Finding the perfect accessory
Some might argue that no outfit is complete without the right accessories.
Be it a pair of sky high black heels to upgrade a pair of jeans; or the perfect set of earrings to accentuate your best facial features, accessories can elevate even the simplest of outfits into something spectacular. For this week’s Fashion on the Street column, we met five fashionable ladies who gave us their feedback on what they think the ‘it’ accessory of the moment is.
According to Nikki-Lynn Marshall, it’s all about her David Yurman bangles.
She said: “These are my favourite thing in the whole entire world. I just think they add a lot of colour and being from an island I just love colours. I think they are a cool way to mix different textures and shades.
“I never take them off,” she added. “They go with pretty much every outfit and I really like the layer look if you keep a bunch of them on your arm.”
Miss Marshall described her overall style as colourful, but also professional and fun.
She said she liked to mix lots of colours that people wouldn’t normally expect to go together. She also loves dresses that are fitted at the top and flair out. “I like a lot of really girlie things,” she said. The 22-year-old admitted she gets a lot of fashion inspiration from Instagram pages like ‘It Girls’ and ‘‘Yoga Girl’, led by a trendy girl from Aruba, known for her colourful, hippy looks.
Zaakira Lee, 17, said the two accessories she has seen her peers wearing are: body chains and floral headbands.
She has admittedly stayed clear of wearing the headbands, but has tried out the body chain style because it’s “a unique piece”.
Miss Lee explained that her everyday style is usually modelled after how she feels.
“If it’s a good and sunny day I will wear florals and pretty colours, but if it’s a more down day I tend to wear something more relaxed like tights and a top,” she said.
She gets most of her fashion inspiration from social media sites like Instagram, which will show her what’s trending in countries outside of Bermuda. She particularly likes to see what’s being worn in places like London and New York.
Fifty-eight-year-old Vanetta Furbert said the most popular accessory right now is a toss up between bangles and necklaces. She said both pieces add to someone’s outfit and “makes a look complete”. Costume jewellery is another popular trend, she said.
When it comes to her own style, Ms Furbert said she tries to be unique and stay in trend, but also dress age- appropriately. She said: “Normally, I try to coordinate everything from the top to bottom, but I don’t want to be too matchy, matchy. I just try to make sure everything looks well together.
“A lot of times I get inspired from looking at different TV programmes. I like anything to do with style so I always have my eyes open to see what people are wearing in the streets and what’s coming in. I also look online because you can see things that haven’t even hit Bermuda yet.”
Chaundre Burgess, 22, described her style as eclectic.
She said: “I can go from wearing a pair of Jordans to a pair of Manolo Blahnik’s. I am very diverse in that way and like to change it up depending on my mood and what the occasion is.”
Ms Burgess is an avid magazine reader and also finds fashion inspiration on television shows and blogs. Her go-to accessory for this time of year is always a pair of sunshades in a cat-eye or aviator style. She said: “They keep the sun out of your eyes and it makes a summer outfit look complete.”
Emilie Testard, a frequent visitor to the Island, counted her pearl earrings as a favourite accessory. She said: “I always wear earrings. These pearl earrings match with everything. They go well with my colouring and it’s a little bit classic.”
The 16-year-old described her style as girlie and simple.
“I just choose things that go well together and try to wear some colours that can match. Sometimes I look at fashion blogs on Instagram or magazines for extra ideas.”