Winter accessories have been getting my attention. Not only am I grabbing cold-weather accessories on a daily basis like hats and scarves, but Im spotting clever accessories on women I run into.
Take Nancy, for instance. What a treat it was to meet her this week. It was my Viv day in San Anselmo. Vivs mom was working in the girls store, SAX Consignment when I got a text: Mom, you have a fan in the store.
I LOVE meeting blog readers so Viv, my friend Debra, and I strolled to the store. (Debras in this post about women connecting over their love of accessories.)
Nancy takes back her earrings and I lust over her foxy pin
So heres a funny thing. Nancy was consigning some accessories at SAX. The accessories were on the jewelry country getting ready to be checked in. I spotted a pair of her gorgeous bold earrings that were right up my alley. I slipped them on and they were not right for me. I asked Nancy to try them on. They looked GREAT on her. I told her I thought she should be wearing them. She made the executive decision to take them back. Sorry, Caitlin, she said.
Shed taken her sweater cardigan off in the store and when she put it back on I went crazy for her pin.
She couldnt remember the designers name but you could tell it was a high-quality piece. I let it slip that my kids call me Mommyfoxy and that Im Grammafoxy to Viv. Caitlin is Caityfoxy. You get the picture. We are a family of foxes!
I love how bold it is and that color! What a great accessory to wear any time of year but especially right now.
(Nancy, I hope to see you again soon!)
Marj plays accessory tricks on us
My friend Marj is an accessory lover. Last Sunday I was admiring her stunning, sparkly necklace gracing her cozy sweater in that luscious shade of green. What a beautiful seasonal accessory!
I went in to take a closer look and thats when she told me what shed done. It started out as an Alexis Bittar necklace. Marj picked it up in Chicago last summer but had never worn it. Its two semi-circles connected in the center so the semi-circles move individually.
But that Alexis Bittar necklace was only the delivery system for hanging a pin over it. Marj purchased the sparkly Christmas tree pin at a Christmas market in Germany. It looks perfectly framed against the necklace, doesnt it? It gives the necklace more dimension, more oomph, more of a wow factor! Marj said, And this is the first time Ive worn the necklace.
I guess it was just waiting for that Christmas tree pin!
Marjs third piece: Is it a jacket or an accessory?
So check out the third piece shes wearing. Its by Per Se and has 3/4 length sleeves and no closures. Its SO lightweight. It looks handwoven and the yarns are more like cotton, than wool. Shes getting no additional warmth from it, but shes sure winning style points for it.
I hesitate to call it a jacket. It sits more in the scarf/shawl/accessory department. It looks handwoven and I love that the fringe is coming out of the seams. I said, What would you call that piece?
We were both stumped. If I were designing clothes for women over 50 or 60 or 70, Id use this pattern and create pieces like this in multiple patterns and fabrics. But I needed a word to describe it.
I think its an accessory jacket, I said. Oh, I love that term, Marj said.
If I could describe it then I could tell all of you to search for something like this. With no extra weight but lots of style, it seems like a winning winter accessory to me.
Hair ornaments are perfect winter accessories
Hair ornaments are such a cool accessory especially because you dont see them on everybody. I always feel a woman wearing a hair ornament is super cool.
Heres my friend Elizabeth who is definitely super cool. I love this velvet bow headband shes wearing. It brings attention right to her face.
And I did my accessory happy dance over the earrings she wore as well.
Theyre so fascinating. Elizabeth is a well-traveled woman and I imagine she may have picked them up on one of her trips outside of the U.S. And I love the way the black color details in her earring relate to the black color in her hairband.
Hair accessories are in the winter air
I wore one this week as well. You can read about the anatomy of that outfit here. Mine is less noticeable than Elizabeths because the contrast between hair and hair ornament is less. I relied on other accessories just in case the hair ornament wasnt noticed. Elizabeth doesnt have to be concerned about that. You see it right away.
Scarves and hats are perfect winter accessories
As soon as the scarf weather hit, I realized how much I rely on them. Ill be in them most days.
The day I met Nancy at SAX, I was wearing my rose felted hat from J.Jill (this year) and my J.Jill plaid/checked scarf from last year or the year before.
I was in my babysitting outfit. I love how the scarf and hat add color to my striped T-shirt, jean jacket and black knit pants. Im sure Viv appreciated it.
Just to show you how versatile that scarf is, I wore it over my crinkle dress from Artful Home last year to the same party Elizabeth was at.
One of the party guests said, Did those two pieces come together? Nope, they didnt. But I loved the question. I hadnt thought of this combination until that night, but I love the depth created by adding the red checked scarf as a shawl to the red plaid dress. Isnt getting dressed just so much fun?
The dress is the Ainslie Dress by Lisa Bayne. Heres how I styled it last year.
Baby as an accessory
A couple of people have pointed out to me that Viv is definitely my best accessory ever. Im seizing these moments when shes attached to my outfits because shell find her feet on the floor soon enough.
What are your accessory plans for this month? We want to hear how youre accessorizing your winter outfits. Please share your inspirations with us! And to our Aussie and New Zealand friends, tell us how you accessorize your summer outfits! Much love to you all.
XO
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