If you find yourself wondering why some people seem to always look put together, it could be because they’ve adopted the 3 Bs approach in their accessories. Their Bag, Belt and Boots (or shoes) bring everything together. It can be that they are in the same/complementary colours or simply that there’s a theme, maybe the the texture/patterns all work well together.
Take this simple jeans and jumper look. It’s easy to just wear them with a pair of white trainers and black bag as in the first look, and there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that at all, but to me it doesn’t look nearly as polished as the second look where all of these things are in the same colour, in this case burgundy (one of the big colours of the moment).
Along similar lines, I’ve simply used silver as the theme in the first look opposite by adding a silver belt, bag and trainers (this has been my personal go to much of the last few months as metallics are a neutral that goes with everything!).
Or, if you like animal print you could add an animal print bag, boots and maybe a brown fur bag to add some texture. If less is more to you, change the belt for a simple brown one.
If this all feels too matchy matchy, that’ll be your style personality talking, so do feel free to mix things up!
If belts aren’t for you, you could instead add in another accessory, maybe a scarf as I have done here, or some jewellery.
The scarf is a mix of navy, white and burgundy so would work well with the simple jeans and jumper look we started with or here I’ve added a navy cord skirt to create an alternative casual daytime look.
Once you’ve chosen a theme for your accessories you can then use them to pull together other outfits in your wardrobe. If you wear a lot of black, maybe in dresses or on your bottom half in jeans/trousers or skirts, like this faux leather midi one for example, then the simple addition of a top with these same colours in again creates a put together look. Or you could simply pair the skirt/trousers with a plain black or burgundy top if you prefer an understated look.
Continuing this idea, here’s how you can use those same accessories to add the finishing touches to outfits with dresses. Here I’ve paired them with a long knit dress and quilted coat for a smart casual look and with a floaty midi dress that has the burgundy colour in it for a more dressy look.
Thinking about your accessories is not only a great way to add polish to your outfits but also a great way to build a capsule wardrobe, using them as a start point – as I did in the looks I created above. I’ve written about capsule wardrobes many times so click here – capsule wardrobes – if you’d like to read more and see more examples.
In the meantime, why not take a look at your existing accessories and see if your 3 B’s (bag, belt and boots) are working well for you. Maybe they could be something to a Christmas wish list if not perhaps?