Counting on the wrist to bring flair to an outfit

 

 

This week I’ve been talking about how to create interest in an outfit. I talked about necklaces earlier in the week and now I’m looking at bracelets as source of interest for an outfit.

This idea of “interest” started in my Morning Pages. I was asking myself: Brenda, how are you adding interest to your outfits?

I thought it was a good question to ask myself. I certainly want to create interest-both to entertain myself throughout the day (I love looking down and enjoying my bracelet collection) and to create harmony in my outfit, making it appealing and pleasant to others.

Bracelets can connect the dots in an outfit through color, texture, and style. I feel a little “rocker” in the cuff and gunmetal bangles above. And in the bracelet collection that I wore with my all white outfit (below), I feel softer, more romantic.

 

Wrists are easy places to add style and delight

For a while now I’ve been enjoying using my wrists as the canvas to create interest. Unless I’m wearing a cuff (like the black and silver one above by Calleen Cordero) I’m often piling on bangles.

 

 

I have a growing collection of the gold bangles that I’ve been collecting over the years. Five to ten years ago I was rarely wearing them. I’d wear one at a time and that never seemed too gratifying. But now I pile them on and the impact is greater. I think it’s an easy look for a woman over 50 to feel accessorized and adorned without a lot of effort. I often wear 3/4 sleeved dresses, tunics, tops or jackets so my wrists can be free to bring extra interest to my outfit. Sometimes I’m decorating one wrist; sometimes I decorate them both.

 

 

 

In the example above, you can see the varied textures in the gold department of my jewelry box. I have a couple of Alexis Bitter bracelets in this cluster; thin gold bangles including that one with the heart by Patty Crandall; and textured ones that have been in my jewelry box for years. I don’t know where they came from. When I took my bracelets off one night and placed them on this stool in the living room it looked like a lot of bracelets but when they were on my wrist, they felt light and like just the right amount.

 

Love this quote about costume jewelry

 

 

I was with a friend who introduced me to a bookstore I didn’t even know existed. It’s hard to find bookstores these days that carry much in the fashion department. This store is called Diesel Books and it’s in the Marin Country Mart in Larkspur Landing. How to Wear Jewelry, 55 Styles (Abrams Image, 2016) is a little book full of great jewelry information. I loved the quote on page 11 about curated costume jewelry.

 

“More is more and nothing is off-limits–including sparkling bracelets, stacks of large geometric rings, clusters of heirloom pins, and maxed out chunky necklaces. But don’t mistake the magpie approach for lowbrow or lazy–every costume piece is carefully selected, and when worn together, the combination transforms into an artful work worthy of appreciation.” (Text by Jinnie Lee)

 

An artful work worthy of appreciation. That’s what we can be doing on our wrists! Isn’t it exciting?

 

Do you adorn your wrists? I’d love to hear what your favorite pieces are. Are some of them heirlooms? Or recently purchased? Do you mix them all up? Share your ideas, okay?

Save

Save