Accessories Before the Fact

The three S’s of accessories

At times, online, you’ll come across a demonstration of “styling” which is the depiction of an outfit without, and then with, accessories, representing their addition as the mark of a well-conceived outfit. Of course we know these are rather reductive at best, but further than that I’d say that they’re presented the wrong way round.

See, these things we label as “accessories”, the add-ons, or supplements, are far more vital than the name might suggest. In the jewellery stacked up on the nightstand, the pair of glasses worn every day, the inherited ring or gifted scarf, the cap from Corsica or the Mets’ ground, we find these things really to be far greater extensions of the lives we lead than our garments, they’re more a part of us than a part of our wardrobes…

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Even in the aftermath of a zeitgeist momentarily obsessed with personal style, and the slew of metatextual analyses that followed— the death certificates and post-mortems (including from myself)— we’re still left, I think, with a desire for a dress sense which is distinctly our own. The trouble is, upon hearing that notion you might be inclined to imagine a style of dress which is unique to you, I don’t think it has to be, rather, it’s just informed noticeably by your own tastes and the life that you lead. It’s probably appropriate for the place you live, and the things you like to do, it could also reflect the places you’ve been, the things you’ve done, and the people you love.

This is a rather timely discussion, accessories are gifting favourites, and I want to interrogate that a little. There is the first concern of practicality, it is often easier to give a hat or a necklace than a pair of jeans, less concerns regarding fit and the like. I feel like it’s seen as more sentimental also, something that can be kept close, maybe even worn every day, or only on special occasions. For the very same reasons they tend to make good souvenirs, the belt from New Mexico or silk scarf from Italy, they fit nicely in the suitcase home, and act as a reminder of the trip, a classier alternative to a graphic t-shirt or a refrigerator magnet, perhaps?

These are the principal ways by which accessories should be acquired, commemoration, that way they have an innate sentimentality. For me that’s my watch, it’s an old JLC, maybe 50s, with a fixoflex bracelet, and it belonged to my grandad, therefore all other questions of legitimacy, model, movement are entirely meaningless. If a piece does not possess innate sentimentality, it should earn it through constant wear, being a faithful companion day in and day out. For this I think about my ratty, faded Yankees cap, I just bought that on Depop, but it’s stayed in the bottom of my Boat and Tote (a gift for my twenty-first birthday) for long enough that it means a lot to me now.

In aid of strengthening that sentimentality, I also think there’s a lot of value in keeping an accessory collection as slight as possible. One watch worn every day, one pair of sunglasses taken on every summer vacation, two belts: one brown, one black, etc. . It’s so easy to grow a sizeable collection of clothes, and it’s normal, if not expeced, to switch up outfits day-to-day, but there is so much more leeway to retain a minimal collection of accessories. No-one bats an eyelid if you wear the same jewellery all the time, in fact what likely happens is you’ll come to be closely associated with those pieces, they become an extension of your body before you begin to think about an outfit, more like tattoos or your hair and eye colour. I’d think immediately to my girlfriend’s silver bangles or my housemate’s baseball cap (they both read this and will be no doubt thrilled about the mention), I could see those items anywhere and within a fraction of a second recognise them as theirs.

It’s rather liberating too, I find, not to have to think about accessorising— I’m an advocate for Chanel’s infamous “remove one item” rule anyway— for me, besides choosing my belt colour to match my shoes, I almost never think about the accessories I’m wearing. I’ve ended up with three scarves, and I’m already starting to think that that’s too many. The final point here though, is that sentimentality takes precedence, i.e. if the reason that a certain piece is sentimental is that you collect them, carry on collecting, that’s the exact magic we’re trying to capture. Likewise I wouldn’t dream of telling you to get rid of something genuinely meaningful in the name of minimalism.

To keep a collection slight, I might also advocate for simplicity, to maximise versatility. This, again, is subsidiary to both which have come before: sentimentality, and slightness first, then consider simplicity. In essence a steel dive, or small gold dress watch will perhaps prove more versatile than a 48mm, grand complication, tourbillon whatchamacallit; you’ll never be lost with a brown braided belt with a brass buckle or a pair of tortoiseshell shades. That might not be your style, and if that is the case carry on as you were, I imagine you might already have all of this accessory stuff figured out anyway. This is more of a word to the wary, it’s ok to play it safe sometimes, especially for the stuff you’ll almost never leave the house without.

What that leaves us with is the three S’s of accessories— try saying that three times quickly— a loose set of guidelines not a rulebook, I’d like to make that clear. Nevertheless, I think sentimentality should sit at the heart of what is likely a slight and simple collection of accessories. There’s a distinct beauty in having a small collection of objects that are as much a part of you as your hands and heart, I think everyone should have that joy, and I think it’s an integral part of having a deeply personal relationship with fashion. Accessories come first, not last.

Prep club adjourned, see you next week.

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