If you're anything like me, you've spent the past few years concentrating on investment pieces. I have a couple of very chic friends from back home—Sara Crampton, founder and buyer at The Undone, and Beck Wadworth, a brand consultant and creative director of Makespace—who have built entire brands and incredible wardrobes around their love of elevated neutrals, and they've been a huge influence on my purchasing decisions as I've intentionally reined in my own style.
Between the rise of quiet luxury, pandemic clear-outs, and a move toward more mindful consumption, it's not really a shocker that somewhere along the way our overflowing closets turned into capsule wardrobes of black, white, denim, and a slew of earthy neutrals. My own wardrobe is finally in a pretty great place: I have my core staples all set, from summer jeans to black dresses to modern tailoring. It's very chill. Perhaps too chill? What I need now are those pieces that make it all feel a bit more like me. If you're in the same boat and looking for either a little something to set you apart when you're wearing neutrals or a punch in the face of personality, these elevated, on-trend accessories understand the assignment.
Necklaces
A shell necklace? For summer?
Same vibes but doing a little less.
Always here with a summery little pop of red to vibe up your neutrals.
Sculptural cord necklaces are the moment.
Bags
Speaking of, I know you're here to shop this guy.
The texture!
Fringe!
Raffia fringe!
Scarves Bandanas
Eighteen dollars very well spent.
It's not entirely shocking that Free People has a great range of scarves and bandanas.
Me when it's time to fly home from Europe.
The Row is also here with a little drama.
Belts
Sculptural belt hardware might be my favorite accessory trend this year.
Khaite gets it.
Corded belts are so good, and their versatility comes from not being limited by the measurements of buckle holes or the stiffness of the leather.
Just a wee bit different than the usual.
Footwear
Added interest by way of tomato-hued texture and negative space.
Business at the front, party at the back.
Not your average Sambas.
Pairing dark denim slingbacks with dark jeans feels so effortlessly forward.
Earrings
If you require baby steps, swap out your regular gold hoops for something subtly seashell inspired.
Loewe coded.
These are actually jellyfish earrings, and you can't tell me otherwise.
I pulled these for a shoot, and they're so good I just might have to purchase.
Hair Accessories
There are so many variations of chic hair ties with metallic hardware at the moment.
The evolution of the scrunchie.
I could have told you that a floral hair clip makes a chic brooch that creates the illusion of an asymmetric tank, but would you have believed me?
Just impulse-ordered these on Amazon.
Eyewear
Tinted lenses will jazz up your standard aviators.
If you loved Bottega's dome earrings.
File these under "accessories that shift the entire vibe."
Jazzy but still black and white (if that's your safe space).
Hats
Dare to veer away from plain old raffia.
It's okay to be that person.
Truly, even the unexpected sportiness of a basic baseball cap can give a tailored or romantic look a little something.
I'll still be proud of you if a classic Ralph Lauren cap is where you land.
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