Spice it up with accessories

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Have you ever tasted strawberries with cream? And after that can you imagine having strawberries without cream? Off course not! I feel, that is exactly the role of accessories in fashion. Suitable accessories complements clothing of the wearer and adds value to fashion statement. Younger generations are well aware about fashion accessories and how it affects your look. I mean literally young. My four year old niece 'helped' me to choose a pair of shoes I should be wearing to accompany her to the park. ''These sports shoes are perfect for your track pants! Heels, you know you should wear only for parties!”, she added!
Handbags, shoes, scarves, sunglasses, wrist watches are all accessories we are using everyday, sometimes being unaware about how it is affecting rest of the dressing and our overall look. If chosen wisely it can accentuate the clothing or otherwise can contradict it badly. The accessory that accentuates your style statement need not be an add-on fashion piece like expensive jewellery; it could be something that you cannot escape wearing like footwear or a bag. Suitable size, shape of a bag can balance the outfit and body shape of the wearer. Width, material and placement of a belt can be used to enhance the waist or hide it depending on wearer's body type and outfit.

Different types of belts

Traditionally in India, jewellery seems to be predominant accessory worn in everyday life not only for festivities. Footwear is another. Scarf or dupatta in traditional Indian context, I believe is inseparable part of clothing and never seen as an accessory. For males the traditional accessory over different regions has been headgear, footwear and jackets in some parts. But in western fashion the list of accessories is quite extensive. They are broadly categorised as those which are 'worn' and those which are 'carried'. Handbags, purses, eyewear, umbrellas, wallets, canes, hand fans are accessories which are 'carried' while jacket, scarf, shawl, belt, hat, socks, stockings, gloves, bows and ties, jewellery, wrist watch are some of the accessories which are 'worn'. 
In the context of total look of the wearer these products are referred as 'Accessories' but they serve some function to the user. e.g. Handbags are to carry essentials while on the go, Hats and sunglasses protects from harsh sunlight, footwear protects feet while jewellery adorns the wearer. Thus it serves the purpose of convenience, safety or attractiveness. While satisfying one of these functions it adds value to the overall look and hence named as 'accessory'. 

Earlier these variety of products were handcrafted. The skill, creativity of crafts person led him or her to be emerged as a trusted brand. Louis Vuitton and Guccio Gucci are examples of such brands in fashion world who started as master craftsperson in leather products and travel accessories. Fashion designers used to outsource accessory design to other specialist crafts person. Later they started working on in house design teams for different accessories and offered a 'total look' under their own label. The meticulous design process, exhaustive efforts and creativity justifies the expensive pricing at which these fashion accessories are available. The luxury segment products exhibit intricacies in terms of details, creative approach, material exploration and manufacturing process. 

Image source
https://www.porsche-design.com/en/Fashion-Sports/Fashion/Shoes/

'Design process' is the soul of these designer collections. Few of us are aware that most coveted automotive brands like Porsche, BMW, Ferrari and like offer their own collection of fashion accessories. Consumer electronics brands Apple and Samsung offer smart watch which could be termed as fashion accessory. Design language of such brands is so powerful that it is reflected in their fashion accessories too which consumers yearn in their fashion statement. 
Though these products play complementary role in the overall look of the wearer, each of them are a design saga in themselves!  

Some useful links     
https://youtu.be/tq4ZVdyGpIE
https://youtu.be/N-vR0MWnrKI
https://youtu.be/xnN_Z8XMOr4
https://youtu.be/vWtk47HxXpM
https://youtu.be/9oCVLTjlLB0
https://youtu.be/nCk_5-9cVCE
https://youtu.be/8Uk_XxAudq8 

Note:

The writer has no rights on the images used in this article.