To Dingle Dangle, Or Not To Dingle Dangle!
The power of accessories

We have all seen women on the continent looking effortlessly stunning and chic in a pair of jeans and a T Shirt!  How do they do it?  Well, if you look closely you will see their ‘look’ is brought together by accessories. 

Accessories are our best friends, we can get fantastic accessories now on the High Street that don’t cost a fortune, but look great and will completely transform an outfit from drab to FAB in a blink of an eye.  We can also use accessories to take the same outfit from day time to evening.

So, should you ‘dingle dangle’ during the day?!  Well, that all depends on your job of course.  If you work in an office and a business environment I always advise against earrings that dingle dangle too much as they will inevitably take away some of your professionalism.  Earrings that stay reasonably still are much better for the work place.  Also, earrings that are too large (very Dallas/Dynasty!) are not necessarily a good look during the working day.

Bracelets?  During the working day, try and avoid, one is ok, but don’t go for 5 on one arm, especially if they clang together every time you move your arm, very distracting and, again, taking away from your professionalism.

Rings?  Over and above a wedding/engagement ring, try to keep to a maximum of two, and preferably not on fingers that are next to each other, leave a spare finger in-between.

Necklaces? If you have a long neck then you can get away with chunkier necklaces close to the throat, but if you have a short or thicker neck, avoid these as they will draw the attention to that part of your body.  Better then to wear longer necklaces that draw the eye down and away from the throat.

Scarves?  Great for the office if they are tied in such a way that they stay still!  Try and avoid floaty scarves that drift in the breeze as you walk.

Handbags?  During the day, keep them functional, in the leather of your season and not ‘floppy’. Need a briefcase as well?  Try and do one or the other, not both.

Shoes?  Keep the heel to a maximum of 2” for daytime, but not completely flat as you will lose authority, a minimum of ½” is fine.  Shoes don’t have to be completely plain for daytime, some detail is fine, but stay away from glitz and bows – keep these for the evening.

All of the above is pretty much reversed of course for evening/social life.  If you need to go straight from the office to a social event, take a change of accessories to work with you.

Change the neat scarf for a glitzy necklace, change the smaller ‘stay still’ earrings for some dingle dangles, add a bracelet or two, put on another ring, change your shoes, squirt on a bit of perfume, redo the lipstick (a slightly brighter colour) and you’re ready to go.

Casual/Weekend?  Jeans and a good quality T Shirt will look great and can look fabulous with a few accessories.  Some great earrings, a fantastic belt, great shoes or boots and a statement handbag will pull the outfit together and give those Paris belles a run for their money!

The absolute essential accessories for all women are:

• Personal hygiene – goes with out saying really, but a light body spray and a good deodorant will take you anywhere!  
  
  
• Clean, good teeth, fresh breath
  
  
• Clean, well manicured nails – they don’t have to be polished, just clean and neat  
  
  
• Clean, glossy and well maintained hair  
  
  
• Clean and well pressed clothes
  
  
• Polished and unscuffed shoes
  
  
• No tobacco breath, alcohol fumes or garlic left over's! Yuk!
  
  
• A smile - nothing detracts from our looks more than a scowl frankly

If you have the above, all your clothes will look great, if you don’t, the best designer outfit will never look good.