Loading summary
Transcript1 lines
- [00:00]
Emma Chamberlain
Today we'll be discussing one of my favorite art forms, and that would be the art of subtle yet impactful accessorizing, specifically within the context of fashion, clothing, self expression. I love all types of accessorizing. I love accessorizing the home, accessorizing the car, accessorizing the computer desktop, like the list goes on. But if I were to have that conversation, we'd be here for six to seven hours, and I don't think either of us have time for that. So today we're just talking about accessorizing in fashion, in self expression. I love accessorizing just as much as I love clothing. And I, in my brain, look at the two things as sort of separate. They obviously come together to make a complete outfit, right? But in my head, they're two separate art forms in a way. And some of you might disagree with me about that. You know, some of you might see that as sort of the same thing, but I don't know. To me, it's a different art form. Like getting dressed with actual garments. Pants, skirts, dresses, jackets, whatever actual technical clothing items that are the base of the outfit, putting those together in a way that makes sense is its own art form. To me, it's the art form of sort of taking a silhouette of a pant or a skirt and balancing it with a silhouette in a color or whatever of the top and, you know, paying attention to the textiles and what looks good together and, you know, creating sort of a color palette, like a base color palette. But I feel like the most important element of putting clothing pieces together is balancing the silhouettes together, making it look flattering together, you know? And I think the art of accessorizing that base is its own separate sort of art form. And maybe I'm just taking all this too seriously, and maybe I sound pretentious and maybe you all hate me, but this is how I feel. I briefly paused this episode to let you know that this episode of Anything Goes is presented by Temptations Cat Treats. Your cat will come running for the purr, fectly Irresistible Temptations Creamy Puree and Temptations Lickable Spoon Cat Treats. The best time to feed Lickable Cat Treats to your cat is anytime. Feed by hand, for a playful moment, in a bowl, for a creamy treat, or as a topper to make mealtime fun. Visit temptationstreats.com to learn more. Now let's get back to the episode. I feel like recently my mind has sort of expanded around what accessorizing is and can be, because I feel like for a long time, when I Thought of accessorizing, I was like, well, you know, I'm just wearing a bag that matches the outfit and I'm just wearing a pair of socks that matches the outfit and I'm just wearing a belt that sort of matches the outfit or makes sense, I guess. Like I, I thought of it in very simple terms and that is absolutely accessorizing. And sometimes that's all the accessorizing that makes sense is sort of simple accessorizing. But more recently, I feel like my mind has expanded to what accessorizing can truly be in fashion. Like the potential for truly having fun with accessorizing, truly expressing yourself through accessorizing. And it's inspired me today to share with you a few things. Number one, some accessorizing advice. Is the advice professional? Of course not. It's me, silly. It's unprofessional, so take it with a grain of salt. But I have learned a lot about accessorizing recently and I want to share some of my learnings through advice. I also want to give you some accessory inspiration that goes beyond just like a purse that matches your outfit or like a belt that matches your outfit. I want to give you some thought starters, some ideas for ways that you can accessorize that are a bit more interesting, a bit more unique to perhaps open your mind to what accessorizing can be when you truly think outside the box and have fun with it. So without further ado, let's start with some accessorizing advice. Okay, number one, take your time to find the perfect accessories for your collection. Take your time and find ones that are strong. Okay, I'll explain what strong means in a second. Time to find strong accessories takes time, takes experimenting. It's better to go on an extended hunt for the perfect accessories than to just cave and buy what's at, you know, a trendy store. Because this is how you find accessories that, number one, are gonna be a reliable source of a vibe so cringe. But it's true. This is how you're gonna find accessories that you'll gravitate to over and over again that will actually make an impact on your outfit. Not just sort of be like, oh, just like a non interesting pair of glasses that you don't even really like, but you just bought. Cause you're like, well these are trendy and they're the best ones I found, you know, at this trendy store. And like, eh, it's fine, you know, or like, oh, you know, this is just like a standard belt. And like it's, it doesn't really add much. It just is kind of there, but it holds my pants up, and it, like, adds a bit of dimens, I guess. Like, I think accessories are the most impactful when they're chosen really intentionally. And I think for a lot of us, accessories are sort of an afterthought. And they're actually, honestly, like, kind of a technical item. Right. Like, we wear sunglasses to protect our eyes. We wear belts to hold up our pants. We wear socks to protect our feet from our shoes. Like, a lot of our accessories are actually functional, so a lot of times they're afterthoughts. And we just buy whatever makes, you know, whatever's right in front of us. But there's an opportunity for no more money, but just a little bit more time to make your accessories stronger. Right. So, like, what I mean by strong is there are certain accessories that I personally have in my closet that every time I wear them, the outfit becomes elevated times 10. Okay. For example, like, I have this pair of sunglasses, black sunglasses. They're very simple. Okay. But they're, like, wrapped in almost, like, this leathery material. So they're like black sunglasses, but they're wrapped in this sort of leathery material. And they have, like, white stitching on the side, and the shape is kind of sporty, but, like, they're just super chic and super unique. But they're just a black pair of sunglasses, but they have a really cool material. They're made with a really cool material. The shape is super flattering on me. Like, very, very flattering. Always looks good. And every time I wear them, I just look chic. Like, I look very fashionable. They're just a fashionable pair of black sunglasses. And listen, there are a bajillion pairs of black sunglasses out there. But I can't tell you how many times I've been wearing an outfit and I've put those on, and it's completed the vibe and, like, taken it to the next level. Because they're a unique pair of glasses that not only are special because they're made out of a unique material and they have the stitching on the side. They're. They're unusual, but they're also shaped so beautifully for my face. And every single time I wear them, not only are they flat, is it flattering, but it also sort of gives this vibe of, like, fashion. There's something very chic and very fashion about them. And so it makes the outfit feel more fashion because the glasses are so chic that now the rest of my outfit reads even more chic because of those glasses. Another example would be, like, you're looking for, like, the perfect belt. All right? There's so many different belts out there and a lot of them are very similar. Instead of just buying the first one that you see at the mall, go to like a cool vintage store instead and find one that has, like, I don't know, like hand engraved, like little metal clasps. Or find one that is super worn in and comfortable to wear. Find one that's in sort of a unique color. Maybe that like, actually does match the palette of your outfit, but it's in a unique color. So now every time you add it to an outfit, you're adding another color, another dimension. Like, take your time to find something that will actually add intrigue and value and uniqueness to your outfit instead of just finding something that's like, eh, well, this will do. And I'm not really passionate about it and a lot of other people have it or whatever. Not that it's wrong to have things that other people have. I have plenty of things that a lot of other people have. But I think when it comes to accessorizing, there are infinite accessories out there. There are so many options, and there's a lot of opportunity to find things that are unique. So take your time and do that. Because the impact of the perfect accessory that is flattering and unique and, you know, perfectly picked out for you and your vibe and your personal sense of style that is so much more impactful when you wear it than, you know, something that you just sort of got because it was trendy and it was in front of you. So take your time to find the perfect accessories for your collection. This episode is brought to you by Squarespace. Have you ever been shopping online and the website just gave you the ick? Let me tell you, that wouldn't happen if they used Squarespace. Squarespace design intelligence empowers anyone to build beautiful, more personalized websites tailored to your unique needs. And with Squarespace payments, it's super easy to manage payments with just a few clicks. Plus, with Squarespace's integrated and optimized SEO tools, there's all the help you need to get people to your site. Head to squarespace.com emma for a free trial and use code EMMA to save 10% on your first purchase. This episode is brought to you by ebay. This is what you do when you've just found that statement handbag on ebay and you want to build an entire wardrobe around it. You start selling to keep buying. Yep. On ebay, over that all black everything Phase, list it and buy all the color, feeling more vintage than ever. It's out with the new and in with the pre loved. Next thing you know, you've refreshed your wardrobe basically without spending a dime. Yeah, ebay. The place to buy and sell new pre loved vintage and rare fashion. My second piece of advice is to make it personalized. I already sort of touched on this, but like, let me really elaborate. Okay? Make it personalized. Accessorizing is cool and makes an outfit more personalized in general. But accessorizing with hyper personal stuff is even cooler. It's taking accessorizing to the next level. Let me give you some examples. Let's say your favorite movie is Harry Potter. Let's say in the. I can't remember if Harry Potter actually like, wore this or not. I don't know, I don't remember. But like, let's say in the movie Harry Potter wore a pair of maroon fingerless gloves. It's like a subtle little Easter egg. And you've been thinking like, oh, I kind of want to get fingerless gloves for this winter, you know, because it's kind of nice, like, and also kind of a cool look. Maybe try to figure out like, oh, Harry Potter wore maroon fingerless gloves. I'm gonna get maroon fingerless gloves. Okay, that's an example of making something hyper personal. Another example would be like, let's say you wear the same belt every day. Maybe you spice it up by like painting on it or like putting stickers on it or, you know, like, add a personal touch. Maybe you get a baseball cap. Maybe you love wearing baseball caps. Get a baseball cap custom made by like a local artist or something. Like, you can find somebody like an artist to like custom paint or embroider a hat for you. Or, you know, go on online and find like a vintage baseball cap from like your favorite movie ever or like, for your favorite sports team. Like, make things as personalized as possible. And the reason why I like this, the reason why this is a piece of advice is because, number one, it's truly expressing yourself, which I think is something that more recently has been lost from accessorizing. I feel like accessorizing has become very trend focused. Like, what are the trendy accessories? You know, oh, it's a New York Yankees hat. Even though half the people wearing the New York Yankees hat haven't been to New York and haven't ever watched baseball before. You know what I'm saying? But the New York Yankees hat became a trendy accessory. Jane birkening the bag as We've talked about many, many, many times where you, like, add a bunch of charms to your bag, but you're not actually adding charms that mean anything to you. You're just adding charms that you find found online for a few bucks, right? And they're somewhat cute, but they're not personal at all. Accessorizing has become trendy, right? And so we've lost the sense of self expression in that. Wearing a baseball cap for the town that you grew up in, for the town that you vacationed in every summer as a kid, for your favorite movie, for your favorite sports team, wearing a tote bag for your favorite bookstore, painting on your belt or on your water bottle or whatever. Like, this is what accessorizing is. It's about doing something that truly represents you as a person, you know? And listen, there are times when we're going to accessorize a bit more simply, maybe a bit more generic, and it still is an accurate representation, representation of ourselves. Like a good example would be today, as I'm recording this, I'm wearing little striped fingerless gloves because I just, for whatever reason, really love these striped fingerless gloves. They remind me of like, Tim Burton movies, which I grew up watching and loving. But they're like. So they are sort of somewhat personal in the sense that they remind me of something. But, like, from a technical standpoint, it's not like. Like I. I think I got them from like Brandy Melville like six years ago, and like, I didn't like, buy them handmade from somebody that I love in my neighborhood or something. Like, they aren't an exact replica of the gloves that were in the movie Coraline from 2008 or whatever year Coraline came out. I should know that because it's my favorite movie. But they remind me of that. They remind me of Coraline, they remind me of Tim Burton movies. And I don't know, I just. I love them, but they're not like the most personal item in the world. I think there are probably many people who have these gloves, and that's okay because they still feel personal to me in one way or another. Anyway, going back to why I think this is important, because I think what makes an accessory timeless is its personalization, is the fact that it's unique to you. You know, I mean, obviously simple accessories like a plain black leather belt with silver hardware like that will never go out of style ever. You know, that is a classic item and that's great. But, like, what truly makes an accessory timeless is the fact that it's yours. It's your thing. It's personal to you in one way or another. Whether it's because you wear it all the time and it's your signature item or because it, you know, maybe was a hand me down from a loved one or it was something that, you know, was custom made or, you know, specifically selected because it represents something about you. Whether it's like something that you like or something that directly sort of represents your personality, whatever it may be, you know, that's what makes accessories timeless. Accessories that you'll go back to time and time again if they mean something to you. And again, it's such a shame that this is a lost art, because I think when it comes to accessorizing across the board, fashion and otherwise, this is what makes accessories worth the purchase. This is what makes having five purses instead of 10 purses satisfying. This is what makes having two belts instead of 15 belts satisfying. And I know a lot of people are like, emma, don't tell us like, about quality over quantity. You have a lot of clothes. Even after you donated like 90% of your closet, you still have a lot of clothes. Yes, I know, but I've learned. Let a girl learn. Okay? And this is what I've learned. Okay, My next piece of advice, I already kind of touched on this a little bit, but I would recommend buying as many of your accessories as you can from places that sell things not on a trend cycle. Okay, so like that would be like vintage stores, thrift stores, resale websites, right? Boutiques, like small handmade boutiques, artists who make, you know, hyper specific items online or in, in, again, like in boutiques at flea markets. Like, when it comes to finding accessories, I think it can be obvious to us and easy to us to just go to, like the places that we know to go to that make popular accessories. Whether that's a designer brand who makes designer bags and designer belts, or it's, you know, a popular trendy store that sells maybe more affordable bags and stuff. And it's, you know, trendy. And we know it's on trend because they're selling it and everything that they sell is on trend. It can be tempting to go to these obvious places. And sometimes these obvious places are exactly where we need to go. I have quite a few mass produced accessories, right? Like I have designer sunglasses, I have designer bags. I have you know, even like the gloves I'm wearing today I got from Brandy Melville like six years ago, right? Like, I have accessories that are from, you know, these sort of more massive produce places. And there's Nothing necessarily wrong with that. And sometimes that's just what makes sense. However, I would say try to find it elsewhere first. And this is something that if I could go back in time and rebuild my wardrobe, I would do more of. You know, now I'm at a place where I'm like, okay, I have a lot of stuff, and I would love to go find, like, a handmade silver and black belt. But I got one from Aritzia, and it's great, and I like it, and I wear it a lot. And, you know, it would be cool to have one that's handmade, because I wear that all the time. And if I ever find one that I love that's handmade or vintage or unique or something, I'll go and I'll get that, because I would prefer to have that. But, like, in the meantime and possibly even forever, because maybe I'll never find it. Feels justified to, like, I already have a silver and black belt. I don't need to go buy a new one. You know what I mean? Unless one was, like, perfect and spoke to me and I was like, I absolutely need this. It. I'm not gonna go buy a new one for the sake of buying a new one, right? But if I could go back in time, I would have waited and spent time finding the perfect black and silver belt, because that's a piece I wear all the time. And it would be awesome if it had personality to it. You know, if it was. If it was custom, maybe one day I'll, like, somehow figure out a way to decorate it in a way that makes sense to make it more personalized. But, yeah, if I could go back in time, that's something that I would focus more on, is where I'm actually sourcing the stuff. And again, it doesn't mean more expensive. It doesn't mean more expensive. It just means more time. It just takes more time and a bit more hunting, if you will, which I think, if you're somebody who's into fashion, is exciting. Like, I love the hunt, right? Like, recently, the weather started to get warmer, and I had to donate majority, actually, all of my jean shorts, because a lot of them either were too small for my liking. I like a baggier jean short. They were either too tight or, you know, they just weren't in a style that I wear anymore. So I donated all of my denim shorts. And I was so excited to find a new pair. Not find, like, 30 pairs, like what I used to have, which was completely excessive, but I was excited to find the Perfect pair that was timeless that I'm going to wear for the next 10 years. But it took so long. It took so long. And there were many times where I was like, ah, these are fine, I guess. But I waited and I eventually found the perfect pair of shorts. And I'm so happy that I did. It was fun, too. Like, if you look at it as fun and you look at it as a hunt, it makes it fun. Next piece of advice, think outside the box when it comes to accessorizing, okay? A lot of us think of accessorizing and we think of the standard. We think of, you know, sunglasses, belt, purse, bag. There's so much more to accessorizing than just that, okay? Anything that is on our body can be an accessory, okay? That means the cup, like the insulated cup that we carry around our laptop, that we constantly carry around our headphones that we're always wearing, you know, our lunch bag that we carry our lunch in, our nails, what we get on our nails, you know, like, I try to think of everything as an accessory and there are some things that, like, I just personally don't care about being an accessory. Right. Like, for example, my. My Stanley cup, okay? My Stanley cup is very standard. It's just a fucking Stanley Cup. It is what it is. I haven't found a way to decorate it that inspired me. It just hasn't called to me. I just don't care. However, my laptop, I decided to paint on. My laptop is something that I'm constantly carrying around, that people constantly see me with. I mean, not, I guess constantly, but like, if I'm at the airport working on my computer, if I'm at a meeting working on my computer, if I go to a cafe to work, which doesn't happen as often anymore, but still, every once in a while I'll do that. My laptop is an accessory. It can be an accessory, which is why I painted it, which some people think is crazy. Like, actually crazy and idiotic. But I had this idea. I was like, I want to paint my laptop. So I got acrylic paint and I painted the top of the laptop white. And then on the Apple logo, I painted a realistic looking apple. When I first did it, people in my life were like, you are a freak. Like, why would you do that? I'm obsessed with it. Okay? I think it looks incredible. I think it looks incredible. It looks so cool. It's so personalized. Yes. I painted directly onto the laptop. I could have just painted like on a case. No, I decided to paint on the laptop, which was a little bit crazy again, it's like kind of dumb in retrospect. Actually, it's not though. My laptop has been painted for like many months. I'm not sick of it. Every time I look at it, it brings me joy and it feels like this little accessory. I have no regrets. I have no regrets. But if you're not feeling that courageous, put a case on your laptop and paint it. Now your laptop is an accessory. Think outside of the box. Think about all the different ways that you can accessorize. You know, it doesn't just need to be a pair of socks and a belt and a purse that match the rest of your outfit. You know what I mean? There's so much more that it can be. I briefly paused this episode to let you know that this episode is brought to you by Skims. I remember the first time I tried on a push up bra. And you know what the first thing I thought was? Not, wow, my boobs look really good. No, I thought, wow, this is the most uncomfortable device I've ever put on my body in my life. What is this thing? Yes, it's effective. Yes, it's working. But wow, I'm uncomfortable. And I ultimately put it back and didn't buy it. And to be honest, I didn't put a push up bra on again until recently. When I tried on the Skims push up bra, I was blown away. I was blown away. The boobs were up and I was comfortable. You're not sacrificing lift for comfort with the Skims push up bra. You actually get to have both. It's kind of incredible. Shop Skims ultimate bra collection and more@skims.com and at Skims LA flagship on Sunset Boulevard. If you place an online order, be sure to let them know that we sent you. Select podcast in the survey and then anything goes in the dropdown menu that follows. Now back to the episode. My next piece of advice, Let your accessories complete the sentence that your outfit is trying to say. Okay? It's almost like your outfit is half of a sentence. It's like the first half of the sentence and then the accessories are like the conclusion are like the ultimate point. Okay, so like, let's say what your outfit is trying to say is I make music. Okay? Like let's say you're styling yourself in a way where you're like, I want to look like a rock star. Fuck it, I make music. Okay, let's say that is what you want your outfit to say. Sounds cringe, but that is like, that's Sometimes how we style ourselves, right? Or maybe you want your outfit to say, like, I watch a lot of movies. Like, I'm a movie nerd. It's almost like the clothing that you put on the shirt. The pants is the first half of the sentence. So in the I make music example, it's almost like the clothes that you choose, the pants, the shirt is the I make part, okay? The clothing that you put on, the shapes that you choose, whether or not the clothing is worn in, or it has paint on it or. Or it's ripped up or a lot of times if you're dressing to be like, I'm a rock star, look at me, I'm a rock star. You know, you're wearing like, maybe ripped up stuff or you're wearing like leather. And like, that sort of paints the picture. Like, I make. I'm a creative person. The clothing is like, I'm a creative person. And then the sentence is completed. I make music. When you add big fucking diva sunglasses. You know what I mean? Like badass sunglasses. And like a belt. Like a sick, like retro, like, rock star belt and like a really cool vest that has like a music note on it. No, I'm kidding. That's a little bit too on the nose. But you get what I'm saying here. Like, it's almost like the conclusion is given by the accessories. And then it's the same thing with the other example. Like, I'm a movie nerd, if that's what your outfit is saying, right? Like, maybe your outfit looks very like you. You like to dress like Wes Anderson movies because you love movies. Like, you dress very almost theatrical in a way or whatever, wearing, like beautiful brown pants and like a beautiful brown boot and wearing like a, you know, bright yellow blouse, maybe tucked in, that could potentially paint the picture of like, I'm a movie, because you look, you know, you're wearing these bright colors. You almost look like a character, right? But then I'm a movie nerd comes in when you really turn that thing into a costume. And maybe you're a little nerdy. Maybe you're wearing like little nerdy glasses and, you know, you're wearing like this green belt and it's is making your shirt super tucked in and tight. And like, I don't know, like, maybe that this doesn't make sense to anyone else. But the accessories complete the sentence, right? They create this full, well rounded image, sentence message. Like, that is what accessories are for. They're for completing the sentence. So when it comes to figuring out like, okay, how Do I accessorize this outfit, figure out what the vibe is? What are you trying to say with the outfit? And then that can help guide what accessories to choose? Because then you're like, all right, I'm trying to choose the accessories that complete this sentence. This method that I'm describing to you right now might not make any fucking sense to you. You might be like, emma, that is some of the weirdest, most abstract bullshit I've ever heard in my life. Fair enough. Okay? But try to find value in that through, like, figuring out a sort of formula, you know what I mean? That's the formula that makes sense to me. Like, you know, sometimes I want to dress like a vampire. I want to look like a vampire's daughter. You know what I mean? I want to look like a vampire's wife. Those are two very different things. Okay? So like, my clothes that I pick out might be like, I want to look like a vampire. It's like I'm wearing all black. I'm maybe with some pops of maroon or whatever, you know, maybe I'm wearing sort of like gothic sort of silhouettes or something or like, whatever. And then I want to look like a vampire's wife. Okay, maybe I'm adding like black lace, you know, tights, or like, I'm adding. Maybe I have like long, you know, sort of gothic looking nails that are like red. You know, it's like that all adds to this vibe of like the vampire's wife, you know, like, that's how I build an outfit in my head is I'm like, there's some sort of vague vision and it's not necessarily on the nose, but it's like it's saying something. And so basically, this is the most cringe thing that I've ever explained in my life. So I need to move on. But take this with a grain of salt. Let your accessories complete the sentence that your outfit is trying to say. Do it that way you will. Let's move on. My next piece of advice, use accessories to balance colors and tie things together. The right accessory can make two things that normally wouldn't make sense together. Make sense together, you know, and so use that to your advantage if you're getting dressed right. And listen, everybody builds outfits differently. Some people start with accessories or like, oh, I really want to wear this accessory today. I'm going to build an outfit around it. Some people are like, okay, I'm gonna put on my base first and then accessorize from there. You know, everybody's a little bit different, so it's kind of hard to give advice about it. But a lot of times I will start with sort of the base, and I accessorize to pull things together. Later, I'll be like, I really like the idea of, like, wearing this top with this bottom. Right. Like, this feels interesting to me. But a lot of times, two things that I wanna put together don't actually look good together just by themselves. Right. They make sense together, but only when knowing that I'm about to accessorize later to make it all make sense. And there are many different ways that you can use accessories to, like, truly make the outfit feel cohesive and complete and make it make sense. Whether that's through being mindful about color palette either. You know, balancing out colors by saying, okay, well, I'm wearing a white shirt and I'm wearing a black skirt. You know, it'd be kind of nice to bring the black up to my eyes, so I'll wear black sunglasses. But I also feel like it needs kind of a pop of color. So maybe I'll add a pop of color with the socks. Eh, I don't really like that. It doesn't feel balanced when I look at it. Maybe I'll add a red hat. Okay, great. That looks great. Okay, now, you know, when it comes to the shoes, like, I'm wearing black shoes, so then maybe I should wear a white sock. Cause then it's like, white, black, white, black. Like, that feels balanced to me. And then there's the pop of red. I really like that. Okay, great. Moving on with our day. You know, you use accessories to balance out the colors. Or perhaps, you know, you have sort of an earth tone look going. Maybe you have, like, a beige top and, like, mint green bottoms and, like, brown shoes. Well, maybe you can sort of create an outfit where it's just a bunch of different earth tones. A bunch of different, slightly different earth tones. So then maybe you add like, an orangey, rusty, you know, grayish color for. For your socks. And then maybe you add, like, a piece of jewelry that has a bunch of beautiful stones that are a bunch of different earth tones. And now your whole outfit is this beautiful collage of a bunch of different earth tones that feels cohesive. And even though you're wearing a bunch of different colors, it feels cohesive because, you know, that is the theme of the outfit. You're wearing a bunch of different earth tones. Whereas if you were to just be wearing a beige top and mint green pants and brown shoes, it's like, okay, but now if you add another dimension with the sock and another dimension with the jewelry. And maybe you add, you know, a pair of glasses that are another earth tone and then a bag that's another earth tone, and it's just this sort of, like, beautiful palette all over the place. Now it feels intentional because you've made the choice to choose this color palette, but not quite the same color twice. So many different times that now it feels like it makes sense. But also, too, something that I pay close attention to when I'm accessorizing. That might seem like overkill to some of you, but to me is something that I really find important when it comes to building an outfit is, like, textures. Like, paying attention to textures and balancing out textures. For example, if I'm wearing shiny black shoes with an outfit, and I'm trying to choose what pair of sunglasses to wear, a lot of times I'm gonna choose my shiny black pair of glasses rather than my more matte material pair of glasses. Or if I am wearing really, like, thick knit socks, right? I might say, oh, wait, I have, like, a thick knit, you know, little headscarf sort of thing. Maybe I'll throw that around my neck or tie it around my belt loop or something. Like, I try to create themes with textures as well, and this doesn't always make sense, but I do pay attention to it because I think it can. It's a subtle detail that can really make an outfit feel cohesive. My next piece of advice? Be intuitive. Add where you feel there's an empty space. Don't just make decisions based on what you've seen on Pinterest or what you've seen in fashion books. Like, I think accessorizing needs to be intuitive, and it needs to be determined by you in the moment based on what exactly is being worn by you. And there are so many different variables that impact the way that an outfit reads on you as an individual. You know, what is the daily jewelry that you wear? How do you style your hair? What color is your hair? What color are your nails? How do you get your nails done? Do you not get your nails done? What do you have in your wardrobe? What do you even have available to you? You know, like, all of these different things impact how you're able to accessorize. And I think, you know, that's why I don't personally always love the method of, like, oh, I saw, you know, on Pinterest or whatever, I saw somebody wear a skirt, and then they put, like, another skirt on top of it to accessorize it sort of, and it looked really Good. And then they also wore, like, a bikini top over top of their tank top to add some dimension. Like, that might look cool, that might work. And you can try it if you really want. You know what I mean? But I always recommend being intuitive. Like, try to be intuitive with it. Look at your outfit and see what it needs. Listen, I think it's fun to experiment. And if you see something that you like, I absolutely am all for, like, being like, okay, today I really want to try this sort of accessorizing technique or something, right? Like, I really want to try it. Okay, great. Then that's how you start your outfit. But if you're taking an outfit and you're like, all right, what accessories do I add to this in those moments? I think if it feels intuitive, like, oh, I saw somebody do that thing on Pinterest, I'm going to try that. Great. If it feels intuitive and it feels like that's what the outfit needs and you're looking in the mirror and you're like, oh, there's like a blank space here that feels empty, like it needs something. It would benefit from something. Then add it. But don't just add it because you see other people doing it. Does that make sense? Be intuitive with the accessorizing and try stuff. Try a bunch of stuff. You know, try things on. It doesn't look good. Try the next thing. We can only see so much in our imagination. I think a lot of times we have to try things on and experiment to truly figure out what actually makes sense for an outfit. And my last piece of advice, at least that I can think of right now, your accessories need to either be functional or not noticeable to you physically, or else they're not a good accessory. Okay? Accessories should never be getting in your way, right? Like a scarf that's itchy. A belt that's super huge and, like, rides up and, like, is super uncomfortable and doesn't fit in your belt loops. Super heavy earrings that are hurting your ears, nails that are too long to function. These are not good accessories, right? Like painting on your laptop and then not using the right kind of paint and it chipping off. Like, these are all not good accessories. This is not good ways of accessorizing. Accessorizing should either be fully functional. Like, it is helping. It's a belt that's holding up your pants. It's a pair of socks that are keeping you warm. It's a scarf that actually keeps you warm. It's actually a functional accessory. Or it's something you don't even notice. Like, Oh, I put a little pin on my shirt or like, I put on a cute little watch, but I don't even feel it on my wrist, or I ironed on a patch onto my favorite hat. Like, accessories should either be not noticeable. You barely even realize that they're there, or they actually serve a purpose. Otherwise, it's a bad accessory. If you really love a scarf and you want to buy it because you think it looks so cute, but it's itchy, that is a bad accessory. Just because it's cute, Just because it's like, whatever. Accessorizing is more than just like, oh, this looks cute, and ties my outfit all together. No, it should also be functional and comfortable. Otherwise, it is a bad accessory. So keep that in mind when shopping for accessories and also, you know, getting dressed in the morning. If there's an accessory in your closet that, you know, you don't gravitate towards, you don't choose because it's uncomfortable, it gets in the way. It's frustrating. Like, a great example would be, you know, even sunglasses that are uncomfortable. That's the risk of buying sunglasses online. I do it. You know, I've done it, and it's worked out well before. But it's also worked out terribly because sunglasses need to fit your head. And if they don't fit your head properly, well, that's a problem. They're either too tight or they're too loose and falling off. You're not gonna wear those. So that's a bad accessory. Even if they look cute, accessories need to be comfortable. This episode is brought to you by Lifelock. It's tax season, and we're all a bit tired of numbers, but here's one you need to hear. $16.5 billion. That's how much the IRS flagged for possible identity fraud last year. Now, here's a good number. 100 million. That's how many data points LifeLock monitors every second. If your identity is stolen, they'll fix it, guaranteed. Save up to 40% your first year@lifelock.com podcast terms apply. This season, a new hot deal has arrived at Metro. $25 a line for four lines with all the data you need and four free Samsung Galaxy A15.5G phones. Getting Metro's best deals is easy. No ID required. No activation fees. Get a new number or keep your own. It's up to you. That's four lines for 25 a line, plus four free phones. Visit a store or go online today only at Metro. Buy T Mobile when you join Metro. Plus tax for limited Time and subject to change. Max one offer per account. Now that I've given you some advice, let me give you some thought starter, some suggestions, some ideas. And I'm not giving you these suggestions, thought starters, ideas, with the hope that you go out and buy them immediately. You know what I'm saying? Like, that's not what I'm trying to do here, okay? Because as I mentioned earlier, accessorizing should be as personal as possible. So look at this more as just inspiration. You know, truly look at this as a thought starter. Like, let these ideas inspire you to come up with your own idea or hear one of these suggestions and find a version of it that's uniquely you. That is the purpose of this. Okay, so let's begin. Number one, I'm absolutely obsessed with pins in buttons in patches right now, but more specifically, pins. I actually bought a pin maker so that I can make my own pins. Like, fully. Like, a pin maker. Okay, Like. Or a button. A button maker. Actually, you know what? It is a button, isn't it? A pin is something else. Okay? I bought a button maker so that I could make personalized buttons that I could, you know, wear with my outfits because I was having a hard time finding buttons that I liked. I found a few good ones online from, like, people who make them, you know, but they weren't personalized enough. I was like, I want really personalized buttons, and I couldn't really find. Anyway, I bought a button maker so that I could make my own buttons, but I'm also gonna continue searching for, like, cool vintage ones online on ebay. Like, you know, like, finding, you know, cool, weird ones as time goes on. But I also want to make my own. But I think personal little pins, buttons, patches, these types of things that you can adhere to existing items and add a little pop of color, add a bit of personality. It can be super impactful. And you can, like, put, like, a name patch on something. Like, you could order a bunch of, like, custom patches that all have your name on it and, like, I don't know, put them on your favorite belt and on, like, glue it onto your water bottle and glue it onto your laptop and, like, put it on one of your, like, basic black shirts that, like, is kind of boring, that you don't really like. You know what I mean? Like, there's so many different ways that you can use pins, buttons, patches, these types of things to, like, add a lot of dimension and character to an outfit or to a piece of clothing. I also think a great area to experiment when it comes to accessorizing is in glasses. I've noticed that a really bold pair of glasses is something that I will re wear over and over again, Rather than, like, a really bold piece of clothing, Like a statement piece of clothing, Like a sweater that has, like, a really loud pattern on it and has, like, a quote on it, and there's all this stuff going on that I'm less gravitated towards over and over again. A really bold pair of glasses with, like, a bold shape is something that I'll wear over and over and over again, and I'm constantly drawn to it. In addition to that, I find that a really strong pair of glasses that are really stylized and really loud and really make a statement really, really heavily impact the vibe of an outfit. For example, I have, like, you know, a pair of sort of black, like, shield glasses. Like shield. They're huge. They, like, cover half my face. In fact, I actually lost them for, like, a year and a half, and I had been trying to find them, and I could not find them. And then I saw online that they were on sale, and I was like, fuck it, I'm buying another pair Because I loved this pair of glasses so much, and I used to wear them so often, and I lost them, and I was so sad, and I thought I would find them, and I never did. And so then I ordered them again when they were on sale. Anyway, they're like huge black shield glasses. Every time I wear those, it's like, whoa, she is a badass. She's a fashion freak. Badass. Look at that freak. You know what I mean? It just reads creepy and weird and alien and cool and badass and scary and creepy and futuristic, but also like motorcycle, but also, like, not motorcycle, but also, like, alien, but also, like, cool. It's great, you know, but they're definitely extreme. It's like a bold choice, but I wear those glasses all the time. I constantly gravitate towards those glasses because they make such a statement and they make such a difference. They make such a difference in my outfit that I actually choose those more than maybe more versatile, more simple glasses, because those just don't have as much of an impact. I guess what I'm trying to say is I feel like you can be a bit more edgy, a bit more experimental with your accessories than maybe you can with your clothing, Because I think with your clothing, more experimental stuff tends to be less comfortable, Tends to be more fatiguing and exhausting, and it tends to, I don't know, just not work out as well, I guess. That's my experience, anyway. So my closet is definitely a bit less experimental. It's a lot of basics that I can layer together in different ways. And then where the personality and intrigue really comes out for me tends to be in the accessories and the way that I layer things and stuff like that. I also suggest finding weird, random shit that's kind of a little bit silly. Some of my favorite accessories are in this sort of category. For example, like, I have this purse that has a banana on it, and I actually have another purse from the same brand that has a carrot on it, like a 3D banana. A 3D carrot, like, sticking out the front of the bag. And, you know, it's funny because I think this bag was so. It kind of was like. I think it had kind of like a Pinterest moment. Like, a lot of people saw it. It was like, kind of a popular thing for a second there. And it's something that I actually think is technically sort of trendy because it's so. It's so eye catching and it's so sort of humorous. But it's something that, to me, I like, genuinely love so much. And I. I love the concept and I love it so much that to me, it's actually timeless. I like. Or it's not even necessarily timeless, but it's something that. Even though maybe it had its moment a few, like, a year ago and it was, like, more trendy then, I still love it because I think it's funny and I think it's interesting and I continue to wear it. Anyway, that was sort of a side note. I love taking something as simple as a black bag and putting a banana or a carrot on the front of it. A 3D one that looks real. And now it's something different. Now it's something more intriguing. Now it's a conversation starter. I think that that's great. I also recently bought online this. Like, it's so. Well, not recently. A few months ago, I bought this handmade scarf that looks like a beautiful white mouse or white rat, and it has, like, little red eyes. It is so cute, and it is so weird, but it's so cute. I love that thing. I absolutely love it. It's one of my favorite things that I own. It's so weird, but it actually looks cute. Like, I can style it in a cute way and it's functional and it keeps my neck warm, and it's great. You know what I mean? You know, I love buying, like, little buttons and pins, like I mentioned earlier, or even making little Buttons and pins that are weird, that say something weird on them, that say something funny, that infuse some humor into my outfit. Try to find ways to perhaps infuse humor into your outfit. Infuse weirdness into your outfit through accessories. I think that you'll find that that's a lot of fun. Oh my God. I just remembered when I used to have like this rubber chicken bag. It was like a bag that looked like a rubber chicken. That's another great example. Like, it's fun to some people. It might be corny, it might be cringe. It's not everyone's cup of tea, but it's a suggestion that I think is worth considering. I sort of mentioned this earlier, but decorate your average items. Everything can be an accessory. Your phone, your laptop, your water bottle, the belt that you wear every day. Find ways to accessorize items that are normally just blah. Paint your laptop. Paint your phone. Put stickers all over your computer. Put stickers all over your phone. Put stickers on your belt. Find different ways to personalize normally mundane items. And I think it's fun to do it DIY because you're the only one who's going to have it. That's really special and really cool and I don't know, it's fun. It's fun to put your own little stamp on something. And it's fun to think of everything as an accessory because it gives you a more intimate relationship with the things that you carry with you on a daily basis, you know, or on a consistent basis. It makes everything feel artistic, like art in a way. Like it makes your laptop feel like art. It makes your phone, your water bottle, your lunchbox, your book bag. It makes everything feel like art. Interesting, like a form of self expression. And that's fun. That can be fun. So decorate your average items. Another suggestion. Random but fingerless gloves. Lace gloves, thin like mesh gloves. Gloves that are a little bit unusual. Like obviously when it's wintertime, you know, we are all well aware of a glove or a mitten. You know, this is. We are no stranger to this, but I think we tend to forget that there are other types of gloves you can buy. For example, lace gloves that adds so much texture and dimension to an outfit without actually adding warmth. You could wear that in the spring or summer and it would look so cool and so interesting. But you're not overheating gloves. Maybe more avant garde gloves can be a great way to accessorize that you wouldn't normally think of. In fact, I actually have been trying to get more into the glove. I love a fingerless glove. I've been wearing them for a few years now. But I'm kind of keeping my eye out for other types of gloves that could potentially be interesting to add to my collection. Next, a little beret hat. Like a little French beret, you know, or like, a little cap. Like a little. Not necessarily a French beret, but like, any sort of little cap. I absolutely love a little, like, cap, you know, like a little felt hat. Like something that isn't even quite as stylized as, like, a French beret. But, like, there are so many different types of little caps that you can wear that are elevated, unlike maybe something like a baseball cap that's a little bit less elevated. Like, we tend to overlook what hats can be. And I absolutely love, like, a little cap. I hope that I'm, like, explaining that. Well, I have a few of them, but that's a great idea that makes things feel chic and sort of classy in a very, like, you know, easy sort of way. Just throwing on a little cap, like a little beret, a little cap can really change the whole feeling of an outfit. And it's just a little hat. It's one of the few hats that I think are timeless. A lot of hats are. Are not timeless. Like, I don't know, like a cowboy hat. No, unless you are a cowboy. Unless you, like, do rodeos and stuff. Like, I don't know. A cowboy hat is not timeless to me. But a. A beret, absolutely. Another suggestion. Balaclava, detached hood bonnet. Some sort of headwear in that realm. I have a few of these now, and I absolutely love wearing them anytime I can. Anytime it's cool enough out to wear some sort of headpiece, I'm gonna try to wear some sort of headpiece. In fact, I also would like to collect more of these over the years because I really do think that they can pack a punch when it comes to changing the vibe of an outfit, adding accessories to the head in this way. It's trendy. It's definitely trendy, but I actually think it's timeless. Like, I think you can't go wrong with unique headwear. Whether, you know, it's something lighter, made of perhaps lace or mesh with embroidery on it, or, you know, it's like a knit, and it has, like, little fuzzy ears. Like, I have little fuzzy knit cat ear sort of bonnet, almost kind of like a balaclava, but it doesn't cover the mouth, so I don't really know what that's called. It's kind of like a detached hood almost. I get compliments every time I wear that thing because everybody's always like, whoa, that's so cool. Like, it completely changes the tone of the outfit. And I think we tend to overlook head pieces that are not hats, and a lot of us don't like hats. So think outside the box when it comes to accessorizing your head and think of a bonnet or a detached hood or perhaps a balaclava. I think a lot of us, too, tend to look at socks as, like, just, okay, I'm just wearing a sock. Like, I'm wearing a white sock. I'm wearing a black sock. Add a pop of color. Add a pop of texture. You know, socks can be an incredible, incredible accessory. The length of sock can be an accessory. Is it up to the knee? Is it up to the thigh? Is it scrunched? Is it pulled tight? You know, all of these different things. Socks are not to be ignored. A good sock can change everything. The right sock can really pull everything together. Which leads me to interesting tights. Whether you know, you. You choose an interesting color or an interesting texture, tights can be utilized in many different, interesting ways. You can wear tights under ripped pants and have the tight show through. That's an interesting thing you could do. Or you could wear tights and wear socks over it, perhaps. So now you have, like, your leg is one texture, but then you also have another texture of the sock, and there's this layering happening that could be very intriguing. You know, tights aren't just for, I guess, keeping your legs warm during the winter. You can utilize tights as another texture, and it can be really fun. And there are a lot of interesting tights out there. Like, think outside the box. There aren't just neutral tights. There are very many interesting tights out there. Also, like, thin little scarves that you can tie around your neck or head or around your pants or under your bag, having a little piece of fabric that you can tie onto things, whether it is on more traditional locations like your neck or your head, but could also be tied onto less traditional locations like your bag or your belt loop or whatever. This is a very fun and simple way to add a pop of color or add a bit of texture to an outfit in a way that is virtually, like, not even noticeable to you and can sometimes be functional. If you're, like, keeping your ears warm or your neck warm, but can also just be like a. Almost like a hack of, like, how to add a pop of color or a pop of Texture also an idea that I had recently that I haven't actually tried yet because I haven't found any of these things really thrifted, repurposed, utilitarian items, okay, Like a thrifted tool belt or gardening gloves or chef waist apron or whatever. You can use these things as fashionable pieces and they're also useful. You know, like gardening gloves can sometimes be really cool. They can have like yellow rubber on them and like actually look cool. Wear them as winter gloves one year if it's like not that cold, if it's obviously super cold, you need something a bit warmer. But you get the idea. Take like a vintage chef apron, like waist apron and cut it so it's like maybe a bit more skirt, like, and layer that over top clothes. Like get creative with, you know, finding functional accessories, perhaps even repurposing these sort of utilitarian workwear items that there's a plethora of in the thrift stores that aren't really being used because a lot of chefs or whatever or people who are like, they, they donated the stuff for a reason because it's not fully functional anymore. Well, you can repurpose it and use it as more of a fashion moment. Another idea, add charms to stuff. Collect cool charms. Make charms yourself. I don't care charms. Add them to your earrings, add them to your belt loops, add them onto your bag. Clip them onto stuff charms. But make them personal, okay? Make them personal, hyper specific items that make sense for you, okay? Like for almost a comical level of convenience. Like for example, if you always lose your house key, make a necklace with like a cool ribbon and tie it around your neck and have your key on your neck all the time. That looks cool actually. Or like if you smoke cigarettes you shouldn't, but like, I don't know, have like a little lighter keychain or something like, do you get what I'm saying? If you constantly have toothpicks in your mouth, find like a little toothpick carrier that you can like attach to your bag. Do you know what I'm saying? Like hyper specific items that make sense for you and your specific lifestyle and like what you would actually need to have available, what you would actually want to have conveniently placed. Think outside the box with it. Truly think about your life and your daily routine and find a way to accessorize it. Does that make sense? Find a way to turn that into an accessory. Even if you like write with pens a lot, like maybe you start buying cool pens that you actually like want to show off and clip them to your bag or clip them to a collared shirt, or, like, find a way to accessorize your routine, make your routine an accessory that doesn't make sense, but you get what I mean. And last but not least, clothing toppers. I don't know if that's actually, like, a real term, but I'm actually wearing one right now. There's various different things that you can, like, throw on top of an outfit that couldn't be worn on their own, but, you know, are pieces that you can routinely throw over different things. And they're either mesh or they're lace, or they're like a vest that's, like, open, or they're like a waist belt, like a utilitarian sort of waist belt or whatever. These types of toppers that you can throw on top of outfits that add dimension, add texture, add. Add character, but are not like pieces of clothing themselves, but that also can be worn in a trillion different ways and kind of read differently depending on what they're paired with. These sorts of toppers, they're not things that you necessarily come across all the time, but every once in a while you do. And I think they're great accessories. And they're bordering on clothing, but they are accessories. Or to me, they're accessories. Cause you couldn't wear them by themselves. You'd have some sort of genitalia revealed, which is not ideal. You know, even like, having, like, a sheer lace skirt that's, like, completely sheer that you could, like, throw over other things. These sorts of toppers, layering pieces, I think, are also incredible accessories that read differently. They're, like, very versatile in the sense that you can wear them with so many different things and they read differently every time. But, you know, they're not clothing because you can't wear them alone. You guys, to be honest, I have to go. I have to go because I have to go to yoga right now. I have a yoga class in 20 minutes, and I actually don't know if I'm gonna make it to the class. If I don't do this yoga class, I'm gonna be grumpy for the rest of the day. So I love you all. I appreciate you all. Thank you all for listening to this episode. It's always a pleasure getting to speak to you and hang out with you. Anything goes every Thursday and Sunday, anywhere you stream podcast videos on YouTube and Spotify. I'm on social media. Emma Chamberlain. You can find my coffee company@chamberlaincoffee.com or at Chamberlain Coffee. More information on those website and social media locations. I love you all. I appreciate you all. You're the best. And I'm going to go to yoga now. It's kind of pathetic that I'm like you guys. I have to go to yoga. Oh, my God. It's very LA of me. Okay, I love you all and I'll talk to you soon. Okay, bye.