of tortoise framed Chanel’s, eight rings, huge oversized hoops and then a pair of five inchers to pull off the entire thing? I’d rather place emphasis on one piece than pull out every stop in my closet all at once. But maybe that’s just it. Rachel has so much of absolutely everything, she probably has to wear so much of it otherwise it wouldn’t get worn. Or we could go with her theory, that she really just likes these things better than clothes.

Before getting into the what’s what of accessories, and what Rachel believe are the best basics every woman should own, she plays on a few simple notions of wisdom. First, is that accessories tell a lot about who you are. But I could have told you that. It’s obvious that the pendant hanging from your necklace will give off whichever vibe its visibly taken on. Think about the differences between a pistol, religious cross shape, and a feather. Each one has its own personality as an object, which generally reflects the emotion or state behind an outfit, or the mood of a person. I would never wear a pistol pendant around my neck. But if I was bloody pissed and decided that bullets and chains were now my thing, who the hells knows.

Rachel is all about the “wow factor.” Not surprising, given the amount of accessories she wears. Rachel has wow written all over her. However, if you’re like most women, having something hanging off of every limb of your body isn’t one hundred per cent appealing, so the best thing to do is either play up your best feature, like framing your face with great earrings, or elongating necklines with a drop-line necklace. If you have great hands, although, I don’t think I have ever seen a pair or horrid hands, shed you’re typical bands for some uberglam form of cocktail jewellery.

Lastly, Rachel has a few things to say about the classics, versus the “It” statements. “What’s great about most accessories,” says Rachel, “is they don’t look dated the way most clothes do after a while. You can wear the same chain or belt or heels year after year and they almost always endure.”

Notice the key word almost. That’s because of the trend factor. It seems every season some designer, from some noteworthy fashion community creates the most coveted item on nearly every celeb or stylist’s to-buy (or borrow) list. While these pieces are usually eye-grabbing and scream for attention, they’re typically ridiculously priced and after a single season will sit in your closet, on your top storage shelf for ten years until another designer decides to reappeal the trend and you won’t have to buy it because you have you piece from ten year prior. These pieces usually come in the form of bags or shoes. I can guarantee that the heels storming down Prada’s Spring 09 runways (you remember, the ones that led to the misfortune of so many models slipping and sliding down the runway) won’t be strutting the streets within the next twelve to eighteen months, but give it another eight to ten years and designers will think it’s great idea, once again to pair seven inch heels with tiny ankle socks, prone to make any woman, I don’t care if you can walk on stilts, crash and burn.

While classic pieces can often carry heavier price tags, like the classic Kelly Birkin bag or a great silk scarf form Hermes, these pieces are going to last a lifetime and will likely also be the pieces you pass on to your daughter’s daughter so she the absolutely best dressed in vintage finds the entire four years she’s in high school.

Now, onto the straight talk. Jewellery means everything to Rachel Zoe. She notes that you should, “always make sure to have one at least one piece that you love before you leave the house.” Makes sense. I don’t know too many people who wear things they hate, if they can help it anyways. Rachel’s must have jewellery box basics?

- Diamond studs, real or fake (I suggest investing in a pair of real diamond studs; they’ll last you a lifetime, and there is never a bad time to wear them, assuming you aren’t buying a pair that cover your entire earlobe)
- Hoop earrings, preferably one pair in white metal, another in yellow
- A statement-making cocktail ring
- Wow earrings. A big pair of gold earrings can glam up any outfit in a snap (I have to mention, though, that even though chandelier earrings are pieces that seem to go in and out quite often, I wouldn’t bank on them being your single pair of “wow earrings”)
- A strand of pearls, real or the best fake you can find (I completely agree with this. Real pearls are extremely expensive, but fake ones, look just that: absurdly fake. My mum and dad went to the Bahamas this past winter and were able to buy uncultured pearls, which they have an abundance of surrounding southern islands. While you have to bring them back home and have them professionally strung and clasped, they look beautiful and their actual value goes up a good five hundred bucks. They only thing different is that they haven’t been circulated and monitored to make sure they are completely smooth, but I kind of like mine with the sand graves in them Each one is different and all the more interesting)
- A watch. (I agree with Rachel when she mentions the whole men’s chunky watch look. Love, love, love it)
- A simple chain for every day, ideally with a charm that is personally meaningful. It becomes a signature (I wear a white gold chain with dangling T, &, Co. Lettering hanging from it, which I bought during my trip to Manhattan in the summer of 2007 amongst a mass of couples picking out engagement rings and beautiful heart pendants. Considering I was only buying something for myself, something simple seemed most appropriate)
- A bracelet, be it a bangle or a cuff (mine is my white gold charm bracelet, with dangling white gold charms I have slowly been adding since I was sixteen)
- A dressy necklace or pair of earrings. It can sparkle with crystal or diamonds, or coloured stones. But make sure it’s something that has glimmer—and makes you feel instantly dazzling (I have been dying to purchase something like this for a couple years, and for my twenty first birthday my mum and dad bought me a white gold necklace with a square cut, 1 carat diamond hanging from it. Now I’m just very careful as to wear I choose to wear it)

And then, it seems you have everything else. Rachel really does love her jewellery, but every other accessory has it’s place in her wardrobe as well. Quite obviously Rachel loves her metals. Rachel is known for adorning a whole load of yellow gold; I often grab anything in white gold, or pewter tones of metal. Either way, metals always work; just make sure you choose the right tone for your skin. Really pale skin tones with pink undertones look best with silver and platinum, for example. Oh, and braches. I am so glad this section was included, even though it’s tiny. I think a broach can add so much to an outfit, even if it’s simply attached to a blazer lapel. But you have no idea how many times one has come in handy when I want to change the length of a flowy skirt hemline and you can readjust the side, and with a quit pinup with a broach, you have a new skirt.
And hats. Rachel notes she loves hats, but I hardly see her wearing them. However, I too love hats, but never seem to wear them. I think I have a collection of ten or twelve, which isn’t too many, but, how many times can you wear a fedora or cloche without it looking like you wear it too often? You know what I mean? They’re especially good for when all I have time to do is let me hair air dry in the beachy-wave way that it does in the morning.

Rachel notes a scarf is great investment. Thank god. I don’t know how many pashminas I own now, even though I seem to wear the same black one over and over, and I have six gorgeous Nina Ricci square silk scarves I bought at Century 21 in New York the same summer I bought my Tiffany necklace. Scarves can easily dictate a mood or provide just the right amount of cover up when it feel like your exposing just a little too much. Around your neck, shoulders or head, scarves always, seemingly, do the trick. Belts also seem to add an extra bit of umph to an outfit. While most people use them to keep their pants up (even though I fully endorse tailoring your waistlines instead), belts turn around an outfit. Whether worn at your natural waist for a classic look, up higher for a cinched in sexy look, or low slung for something a little more boho chic, a belt can dictate the flow of your entire outfit. So, choose wisely, or choose nothing at all.

There is, of course, a good two pages dedicated to sunglasses. While much of Rachel’s dictation on sunglasses goes into specifics like which works best for your face shape, all that matters is that people generally look better when they’re wearing sunglasses. I have said it many times before, and I will continue to say it over and over again. Male or female, sunglasses always seem to make a person look better. However, they also completely cover up the single aspect of a person which can dictate all of their emotions and can often say more than one can physically speak. Eyes can a lot about a person, but they also say, “Hi, I didn’t get home until four am about too much vodka and I have to be up and going for eight am without my daily five shot latte.” That’s where they work really great for me, anyways. Sunglasses work as a great cover-up.

Oh, and then there’s the shoes. I think shoes should have had a much larger part in this book. Like an entire chapter, perhaps. But maybe that’s coming. I don’t know. I told myself I wouldn’t peek ahead. But, all I’m fed on shoes, and so all I can feed to you, is a single list of the most crucial set of shoes to have in your closet, says Rachel:

- Ballerina flats
- Metallic strappy sandals
- Plain knee high boots
- Great black pump

Shoes can change the feel of an outfit. Jeans will look entirely different depending on what shoes you decide to wear them with. It’s all about choices.

Rachel’s venture of accessories finishes with a short declaration of her love of handbags. I, too, love bags, and for me, the bigger the better. I really wish I could carry a huge slouchy shoulder bag with me to a bar, but I’m afraid it would get in the way with my wild dancing habits. Rachel’s top four bags include a medium sized, simple shaped leather bag that doesn’t scream fashion that can travel from day to night, a winter white bag, an oversized tote for work and travel (although this sort of applies to my every day habit), and a black patent clutch. Black is always in style, and patent never dies.

Much of this makes sense to me, because I seem to tailor things differently in my find when it comes to styling. But much of this may not make much sense to the average college student, which is exactly what I am, aside from that whole mind thing. While college is the biggest excuse for comfort clothing stacking closets for four years (I too am a large culprit of this), never under estimate the necessities for campus accessories: an iPod coloured to suit your individual personality, a great cell phone/smart phone to do the same (because people don’t seem to actually wear watched too often, it seems), sunglasses, big or small big there are too many mornings that are spent hung over in lecture halls, a bag large enough to carry your textbook, notepad, magazine for when you’re supposed to being reading that textbook but don’t, water for the day and all that would normally be in your purse (what’s the point in carrying two bags? One that is bigger, is much better), and shoes that were made for walking. If you can wear heels for twelve hours straight, do it. I do, but not on a daily basis. Flats works great for around campus, and boots are a must for winters in Canada. I don’t care how many people say it, but I’ll be wearing my Uggs in Canada forever. See? Even Kate Moss break them out (even though I’m not entirely sure of old this photo actually is, I still think it’s relevant):

Much love,
s.

Images c/o Google Images