5 Off Book Accessory Tricks to Make Your Wardrobe Feel New Again
- jennysmithmattfeldt
- 2 days ago
- 3 min read
The unexpected styling tricks to transform the basics you already own.
I think we've all collectively had that moment where we stand in front of a closet full of clothes and somehow still feel like we have nothing to wear. The reality is most of us don't need an entirely new wardrobe we're just craving some novelty, a way seeing our favorite pieces in a new way.
I know myself well enough to know that eventually I am going to get bored of everything I own. So these days I like to experiment, play with proportions, and find little styling tricks that make an old outfit feel fresh again. Instead of buying something new every time I want that feeling (often) I've started changing how I wear what I already own. These little styling details are usually just enough to scratch that "new outfit" itch.
This one is so absurdly easy, but somehow it makes you feel so much cooler. The whole point of this series is spicing up the clothes you already have so they actually feel new and exciting again. We're bringing the novelty back into the closet without buying a whole new wardrobe.
Grab a pair of small / medium sized hoop earrings (the more glam, the better) and clip them around the strap of your favorite tank top. It's such a simple little detail, but it instantly elevates an otherwise basic outfit. I've even seen people do this with oversized T-shirts, clipping the sleeves up with hoops to create a tank-style silhouette. It's just so simple, but so chic.
Ring stacks. Wrist stacks. Overload them. You're a new woman.
Here's my entire summer theory: when it's too hot to wear layers, your accessories become the layers. Wear the teeny tiny tops, the simple tanks, the minimalist matching sets but overload the jewelry.
Rings on rings. Bracelets stacked all the way up your wrist. Mixed metals. Turquoise to the max. Chunky cuffs next to delicate chains. Don't overthink whether it all "matches." The interest comes from the collection, not the perfection. It's the easiest way to make the same white tank and denim shorts you've worn a hundred times feel like a completely different outfit.
Brooches have had a very good PR year. They went from "only your grandmother would wear this" to one of the chicest street style pieces of the year. But the fun part is using them somewhere unexpected. Try a brooch to create a messy hem on your jeans, gather the side of an oversized T-shirt, or twist up a loose top to create a little more shape.
The whole goal here is finding unique twists on old classics, little ways to make the clothes you already own feel cooler, more intentional, and exciting again. Because I almost guarantee your wardrobe doesn't need more pieces it just needs a new way to wear the ones you already love.
Scarves around purse handles (especially a good wild rag) are one of my favorite little styling tricks right now. It's this perfect balance between Birkin mom and boho western. It makes your bag feel a little more collected, a little more personal, and gives an otherwise basic purse a whole new personality.
You can wrap it all the way around the handle in true twilly style, tie it into a little bow, or wrap it once and loop it through a scarf ring for a more effortless look. (Surprise, surprise, I repurposed a turquoise ring that didn't fit.)
This is also such an easy way to rotate the same handbag through different seasons and outfits. A silk scarf feels polished and vintage, a wild rag feels western and romantic, and a textured fabric can make even a simple canvas or leather bag feel intentional. It's a tiny detail, but those tiny details are what make your outfit feel like you.
This is elevated street style at its best. You can take a classic piece you already own and, with one tiny change, make it feel like a completely different article of clothing. Push a pair of statement earrings through the buttonholes of your favorite white button down or use them as cuff links for that borrowed from the boyfriend menswear feel. It gives a simple shirt a little bit of edge, a little bit of jewelry, and a lot more personality.
I especially love this idea because it plays with the idea that accessories don't have to stay where we expect them to. A button down is already a timeless classic but a little rouge jewelry makes it feel styled not worn. That's the whole point here, our through thread if you will, we just want to find those little spots we can interrupt the ordinary.
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