Scarves and necklaces and bracelets, oh my!

I’ll be honest.

Taking photos is not my favorite thing in the world to do! In fact, early in my teaching career, I was a special education teacher without a classroom. On picture day, I would deliberately be unavailable when pictures were taken. I think I may have gotten away with that once or twice. In future years, the principal would just have me paged. I think it stems back to when I was a little kid and overheard my grandma talking to my mom about my toothy smile! My husband is my photographer…a retired electrical engineer…poor guy! Actually, I think he’s kind of loving this whole blogging thing, but he’s no Nigel Barker! He just clicks away, and I go, “Nope, nope, nope!” as I’m looking at the pics! But, I just had to share this one even if it’s just for a giggle! And, how did I get to be this brave anyway? I was one of the first fortunate people to work with Deborah Stinedurf of https://yourstyledstory.com/. Please take several minutes to read her last post (https://yourstyledstory.com/what-exactly-is-a-coach-and-why-would-i-hire-one/ ) and truly consider the changes you want to make in your life. Debbie excels in the art of active listening and leading you to discover things you never thought you knew about yourself. I’m serious. Take a chance. You will not regret it!

If clothes make the man…

One thing you’ll soon learn about me is I love to google! So, I had to google this saying. I’m not sure how accurate this article is, but it makes for an interesting read. https://alex-65670.medium.com/what-is-the-origin-of-clothes-make-the-man-7f75e070bf45#:~:text=Although%20%E2%80%9CClothes%20make%20the%20man%E2%80%9D%20seems%20like%20some,from%20Twain%20to%20Erasmus%20to%20Quintilian%20to%20Homer. If clothing gives a man authority, what do accessories do for others of us? I thought I’d play with different accessories using the same top and pants. I’m not sure there is a marked difference in any of the looks, but it was fun to play with (I almost said my goodies which would make for a completely different type of post) some of my jewelry and scarves.

Basics

I started with a mixed media top from J Jill. Unfortunately, the white appears to be sold out, but it does come in a few other colors. This top runs large; I’m wearing an XS. And, I don’t iron my linen. It’s a lost cause, and I don’t mind these wrinkles! I then chose these light as a feather flowing pants from April Cornell. If you look closely, you might be able to see they are polka dotted. If you love feminine looks with a boho flair, you might want to take a gander at her clothing! I cannot tell you how much I love April Cornell clothing…it is probably the closest to defining my style as I’ll ever get. These pants are a medium, and I probably could have sized down to a small (they were sold out). I really like the pointed legs. They add just a little more interest to a cute pair of pants. Honestly, I was surprised they worked at all since I’m so short. And, they have pockets!!

Somehow or other, I’ve managed to do something to my left knee so I opted for these flat sandals. I usually will wear the Eileen Fisher espadrilles or another pair of wedges with these pants. I was considering going barefoot! These sandals from L’Artiste are really comfortable. The strap closest to my ankle is adjustable with a velcro closing (my daughter would say this surely makes them old lady shoes…she would be wrong!).

A scarf or three!

This look is accessorized by a square scarf from J Jill (mine is from last year, but this would work https://www.jjill.com/product/floral-and-vine-tasseled-diamond-scarf?color=09N) folded in half to form a triangle. I’m sure most, if not all, of you have watched several YouTube videos on how to wear scarves. For this look, I just took the scarf, folded it in half, and wrapped it around my neck with the top of the triangle at the front. The trick here is to tie those two sides underneath the triangle, basically creating a cowl effect.

I added bracelets and earrings from Lagos. These have become my husband’s go-to gift. I didn’t want to wear anything too statement-y to take the focus away from the scarf. This scarf has a cute seaside village print, but what I really like are the tassels!

Next…

For this look, I made a big loop and drew the two ends of the rectangular scarf through the loop. If I were wearing a scarf in the winter, I’d have it looped up higher. But, it was in the high 80’s and very humid, so I pulled and tweaked the scarf until it just followed the outline of my top. Do the colors match my pants exactly? Nope…remember, they don’t have to match. They just need to go. Ok, I’ll be honest here. What does that even mean? My definition of “need to go” might be completely different from yours. But, that’s the beauty of accessories like scarves. I rarely wear them right next to the item from which I’m picking colors. And, the aqua stripe was close enough to the pants for it to work (at least, to me!).

Scarf number three!

I don’t think I’ve ever worn a scarf like this. But, as I was trying to figure out how to show the gorgeous pattern, I just draped it over my shoulders whilst I was thinking. When I looked into the mirror, I thought, “Why not?” This scarf isn’t available, and I’ve linked a completely different one above. Wouldn’t that pink look pretty with the aqua?

This look would work really well with a pretty pin or brooch. You could also use an elastic (that’s what Jodie from https://www.jtouchofstyle.com/ does). I was really, really warm by this point and my knee was hurting so I just tied it. Again, the colors are not an exact match, but the shading in the fern pattern is close enough to complement the pants. Gosh, I look so contemplative here.

Let’s try some jewelry!

In this look, I chose a long multi-strand necklace and a choker style. I added earrings and bracelets for a more complete look. Many years ago, I was in a Banana Republic store. The sales associate and I were chatting. She told me about the rule of 8 (maybe it was 9 or even 10). Apparently, you should have this specified number of accessories on for a complete look. Your glasses only count if they are outstanding. I’ve worn glasses since I was in second grade and have horrible eyesight. I have one pair of glasses. I wish I had several in lots of different styles, but I just can’t justify it. Anyway, I’ve googled that and asked other people about this rule. No one else had ever heard of it. I don’t think Coco Chanel would approve, right? Iris Apfel…that’s a different story!

My daughter used to sell Stella & Dot jewelry. This was a favorite necklace. The choker was a surprise Christmas gift eons ago from Talbots…yes, Talbots sent me a Christmas gift one year! My best friend in the whole world sold Premiere Designs jewelry. These bracelets came from her.

The accessories!

The details on my Lagos jewelry (oops, the one bracelet is from John Hardy) are below. I love sterling silver and the way it tarnishes. I do have to be careful when wearing it because the tarnish can rub off on my clothing. I used to get black arcs on the side of my face from the way my earrings would swing! And, I ruined many white tops when wearing sterling necklaces. Some of it is tarnish; some of it is my own body chemistry. And, yes, those earrings in the bottom photo of the collage are gold toned. I can and do mix my metals! I’m daring that way!

BRACELET https://www.vonmaur.com/Product.aspx?ID=76364&pos=51&pg=2

BRACELET https://www.vonmaur.com/Product.aspx?ID=76360&pos=52&pg=2

BRACELET https://www.vonmaur.com/Product.aspx?ID=102220&pos=28&pg=1

EARRINGS https://www.vonmaur.com/Product.aspx?ID=1515747&pos=35&pg=1

Wrap it up, Marsha!

I hope you enjoyed this post. It was fun for me to poke around my scarves to see what might work. And, I loved trying different jewelry. I have a huge collection of both costume jewelry and fine jewelry. My husband is one of those who waits until the last minute for gift buying so I usually get to pick! You would think, after 45 years, he’d know what I like! Please leave me a comment telling me which look you like best! What do you start with? Clothing or accessories? Let’s have a conversation! And, once again, if you liked this post, please share with your friends. I’m enjoying this adventure into the blogosphere. It’s even more enjoyable when we talk! Enjoy your weekend! I’ll see you next week!

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