STUFF Project: Accessories

Accessories are a way to breathe life into otherwise yawn-able outfits. My particular addiction? Necklaces. Perhaps it was born back in university when I had a summer job beside a bead store and found myself spending countless hours designing jewelry.

Accessories, as I refer to in this blog, will be comprised of: bags, purses, glasses, belts, hats, jewelry and shoes.

For my house purge, accessories became the next obvious category to tackle considering I just purged my closet. Which, by the way, has left me feeling wonderful. Last night I stopped myself from buying two new pieces of clothing that were a steal (but not necessary or in line with my dream wardrobe). I have a feeling, I am on the right path.

I plan to follow the similar strategy as with clothing – in particular:

Step One: Remove accessories that don’t bring you joy

This is the easy part. If you don’t know if they bring you joy – they don’t. Another tool that I used for clothing which worked well was creating a ‘vision board’ on Pintrest. It was easy to rule out accessories which didn’t work (based on aesthetic, environmental or social considerations) with the personal brand I was trying to create. These items I’ll donate to local organizations who can use them, or for the more expensive pieces I will sell to consignment shops. A win-win.

Step Two: Determine areas of abundance and/or holes 

Look at the accessories you have. Count the different types. Do you 35 pairs of runners but no winter boots? Perhaps you only need 2 pairs of sneakers, and despite loving the other 33 pairs you could manage to purge a few more. On the flip side, perhaps you have identified some holes in the accessories you currently have as it relates to your vision board. Write these items down (and remember them in Step Four).

Step Three: Invest in the accessories you will keep

Fix broken clasps.  Repair worn shoe soles. Polish tarnished metals. Make sure your pieces are in wearable condition & maintained to ensure a long life.

Step Four: Maximum of 10 new accessories a year

Similar to clothing, I’m going to attempt to purchase no more than 10 new items a year. This will allow my budget for each individual piece to increase, allowing me to invest in ethically sourced, strategically chosen, pieces I love. Creating a list of items which would help to get me closer to my ‘vision board’ was helpful to keep me focused on the pieces I actually need, rather than on ‘good deals’.

Step Five: Use it or lose it!

This is a new strategy – one I will be applying to my clothing as well. Before this purge, I had so many options to choose from that many things were buried and forgotten about in the back of a closet. After the purge, I have held each piece in my hands and it is vivid in my mind. I have started to realize that despite loving certain items, I rarely reach for them. This is likely for many different reasons, from not thinking about it (due to being out of rotation for so long) to not knowing what to pair it with. The key here is to try to use these items. Find outfits that work with them. Be creative. If you can’t figure out how to incorporate them into your wardrobe, they need to go! My goal is to pitch anything I haven’t worn by the end of 2016. So if you love that fancy dress or patterned shoes, and don’t want to have to give them up – find an occasion to wear it! Perhaps it’s a good excuse to organize a dress-up dinner party with friends.

If you liked this article, you may be interested in checking out the rest of my STUFF Project.

Have you taken a look at the accessories you own? What strategies have you implemented to manage your accessories? Are there any ethical accessory lines you really love? Let me know in the comments section below!

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