It’s all about the accessories
Looking at the photo of a pint-sized me, I cannot escape a clear realization: My appreciation for accessories and coordination goes WAY back. I recognize that my mom may have had more to do with the outfit in the picture than I did, but I like to imagine otherwise. I prefer to think I’m the one who pulled the accent color out of the romper and chose the red shoes, pairing them with light blue socks to pick up the main shading of the ensemble. My sassy stance says that I know this look is working for me! I just had to have been responsible for choosing it.
Back in my twenties I worked briefly for a very nice women’s clothing store in the 50th-and-France area of Edina, MN. The store was called Dana’s and I observed something important about accessories. When women saw an outfit on display and tried it on without the jewelry, belt, etc. it had been shown with, often they weren’t excited by it when they had the outfit on. Part of what had caught their eye was the complete look, accessories and all. Without that, it looked plain in comparison. If they grabbed the pieces shown with it to try on, more often than not, they bought it all. To this day I still advise family and friends who are buying clothes as a gift to buy the accessories, too, because the entire visual aspect is what initially grabbed their attention.
My love of accessorizing continues to this day in the way I view the world and the world views me. Literally. A few years ago my annual eye exam came with an unexpected bonus: a prescription for bifocals. Woo hoo! Who doesn’t love to get that news? But I made lemonade out of that lemon and decided I was going to have fun with the fact that I was aging and needed what I had always assumed were old-people glasses. I work at the front desk of a surgeon’s office. Everyday I am lucky enough to wear a uniform of comfy black scrub pants with a black medical jacket. I wear different color tank tops under the jacket every day for a little splash of color. My lemonade in this case was to purchase a few pairs of glasses, in different, fun colors to coordinate with the tanks. The next year I purchased a few more–now I have a great wardrobe of funky, interesting eyewear. I don’t feel sad and old putting on the glasses each day. I look forward to choosing the pair that best coordinates with the color of the tank I’ve chosen that day. The glasses have somewhat become my trademark among the patients, with many commenting on the frames of the day. It’s my way of putting my own little stamp on my uniform and making that love of accessories work for me.
My younger daughter has her own twist on accessorizing. At a very early age, Maddi decided it was silly to stress over pairing up matches in her sock drawer and began to wear mismatched socks. While she does have some print socks, her favorites are bright, vibrant colors to match her personality. Her habit is quirky and adorable, just like her. As long as her socks don’t match she is happy. I would be stressed all day knowing my socks didn’t match, but Maddi would be stressed if hers did. To each her own!
My favorite part of getting ready for an evening out is choosing the shoes, purse, jewelry, etc. to go with my outfit. I have always loved being a girly girl and putting on those last pieces feels like the crescendo in a dramatic phrase of a favorite symphony. One last look in the mirror to give a final approval to what I’ve chosen and I’m good to go. Because while it may no longer be red tennis shoes and baby blue socks, for me it’s still all about the accessories.
barrelmakersdaughter 
Yes, you always were a ‘girly-girl’ — and on you it always looked great.
Hope to see you someday soon.