NEIGHBORHOOD WATCH: Accessories take basic to beautiful

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NEIGHBORHOOD WATCH: Accessories take basic to beautiful

POSTED: Tuesday, February 8, 2011, 9:00 PM

Filed Under: Critical Mass | Shopping Fashion

Neighborhood Watch looks for Philly's most fashionable. This week, Kala catches up with a pair of Philly friends who use chic, funky accessories to add pizazz to their looks.

Photo | Kala Jamison

West Philly's Laura Bouchard (21) is a dedicated fan of neutral colors and "standard" pieces like simple jeans and sweaters. The lively aspects of her outfits aren't her clothes, but her accessories.

She wears a chain with a letter 'L' charm and a bead from New Mexico every day, but likes to accompany her necklace with dangly earrings, bold rings and colorful scarves. Bouchard purchased her red ceramic ring at Dandelion jewelry store in Philly, and her earrings from Stella & Dot. She also likes the Havertown jewelry supply store, The Bead Garden. A friend handmade her multicolored scarf, which she layers over simple pieces from Anne Taylor, Old Navy, and Manayunk consignment store Worn Yesterday. Her metallic silver bag is from Macy's Style & Co. line. "I use that bag pretty much every day," she says. "I even put my binders in it for class." Fashion and function — gotta love it.

Photo | Kala Jamison

Christine Burke (21), also from West Philly, favors more colorful prints and patterns in her wardrobe, but compliments her clothing with standout jewelry, belts, and bags. Her white and gold cocktail ring and red, pink, and orange beaded earrings are from Silpada , and her black slouchy bag with silver accents is from Lucky Brand.

She likes to carry the large bag during the day, but says her Macy's clutch is easier to carry for nights out. Like Bouchard, she pretty much sticks to one or two bags instead of many in constant rotation. She believes the trick is to find one bag that works as an accessory to many outfits. Over her Merona top and American Eagle sweater, she wears a braided brown leather belt from Gap. She laughs that her black pants are simply stretchy yoga pants from City Sports, but pairing them with the right tops and shoes (like her Minnetonka moccasins) keep her from looking like she just came from the gym. It's easy to throw on a pair of jeans and a tee and call it a day. Luckily, it's also easy to spice up an everyday outfit with a few simple, eye-catching pieces. While basic tank tops and sweaters can come and go from a wardrobe, accessories and jewelry tend to stick around. One can wear a scarf or bag many days in a row, and timeless, meaningful pieces of jewelry can be paired with almost any outfit. The best part is that most accessories can be worn during any season, and most pieces come relatively cheap. If you work at it long enough, the art of accessorizing is one that's easily mastered To find out where to get the best deals on outfit-amplifying accessories, check the Shopping/Style page of our events database.

Posted 2011-02-09 17:17:14

THAT GIRL IS A FOX AND A DEMON IN THE SACK!!!! ;)

Posted by Kala Jamison @ 9:00 PM Permalink | Post a comment

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Featuring everything from event roundups to concert reviews and sex talk, City Paper's Critical Mass is a space for off-the-wall coverage of Philly's A&E scene.

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