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Traveling in style: Part IV, Accessories

By Meg | June 15, 2007

Other posts in the Traveling in Style series:

Accessories are an important part of any outfit because they can be used to tie separates together, dress an outfit up or down, and generally set the mood of an outfit. When traveling, it might seem more prudent to leave behind anything that is not absolutely necessary. However, a few well chosen accessories can make the clothes that you bring more versatile. In addition, it is important to pay attention to how the accessories you do need to bring will mix and match with your outfits.

I’ve already mentioned shoes quite a bit in previous posts in this series, but it is important to mentioned them here because they are not only an important accessory in themselves, but also because they can very much influence your other accessories. If you want to make your more colorful shoes more versatile while traveling, bring along other accessories such as jewelry that will match the shoes. If you match your shoes to your jewelry, you’ll find that you can work them into other outfits more easily. For instance, if I just wore a plain brown dress with turqoise shoes, the shoes might stick out like a sore thumb. If I add a matching turquoise bead necklace and bracelet, the shoes are now clearly a part of the outfit. By wearing more color in my shoes and jewelry, I can also get away with more neutrals in my clothing. I could wear the same shoes and jewelry with other neutral outfits that otherwise might be too plain, especially if I am wearing sets of neutral separates.

You can also dress an outfit up or down with jewelry. For example, I have a white butterfly necklace with clear beads that I wear with dresses for a casual outfit. To dress up, I just put on a strand of pearls instead and maybe change my flats for heels. Of course, you probably don’t want to bring a lot of expensive jewelry with you while traveling, so now is a good time to buy some faux pearls and cubic zirconia jewelry.

Don’t forget about belts, too. You may need a belt to keep your pants up where they belong, or just for looks on pants, skirts, or dresses. If you just need a belt for your pants, consider reversible belt in brown and black that allows you to rotate the belt buckle and use either side.

Of course, if you’re like most women, you will probably need a purse. If you invest in a nice looking tote of modest size, you can use it while traveling not just as luggage, but also while shopping as a large purse. Totes in black generally look a lot dressier than ones in other colors, though you can get away with more colors and look even dressier if your tote is leather. As with shoes and jewelry, you can bring purses and totes in various colors if you take it into consideration when planning your trip. When traveling, I prefer to take at least one tote, as well as a small, dressy purse. Sometimes I have been known to splurge a bit, though, and take a couple extra bags just for the fun of it. Of course, some people I know think it’s a bit eccentric of me, but part of the fun of traveling for me is to force myself to mix up my outfits a bit and try different combinations.

Don’t forget to check the weather where you are going and bring the right accessories accordingly. Don’t forget some sort of rain gear, such as a collapsible umbrella or even a rain poncho. Gloves, scarves, ear muffs, and knit caps are great to have if it’s cold. Sun glasses are really a must just about anywhere you go, but they can also be fun.

If you’ve read my comments on other blogs (as well as some here) you know that I love big, fancy hats. They are great for summer because they keep the sun out of your eyes and cover up sweaty hair. They might seem hard to travel with, but you might be surprised. I’ve flown with one of mine without a hat box simply by wearing the hat on the plane. I have another that is actually designed to be crushable. One thing for sure, I do get a lot of (positive) attention while wearing them. If a hat’s not for you, consider other hair accessories such as hair bands, hair clips, hair pins, head bands, bandanas, and light scarves. You never know when or where you might be stuck with a bad hair day, so it’s always nice to have some sort of emergency fix.

What accessories do you bring when traveling?


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