Overinvested in Chic Basics? 36 Accessories That Will Bring the Personality

Fashion creative Jen Azoulay wearing a chic, neutral summer outfit with fun accessories, including an oversize red and white woven Naghedi Havana tote, shell pendant necklace, and aviator sunglasses.

(Image credit: @jen_wonders)

If you're anything like me, you've spent the past few years concentrating on investment pieces. I have a couple of very chic friends from back home—Sara Crampton, founder and buyer at The Undone, and Beck Wadworth, a brand consultant and creative director of Makespace—who have built entire brands and incredible wardrobes around their love of elevated neutrals, and they've been a huge influence on my purchasing decisions as I've intentionally reined in my own style.

Between the rise of quiet luxury, pandemic clear-outs, and a move toward more mindful consumption, it's not really a shocker that somewhere along the way our overflowing closets turned into capsule wardrobes of black, white, denim, and a slew of earthy neutrals. My own wardrobe is finally in a pretty great place: I have my core staples all set, from summer jeans to black dresses to modern tailoring. It's very chill. Perhaps too chill? What I need now are those pieces that make it all feel a bit more like me. If you're in the same boat and looking for either a little something to set you apart when you're wearing neutrals or a punch in the face of personality, these elevated, on-trend accessories understand the assignment.

Necklaces

Bags

Scarves & Bandanas

Belts

Footwear

Earrings

Hair Accessories

Eyewear

Hats

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Natalie Cantell
Contributing Fashion Editor

Natalie Cantell is an NYC-based style director, creative consultant, and contributing fashion editor. She was the executive director of Who What Wear and Marie Claire’s brand studio until 2023, and now freelances globally on shoots, stories, and special projects across fashion, luxury, beauty, home, and travel.