You have heard the words 1000 times – that accessories change everything.  The more minimal your wardrobe, the more this becomes true.

Today, we’re going to do a quick visual exploration of this.

Same outfit.  Same day.  Same lack of makeup.

In the picture to your left, I’m wearing an eye-catching bracelet, a pair of colored necklaces, large teal earrings, and a feathered hair-ornament.

In the picture to your right, I’ve flipped the hair ornament out of sight (I wanted to keep my hairstyle the same), and removed all my jewelry except my wedding ring.  In the picture to your left, I look pulled together and artistic.  In the picture to your left, I look pretty plain.

In the second set of pictures, I’m wearing the white shirt and dark skirt that I recommend everyone have in their wardrobe, still no makeup, hair in a bun.

First picture (top left) – no jewelry.  Second picture.  Gold necklace, bracelets, earrings.  Simple, classic.  Third picture, removed necklace, added scarf.   Without changing my pose, without so much as changing how I arranged my sleeves or my hair (which I would, if I were really styling these looks), I’ve changed the look of the outfit – just with an accessory.

In the second row (starting bottom left), I wanted to show that garments (particularly toppers) could also be considered accessories for the purposes of mixing and matching your outfits.  In the first picture, I’ve added a navy jacket.  In the second, there is also a scarf.  In the third, I’m wearing a fitted vest.

Clothing comes, clothing goes – but accessories are forever.  They rarely wear out, and they’re a fantastic way to sneak the “real you” into even the strictest dress code.   They are one of the easiest ways to make your wardrobe far bigger than what you see hanging in your closet.

Use them wisely.