Krissy Turner Girl on a budget
Freshen up your wardrobe with a few small – and inexpensive – updates
Ihave a ridiculous desire to go shopping, and I’m putting some of the blame on a) my job, and b) the dozens of street style accounts I follow on Instagram that have been showcasing the best of the Net-a-porter “new in” section over fashion month. Annoyingly, my budget won’t stretch to the Rejina Pyo trench that I want or the Nanushka leather shirt that would look great with my blue mom jeans. Even if it miraculously could, there wouldn’t be space in my wardrobe: despite a huge clear-out at the start of the year, when I sent three black bags to my local charity shop, it feels full to the brim. But still I crave newness. The solution, on both fronts, is accessories. The right accessory can work as an outfit game-changer and breathe life into your wardrobe. Typically I wear a blazer, T-shirt and jeans by day, and where I’d become accustomed to pairing them with my Veja trainers, I’m now swapping them for flat shoes. Avid readers of these pages will know that we recently heralded the end of the trainer reign, so now a smart flat or ballerina is more au courant – but no less comfortable. I have a black suede pair of classic ballerinas from Mango that I’ve been wearing constantly, but they also come in a sweet peach shade (£35.99, mango.com) that would look lovely with khaki.
I’d previously overlooked the humble belt: my trousers are rarely too big, so I never need one. But this season there’s an array of printed and embellished options on offer. My velvet Zara belt (£17.99, zara.com) instantly makes my jeans and T-shirt combo look more considered, and can do wonders over a jacket (or blankoat – see the piece, left).
The high street may have reached peak decorative hair slide, but they were still the accessory of choice for the street style set and were even on the catwalks at Chanel and Simone Rocha. I tend to wear my hair up, like a pearl hairband (lovely at the end of a braid) or several fine tortoiseshell slides with my hair in a neat bun. If you prefer to wear your hair down, try a chunky pearlstudded barrette.
Statement earrings are my favourite style tweak of all. Normally gold hoops are my default but recently pearls and shells have taken over. My favourite Etsy seller, Seol+gold, has launched its own site, and should be your go-to if you like delicate styles. I’ve just ordered a pair of its shell charm hoops (£20.95, seolgold.com) and have my eye on the pearl version. I might even be able to have both, since they don’t take up any wardrobe space at all.