I kind of feel like I left you guys hanging yesterday - it was a bit of a stream of consciousness post, and though I wholeheartedly stand by it, I want to give you guys some juice to work with. I've said time and time again that dressing yourself is about the add ons - that you could wear a plain white tee and jeans 7 days a week and never look the same. In thinking about dressing for Spring (whose warm sun will be coming any day now...), I came up with 5 lovely accessories for you to add to your closet, and how to wear them:

// sunglasses // tee // reversible necklace // scarf // mini bag // shoes // jeans //

1. Invest in an atypical pair of lenses (round, colored or mirrored lenses, frameless) and wear with everything. Let them do the talking; after you take them off, tuck them into your shirt collar to avoid having to wear a necklace.

2. Speaking of necklaces, buy a versatile long necklace to layer with your favorite dainty pendant (or sunglasses!). The long silhouette takes the guesswork out of what to pair it with - it goes with every neckline!

3. Buy a gauzy, neutral scarf. Tie it to the strap of your bag, then loop around the neck three times when you need some extra warmth.

4. Mini bags are a great way to layer color into an outfit without having to commit. Wisely invest - think about wearability, size, and durability. If it's real leather, you may be able to sell at the end of the season. If it's tiny, it's a great day trip or going out piece.

5. Close-toed shoes are worth their weight in gold for this time of year. The pair above can be worn with cute stocking socks or not, and is a great warm weather but forgot-to-get-a-pedicure option.

Looking back at this list, I realize that I haven't added any of these items into my wardrobe for this year - time to shop?

xoxo,

Oh hi, friends! Is anyone else still half asleep? I had a chock full weekend - Raven's family was in town, there was a lot of eating (and a lot of drinking) and the Hedwig soundtrack has been on repeat. This morning doesn't feel like Monday in the slightest.

In my half-sleep stupor this morning, I began thinking about accessories (as you do when you're lying in bed), and I wanted to put something out there to you all: stop accessorizing for the sake of it.

Occasionally a trend will come along that's great, and then it gets reworn and reworn and trickles down through each realm of fashion / retail until there's nothing but a fragment of the former trend left - and the fragment usually isn't good. So many times we'll see the trend get used and abused and yet complacently we abide by it.

I'll use an example I love - statement necklaces. When they're good, they makes the outfit. And even if they aren't "good" (what does that mean, really), they're still a great go-to look. But the why is where I take pause. By all means, throw something on, and do it boldly and confidently despite what everyone else thinks - but think it through.

In the picture above is a necklace I have never worn save for the day I wore that outfit. I would always try to throw this necklace on - that's why I bought it - but just before I'd leave the house, like the Slytherin Horcrux in Harry Potter, I'd take it off because it was dragging me down. It took me 3 years, countless outfits, and forgoing my "if you haven't worn it in a year" rule to pair it correctly. A crew neck tee and a monochrome palette were what worked for me.

So before you decide to throw something on tomorrow, take a step back and think about the why, and if it means you walk out of the house unsuccessorized, so be it.

xoxo,

5 affordable spring accessories (and how to wear them)

success-ories