A Guide to Elegance: A - Accesories

Before we begin, it should be noted that the opening Forward, written by the author, is worth reading. It establishes her ideals, as well as gives her background. If you have not read that, please take a moment to do so.

The book is broken down as an encyclopedia and many of the letters have several items under them. We will discuss them one at a time, so each letter may take awhile, depending on the chapter itself. For male readers, it is also important to remember that this book is directed at women, so while there is advice here for you, it requires a bit more work to unearth.

A red Hermes Kelly Bag

We begin with Accessories. In brief summation, she discusses the accessories one absolutely must have, and
then goes on to lay out some basic rules regarding what is appropriate depending on the setting, and how one can expand on the basics. This is the layout for most of the book and one I find rather helpful. She also dictates which accessories she is discussing - "gloves, hat, shoes, and handbag" - which highlights the era. I think most people would consider Jewelry as a necessary accessory, but she includes that in it's own section.

We also notice some immediate divides that we will continue to see: city vs. country, dressy vs. sport, daytime vs. evening. These are distinctions that were once very clear and have faded some over the years since the book was written. While some of her guidelines are austere, many of them make sense. White shoes in the city (and when we say city, I think of cities like New York) seem painful, just asking to get destroyed.

She also mentions Dior's shocking use of brown and black together as now being classic, which makes me giggle since many people are still very resistant to that combination. Even I have to fight the natural urge to create a barrier between the colors, since I was raised to never combine them. The trick with these colors, as with navy and black, is to ensure that the look is intentional, rather than looking like you accidentally grabbed brown shoes instead of black. The way to do that is the carefully coordination of your accessories in this area - a black sheath dress with a brown belt, shoes, and bag is very intentional.

Her basic advice in this chapter is an incredible guide - think ahead, buy well - and has influenced my spending in this area more than anything else. It is better, she says, to buy fewer, better items than to own too many. This is advice we will hear again in the Quality and Quantity sections. The idea of the economics of shopping (divide the cost by how many times you will use it to get the cost-per-wear) plays into this - a $2000 bag is a lot to spend, but if you use it everyday for years, and are able to have the high-quality leather repaired rather than replaced, your cost-per-wear drops considerably. And many of the really high-quality leather makers (Hermes jumps to mind) will repair the bag for the life of it, extending the truly classic pieces.

It is an approach that requires financial discipline, which is a hard area for many people. But the payoff, to always have the accessories you need in the colors you need, is worth the discipline to  me.

For men, I think the lesson is the same. High-quality leather shoes, belts, wallets, and bags will last you longer and serve you better. It might be a bit annoying to have to switch wallets because you are wearing black instead of brown, but there are advantages. Your wallet will certainly avoid gathering unnecessary bits (receipts, movie stubs) and rotating between two wallets will make them both last longer. You have the added advantage of needing two sets at the most, while women need a bare minimum of three (brown, black, summer) to get through.

I'd love to hear your feedback on this, especially as it relates to your wardrobe. Do you find her advice helpful? Too austere? If you already incorporate this concept into your wardrobe, what are the points you find most difficult to manage?