accessories are easily my favorite part of an outfit

they can turn an everyday black dress or jeans and a t shirt into a dynamic and interesting look

that’s why my main investments always go into the pieces i can use to juj up my look- shoes, handbags and jewelry (although the jewelry component is nearly always fun costume pieces. one day i’ll invest in some great real pieces, but that’s for later on in my fashion life)

to date, my best costume jewelry finds have actually (believe it or not) come from forever 21 and macy’s. if you’re going to buy fun pieces that don’t have a very long shelf life, it’s better to keep the budget under $25 to avoid feeling guilty about buying a neon choker or spiked double ring. if you’re looking for something a bit more expensive looking J Crew in recent years has had really good costume pieces to chose from

so why the focus on the accessories you might ask? it ties back to my packing nightmares. i finished packing 90% of my suitcase last weekend, panicked, and have been adding more pieces here and there throughout the week. it went from a strategic battlefield to unplanned warfare. instead of pulling everything out and starting over from scratch, i took note of a few key pieces i was planning to bring with me and substituted fear with accessories. that way, if i did forget anything too crucial i know that i can wear a basic look with some great jewelry to give myself the look i was hoping for

so wish me luck and fingers crossed to having a week filled with the perfectly improvised vacation looks

xx-aboutthesmallthings