The Personality Piece Is Replacing the Perfect Accessory
Brooches, baubles, and beautifully bizarre bags are taking over.
Minimalism may still have a seat at the table, but lately, fashion has been far more interested in striking up conversation. Personality dressing—the art of wearing something that feels unmistakably, perhaps even eccentrically, you—has shifted the focus away from assembling the perfect outfit and toward the smaller, stranger details that give it a point of view. And accessories have become the easiest place to indulge. A brooch pinned somewhere unexpected, a silk scarf knotted just so, or an ornate piece of jewelry can transform even the most austere uniform into something wonderfully specific.
The street-style set has been particularly adept at this kind of sartorial punctuation. Rather than relying on head-to-toe maximalism, the most compelling looks are often built around one delightfully idiosyncratic addition: tasseled velvet handbags, sculptural purses that border on objets d’art, stacks of decorative jewelry, or shoes that look as though they wandered out of an artist’s studio—here’s looking at you, Herbert Levine! These pieces don’t merely accessorize an outfit; they give it a backstory.
I’ve found myself employing the same philosophy in my own wardrobe. When you gravitate toward relatively restrained clothes, accessories become a playground—a way to make a familiar blazer, knit, or pair of trousers feel entirely your own. Consider it the fashion equivalent of handwriting in the margins: a little irreverent, deeply personal, and infinitely more interesting than leaving the page pristine.
The brooch is having a renaissance, lending even the most pared-back outfit a little decorative mischief. Pin one onto a blazer lapel, knit, scarf, or coat, and suddenly a familiar piece feels brand new again. During NYFW, I pinned a fuzzy floral brooch onto my silk scarf top, and it ended up getting more attention than almost anything else I was wearing.
The scarf has escaped its purely practical winter reputation to become one of personality dressing’s most versatile tools. Knotted tightly at the neck, draped long over a coat, or tied with a little imperfection at the waist, it introduces color, print, texture, and movement without overwhelming a look.
Jewels are getting weirder, bolder, and infinitely more fun—and that is precisely the point. Instead of disappearing quietly into an outfit, sculptural earrings, corded pendants, colorful beads, tassels, and substantial rings.
The personality bag has little interest in being sensible, and I’m thoroughly enjoying its rebellious streak. Velvet pouches, animal prints, beading, and unusual proportions turn the handbag into something closer to an objet. Against simple clothes, especially, a peculiar little bag can do all the heavy lifting.
Why should footwear behave when the rest of your wardrobe does? Saturated color, rich texture, zebra stripes, pony hair, and artful little heels bring an element of surprise to even the most straightforward trousers or denim. The effect is best when the shoe feels just slightly at odds with everything else.
