Summer Style: High Impact Accessories

 When it comes to getting dressed in the summer, the goal is to not add weight to your body. If you are desiring to still stay stylish when it's sweltering outside, it can cause a dilemma. Often a way to make a look more stylish is to add that third piece on top. 

Another non-negotiable for stylish outfits are accessories. Many times these can be a bit bold to add some real attention to your look. But who wants to add all of that weight to your look when it's in the 90's with a dew point of 73?!

So, what's a girl to do?

Be strategic about your Accessories!

I talked about the clothing and fabric aspect of Summer Style in Part 1 of the Summer Style series last week. If you need to catch up, you can read it here. 

This week I am going to share some powerful tips when it comes to accessorizing your summer style. 

Accessories truly are a non-negotiable for a stylish look. You will be hard-pressed to find an extremely stylish outfit that does not incorporate accessories at some level. There are some key distinctions between the accessories you will wear during the summer from the rest of the year if you don't want to throw in the towel completely on wearing accessories.  As I mentioned, I don't recommend skipping them if you want to keep your style on-point.

What's beautiful about accessories is that simple tweaks can completely change the vibe of your entire outfit.  Let's dive in.

The accessories that I am going to be discussing today are: 

1. Jewelry
2. Hats
3. Sunglasses
4. Shoes

Jewelry

When it comes to wearing jewelry in the summer, there are two important things:

1. Material
2. Weight

There are so many options today when it comes to lightweight options for your jewelry. 

• Clay. While I wouldn't recommend a clay necklace (nor am I sure you would find any), clay earrings are amazing because they are ultra lightweight and can be made in a multitude of colors and can even be hand painted.  They can be matte or they can be shiny. I am a huge fan of local Charlotte artists Paper_Clay. They churn out beautiful pieces in their Charlotte studio. Jess and her team do it all with love from the studio space behind her home. While the pieces are not inexpensive, they will be some of your favorite, high-impact earrings you will reach for again and again. Bonus: they are sustainable!

  

  Paper_Clay Ivory & Gold Zoe Earring

  
  

• Acrylic. One of the great things about acrylic is that it packs a major punch with a lightweight signature. You can find earrings that are made of acrylic and some of my favorite things to find in acrylic are bracelets. You can wear a really large bracelet and it feels like nothing

  

  Alexis Bittar Bonbon Crystal Lucite Hinge Bracelet - Azalea

  
  . 

• Mesh. This one IS made out of metal, however the metal is almost woven in its design, so it makes it much lighter. The thing about mesh that makes it appealing visually is the texture. It's not overly shiny, but has visual appeal and catches the light because of the construction.

  

  Ellie Vail Marley Mesh Cuff Bracelet

  
  

• Shell. You know from going to the beach and picking up seashells how delicate they are. This lends beautifully to lightweight jewelry. Shells have a way of picking up light and their very texture is a beautiful easy, breezy nod to summer style. Some shells are strong enough to be made into jewelry on their own, but for other, more delicate shells, a resin coating is used to create not only luster, but durability. You can find shell in necklaces, earrings, and bracelets. It's also a fantastic sustainable option.

  

  Wolf & Badger Hand-Painted Oyster necklace

  
  

• Raffia. Another 100% natural and sustainable option, raffia is tough and durable. It's made of a palm plant and woven into beautiful designs. This weaving creates that visual interest and texture, but it's extremely lightweight due to the nature of the plant. You can get a natural tan style of jewelry, but there are so many dyed options, too. You can find all types of raffia jewelry, but it lends well also to headbands and handbags or clutches.

  

  Lisi Lerch Kaia Raffia Cuff

  
  

• Wood. Wood can be hollowed out and made into incredibly lightweight jewelry. It provides a really unique look to your natural summer style. Earrings, necklaces, bracelets, you can find it all made in wood.

  

  Kenneth Jay Lane Wood Ring Doorknocker Clip Earrings

  
  

• Macrame. While this one needs to be woven onto metal of some sort, the metal is very likely going to be lightweight and the woven yarn or cord packs a punch when it comes to visual interest. I think macrame earrings specifically are a great choice. Throw your hair up and let that beautiful lightweight weaving shine.

  

  Novica Rose Quartz & Brass Beads Macrame Dangle Earrings

  
  

• Add some bling. When you choose lightweight metal necklaces or earrings that are barely there, but have a bit of bling to catch the eye from a distance, you have a summer style winner. The key to this one is that while the metal itself is pretty unnoticeable as far as visual weight, it has to have enough little blingy bits to get noticed.  Look at this necklace from Ettika. The metal is not heavy and it has multiple strands with multiple crystals that draw attention. It's perfect. 

  

  Ettika Perfect Crystal Dotted Layered Necklace
  
  
  

  Another important thing to consider when it comes to jewelry as you can see in the necklace shown above, is that in order to keep things lightweight, but still provide enough visual interest is to have lots of SPACE.  Here's another great example of an item that is lightweight, but the metal has lots of space so it's attention grabbing:

  

  Chico's Short Goldtone Multi-Strand Link Necklace

  
  Just as a final suggestion if you love the idea of wearing bling when you are on vacation during the summer, check out Ellie Vail jewelry. It is water and sweat resistant, which means you can jump in the pool, hop in the shower, and sweat in the heat without tarnishing or damaging your precious jewelry!

Hats

Hats have the power to really amp up your outfit. They are an automatic get-noticed item. Now, I am not talking about a baseball cap, but your straw fedora style of hat. What's great about hats is that not only do they add instant style, but they also protect you from the sun. You can find stylish hats to wear in the pool or a straw fedora style to wear on the daily. The key here is to get a straw hat. While straw is breathable, keep in mind, it is more casual. However, summer days lend to a more casual style, so it really works perfectly.

Sunglasses

There are SO MANY styles of sunglasses that you can get that will change up your look in a snap. You may want to go with plastic frames for a more casual vibe. If you want to elevate your look, you can go with a metal pair (just beware of laying them in the sun as they can burn your face when you put them back on)!

Sunglasses are easy because you don't have to break the bank when you purchase multiple pair. Like hats, they protect you from the sun, so opt for sunnies that have UV protection. There is no reason you can't make your sunglasses a style statement and change the look of your outfit based on the style you select.  Here are a few fun pair I found whether you like plastic, metal, or a combination of both!

Shoes

When it comes to wearing shoes in the summer, the sky is the limit depending on what your comfortability is. Whether you like heels or wedges or flats, you can choose choose that are either in a fun color or that have a fun embellishment on them. Because it is so hot out, I recommend sandals versus a closed to version of a shoe because they are more breathable in the heat. At the time I am writing this blog, metallic shoes are a must and a great way to add an elevated vibe to what could be a more casual look. Here are some fun shoe ideas.

So, there you have it! The past two weeks, I have shared some really easy things you can do that will keep your style impactful over the heat of the summer! Here's to staying stylish, friend!

Stylishly Yours,

PS - Are you curious if you are making these 7 Common Mistakes with your style?  Grab my free guide to find out AND learn how to stop making those mistakes to improve your style today!