My New Favorite Outfit: Building A Wardrobe: Shoes and Accessories

Tuesday, November 5, 2013

Building A Wardrobe: Shoes and Accessories

































I'm excited to be continuing my Building A Wardrobe Series again today. One the first day of the series I shared Essential Blazers and Jackets, one day two I shared Essential Cardigans, on day three I shared Essential Skirts, and on day four I shared Essential Jeans and Dress Pants.  Today I'm going to be sharing essential shoes and accessories with you.  The choices for shoes and accessories is vertically limitless, so today I'm going to simply share my recommendations for essentials with you.


First up I'll discuss essential shoes and boots with you.  Although I am definitely one to shop the sale, I think it's definitely important to buy quality when it comes to shoes.  Here are my recommendations:
  • For boots I recommend both a black and brown leather riding boot.  These can be pricey and big shopping days like Black Friday are a good time to buy.  Last year I got my black leather boots for less than $50 on a Black Friday special.  These are definitely investment pieces and worth the money, as they will last for years, but shopping the sales is definitely a great option
  • For ballet flats, I think a black and leopard option are essential.  Both are great basic, and like everything else, Target has some great affordable options.
  • As for heels, I recommend a black, nude, leopard, and gold option.  These four options will go with vertically everything, so they are definitely worth the money. Also, an important tip:  I tend to be very hard on my heels, as I wear them all the time and the heel tips seems break off or wear out quickly.  This is quickly and inexpensively fixed by a shoe repair shop for about  $10, seriously the best way to add longevity to your heels.
  • Gold might seem like a silly color to invest in, but I LOVE mine and they are the perfect addition to an outfit to dress it up in a way a basic black heel can't.
  • I didn't include booties on my essential list, as I'm not sure how much longevity they'll have.  I love mine, but I definitely don't think it's one of the first shoes you should invest in.
Here's a visual of the essentials to help you out:


Building A Wardrobe


 black riding boot / brown riding boot / leopard flat / black flat /  black heel / gold heel / nude heel /  leopard heel 


Jewelry: 

Next up today I'll be discussing essential jewelry.  I love jewelry and feel it's the perfect way to make any outfit feel special.  Within my closet I have a mixture of both affordable and investment pieces.  Here are my thoughts on where to begin when building a wardrobe:
  • Statement necklaces and bracelets are a huge trend right now.  It's important to decide what will fit your wardrobe best.  I like to have a mix of both gold and silver and mixed metals are huge this year, making that option the best of both worlds.  
  • Spending more that $20 on a piece of jewelry might not be an option for you.  Luckily Target has tons of great affordable options.  All the affordable options below are from Target.
  • Spending more on jewelry can pay off in the long run.  All the investment pieces are from Stella and Dot, and yes, they are more expensive.  However, they are all 12k gold and sterling silver, meaning they won't discolor your skin or wear out after a season.
  • Bright bold statement necklaces are also great options, but when beginning to buy jewelry stick to more basic like the neutral options below, as they'll be more versatile and more easily worn and utilized.
  • Jewelry can easily be the the "show stopper" of any look, so take some time to find a few pieces you love to make every outfit stand out.
Here's a visual of all the jewelry essentials:

Building A Wardrobe: Jewelry

Affordable Jewelry
 gold pave necklace /gold earrings /silver earrings / silver pave necklace /  gold jeweled bracelet / gold pave bracelet /  gold crystal necklace /silver jeweled bangle / silver cuff /  silver jeweled necklace 

Investment Jewelry
sutton, mixed metal necklace / silver necklace /  renegade bracelet in gold and silver /  urbane silver bracelet / moxie mixed metal bracelet / kahlo mixed metal bracelet /   phoenix mixed metal necklace / eden bangle in gold /    rebel pendant gold necklace /   


Scarves:

Lastly today I'll be sharing some scarf essentials.  Scarves are by far the easiest and least expensive way to accessorize any look, so they are definitely worth adding them to your wardrobe.  Here are my thoughts on purchasing these wardrobe essentials:
  • Get a few bright colored scarves, these are great for layering with print tops and can be less "messy" looking then adding a necklace.
  • Find some great prints in colors you love.  I love floral, polka dots, stripes, and cheveron.
  • Shop the sales, Kolh's for one has great deals on scarves and Target frequently puts their scarves on special at 25% off.
  • It can be easy to catch a case of "buy all the scarves."  As great as they are at making an outfit look special, no one wears scarves everyday.  You'll probably only utilize a scarf a few times a week, so having 5-6 is definitely enough.
Here's a visual on essential scarves:


Building A Wardrobe: Scarves


 blue / purple polka dot / blue polka dot /  red /  zig-zag / paisley and stripe 

Come back tomorrow to hear about my shirt essentials!

19 comments:

  1. This has been the best series! These are the things we think we know, but don't ever focus on. It's nice to have it all right in front of you on here.

    ~Cheryl
    http://snaps-of-ginger.blogspot.com/

    ReplyDelete
  2. This part of the series is my favorite. I can't express how important a great pair of boots, flats, statement necklaces and scarves are to an outfit. The details can totally finish off a look. My favorite place to find scarves is at the thrift store too!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Just so you know. I decided to read a few blogs before leaving the house this morning. When I read this title, I realized I was still in my slippers and not wearing the shoes I had planned. Thanks for saving me.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Statement necklaces are my favorite way to accessorize...they glam up any outfit!

    -Sharon
    The Tiny Heart
    Ad Space Giveaway!

    ReplyDelete
  5. I have to agree with Style Journey: shoes + accessories = my favorite. :) I think because I'm not an adventurous dresser, these are the areas where I'm more likely to take a little risk. I'm loving the jewelry selections and you had some great Target finds in there (it's always difficult for me to hunt for jewelry there...I think I get overwhelmed).

    On the Daily Express

    ReplyDelete
  6. Can I have all of these pieces please!? SO CUTE! Love those ballet flats, definitely need some new ones in my life!

    ReplyDelete
  7. I've really been enjoying this series, and agreed with everything you said in this post! I've been having a hard time spending money on statement necklaces, even though I love them, so I just picked up a super versatile crystal necklace from J. Crew Factory, and am getting a gold & silver statement necklace soon that I can style a lot of different ways. Scarves are also one of my favorite style tricks. Wearing a shirt/sweater on its own vs. with a scarf can make it look like two different outfits, which I love! It's definitely important to have a mix of brights and neutrals too.

    ~Jacy

    ReplyDelete
  8. Are you going to include belts in a different category? I would love to hear your thoughts on those too :)

    ReplyDelete
  9. Awesome! I never appreciated how important these things were until I started paying attention to style through WNTW and style blogs... They seriously can be the make it or break it of any outfit! Thanks for the recommendations, happy that I can say I have most of them but now I have ideas for others I need!

    ReplyDelete
  10. Ginny, this is an excellent series. These three areas might seem like small things, but it really is the small things that can make an outfit. Great tips!

    ReplyDelete
  11. I've been enjoying reading these posts every day. I like your take on each essential piece and additional options. It's been helping me add to my closet holes list!

    ReplyDelete
  12. I'm currently on the hunt for some black riding boots like the ones you've shown here. Guess I'll have to ask Santa for a pair :)

    ReplyDelete
  13. I only just noticed you were doing this series, what a great idea. Yes please for gold shoes!

    ReplyDelete
  14. This series has been great for helping me decide what to shop for next. Thanks, Ginny! :)

    ReplyDelete
  15. absolutely adorable!! you have a great taste :)

    Would you like to follow each other?
    Love,
    Charu

    http://myglossyaffair.blogspot.in/2013/11/festival-fashion-at-my-glossy-affair.html

    ReplyDelete
  16. This is such a great post I really like your tipst in this post. Looking forward to seeing your next post. :)

    xoxo;
    What Kenny Hearts, a Lifestyle Blog by Kenny.

    ReplyDelete
  17. Adore this post, love. If you get a free moment, I'd love to hear your thoughts on my latest post.
    MyBeautyBox giveaway!!
    Follow me on Cosa Mi Metto???

    ReplyDelete
  18. This was a great post. I agree about all the jewelry & the scarves. They are great statement-making pieces, especially a bold necklace or a colorful or bright-printed scarf. I love all those pieces from Target. The jewelry is all beautiful especially the pave. It looks so high-end, as if it came from Stella&Dot. I think pretty much most of my scarves come from The Limited, Express, Old Navy & Gap. I also have some from H+M. Most of my silk scarves come from Lord & Taylor. I have some beautiful Eccho ones.

    As far as the must-have shoes, I would add Red Pumps, Black Peep-Toe Pumps, Silver Stilettos or Peep-Toes, Black Booties, Gold Ballet Flats, some Cognac or other neutral-colored Loafers, Gold or Tan Bejeweled Sandals and a pair of Royal Blue or Cobalt Blue Pumps.

    ReplyDelete
  19. I'm not a heels wearer at all, but I can certainly get on board with riding boots and ballet flats. I also think oxfords as a great option, as well as loafers!

    ReplyDelete