Never Fully Dressed Without... Accessories
C. Cabungcal and C. Mullins
For many students the morning routine is simple: wake up, shower, throw some clothes on, eat, go to school. For some, it’s a daily hunt for a new look with old pieces. Accessories are a lego set; each day I choose to build a favorite or make a new and exciting combination. An outfit without accessories can come off as incomplete or casual. The difference between a stellar look or something mundane could be found in the smallest details.
Jewelry is the first thing that comes to the minds of many when thinking of accessories, but it doesn’t take thousands of dollars to create effective depth with jewelry. A practice becoming more and more popular is thrift store hunting. Walnut Creek is home to two great examples: Goodwill and Rescued Treasures.
The best way to find good accessories is to hit the city and crawl through the Goodwills and other thrift stores. Watches and necklaces are go-tos and thrift stores will sometimes have some good choices in stock. Casio digital watches are rare finds at thrift stores but great pieces to start with, especially the metal digitals and G-Shocks, which often end up donated after their owner upgrades. A chain is one of the easiest ways to spice up your look, but they can get expensive. For something under $500 Sterling silver is a great place to start and 20-24” with a thickness of 3-7 mm can look great without becoming cumbersome. One of my favorite companies producing small accessories is Rastaclat, who make weaved bracelets of various colors and patterns. Rastaclats are very versatile, and can add a pop of color to any outfit.
Sunglasses are a very important accessory for daily wear. There are plenty of guides online for choosing the right one for your face shape, but once you find the right pair of glasses they will become your best friend. They are form and function, the first thing somebody looks at is your face. A good pair of sunglasses will be front and center to people you interact with. There are many guides online on how to find a great pair of glasses for your face shape, but a great pair doesn’t require Rayban branding. Build quality is the number one thing to look for in great glasses. Brands like Knockaround, Warby Parker, and MVMT produce great products for under $100.
A key idea embodied in the usage of accessories is color cohesion, especially in formal concepts. For example, a brown leather pair of shoes can pop when a same shade belt is used. The same applies with metals: Gold tie bar to gold belt buckle to gold watch to gold pen in the pocket. This simple idea can help you become more respected when you need to dress up for formal events.
The right tie is important too, a tie shouldn’t clash with the colors and more importantly pattern of your shirt or suit. A bad tie is a giveaway to adults that you don’t know what you’re doing and they’ll subconsciously lose respect with for you when you wear the wrong tie. A go-to for many young men out there is the knit tie, a solid color tie woven in a thicker string than regular ties. The comfort of the tie and the casual look have made them office favorites, a knit tie can help you make a lasting impression in the formal parts of life.
Accessories can spice up your look like never before. You don’t have to break the bank in order to get some great pieces either, a wise shopper hunts down deals. If an interesting item can’t be found online is a great place to go especially since many accessories fit all sizes. Once you get a perfect combo of accessories on and step outside, you will understand why they are key!
