What comes first; The accessories or the outfit?!

IS IT REDICULOUS ABOUT HOW METICULOUS I AM ABOUT ACCESSORIES?!

As a self confessed accessory addict, i confess, they are the primary focus of each day and vitamins for my soul!  

Some people may dress and accessorize, I accessorize and dress!  I often say, I'm the Charlie Brown Christmas tree.  His baron branch of a tree was bare but then transformed into something fabulous with decoration or as I would call it, "accessoration!"  All of a sudden it had energy that attracted people to celebrate its outside and frankly I think made its core blossom on the inside!  This very much like my Vanity Cases Characters on my funny women cards!  It's all about adorning the outside which results in emanating light from the inside --- Don't you think?!

And to be sure my accessory game is "on" with themes everyday! Building on a theme is key to me!  When there was a eclipse a few years ago, for certain I wore a large sun brooch on my lapel & a gold butterfly pin on the back on the opposite shoulder as though to be chasing the sun!  One can never underestimate creative placement! 

For winter, the large sun brooche decorates my [thrifted] camel P-Jacket!  And for certain, I believe in mixing metals; gold with silver!  Like my stepfather used to always say, if you're going to be a bear, be a grisly.  For me this means, if you are going to wear bracelets, make it be a race to the elbow with bangles and bracelets!

In a separate entry I'll share where I find my accessory treasures.  I've paid less than five dollars, even a dollar for an item, or broke the budget for a "can't live without" bauble!  It's about the eye, not the price!

And what are we waiting for to be fabulous!  In working from home often, I'll dress in a tailored jacket, quite frankly for the purpose of having a lapel on which to pin one or multiple pins and brooches and decorate my neck with as many chains or pieces as the day dictates!  

The accessories have to talk to each other.  I would not wear an bee or ladybug on a lapel, an enamel zebra on a strand of pearls with a cheetah bracelet.  On no.  There has to be a certain unity that ties them all together!

If you've ever seen the Accessory Queen, Iris Apfel - (click card for link)

you  can see she too always believed more is more, however amidst her chains, baubles, balls and bracelets there was always a singular message!

And of course beyond accessories everyday, I wear my signature lipsticks,

Maybelline Ink, Dancer   topped with  Revlon's, Cherries in the Snow  and barely if ever have to touch up through the day!

That's my Vanity Reflection on accessories - Love, Peace & Chicken Grease!

This self-confessed Accessory Addict layers accessories around the neck

Oh yes!  I went there in the day time!  I layered three or four chains and necklaces and I thought the result was quite smashing!  

If you can layer clothes, why not accessories?!  And here's the deal, I wore my "triple play" fancy-schmancy necklaces with a simple fitted  black T-shirt [from Target and of which I have 4), under my simple black J.Crew jacket.  What can I say, the J.Crew jackets work for me in that they are the blank canvas I need to "paint" my accessory styling!

The necklaces are a vintage diamondy' chocker from my Mother in law, and I imagine from the 40s because the stones are glass and the clasp has a vintage closure with a safety chain .  I kept it in a jewelry box for years and recently thought, WHY?  What am I waiting for to be fancy!  Why not make an effort to be fabulously fancy everyday!?  

In addition to the vintage piece, I wrapped a silver diamond cut, Cuban link chain wrapped twice around and which I used in a previous incarnation connecting two crystal circle pins on two lapels.  And while it might be hard to see, I added a "gold like" rope 16 inch chain to this triple play necklace layering. I will forever like the blending of gold and silver -

And it's almost always a race to my elbows with bracelets and bangles everyday that of course have to "sing along" with whatever my accessory theme is for the given day.  This largish' cuff was is a fab' steal from a Jersey boardwalk shop and dare I brag, less than or about ten dollars!  I combined with vintage Monet snake chain bracelet and a slim gold cuff, given to me by my Mom a millionty years ago which always shines like a million dollars after I brush / refresh it with a little toothpaste.  Yes.  Toothpaste fore me shines my gold, my white gold and platinum.  

Most of the characters in my Vanity Cases funny women greeting cards are over accessorized and I still don't know, are they me or am I them.  I just know a day without accessories is ....crickets chirping...somethings are simply unimaginable!   
 

It is ridiculous how meticulous I am when it comes to accessorizing.

  

Hi, I'm Collene Kennedy, I write & illustrate women humor greeting cards and I am an accessory addict. I'm sure there's a 12 step program for people like me however, I would rather think how I would  accessorize a given outfit than pare-down my accessory collection and habit!  I consider accessories vitamins and essential for any ensemble, formal, fancy or casual. I personally, can’t imagine even so much as stepping out of the house to the mailbox without an accessory scheme or theme. 

In the photo of moi displayed here, my twin [vintage] circle pins (I have a millionty of them) are attached by a chunky silver chain worn on my [simple J.Crew] jacket lapels was inspired by something I saw in the legendary designer Elsa Schiaparelli boutique. When I visited the amazingly well edited collection in the retail candy-land of Bergdorf Goodman in New York recently, I was gob-smacked by the creativity infused to the design house by designer Daniel Rosberry, reflected in the clothes and for me, in particular the insanely creative accessories. 

I could go on endlessly about the accessories, but what stood out to me was what I remember as two brooches; an enamel eye and bean mouth attached by a chain and pinned on the shoulder of what I believe was a long ivory silk jacket.  The design is a blur in my mind but what remained crystal clear was the brooches connected by a single chain. I shared how much I loved the concept to the very knowledgeable and lovely Schiaparelli boutique hostess and how I thought I might interpret to which she said, “that would be very Schiaparelli!” The ultimate compliment! 

PS, the necklace in my photo is a white gold looking vine with crystal imbedded leaves - which I thrifted - if course!

Vanity lesson learned, it doesn’t cost a million to look like a million

For more Schiaparelli eye candy you must visit #Abyleigh's tiktok.

If you want to see my tiktok it's collenekennedyfab

Fab, Free Illustrated book mark

Click n' Print Fab' Freebie!

Click the bookmark image & print or right click image, drag to your desktop and print -

This is E'dena and she insisted that she be featured on a bookmark so I did as she said!  She is the newest print in my Etsy VanityGallery but was created a millionty years ago as I was doodling while riding the New York Subway, when I lived in that fabulous city a trillion years ago and still consider my second home!   Enjoy n' why not pass along to a friend, which like accessories, can make you feel fabulous!

To get the free bookmark:  Click on image.  In a perfect world it will measure 8.5x11.  Print and cut along borders!

Another option is to download & make certain when you print that the page measures 8.5 x 11.  If you have any challenges, contact me directly & I'll do my best to email you a copy.  Click the following link to send me a message:  collenekennedy