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Accessories are extra items that contribute to a person’s outfit and also help achieve a complete look. Accessories have a way of transforming a basic look into a sophisticated style. Accessories can also tell a few things about one’s personality and identity.

For the men, accessories are easy to pick and wear because they are quite limited and less flexible with choices. Accessories for men range from wristwatches, belts/ suspenders, sunglasses, cufflinks, shoes, bracelets, ties, etc., unlike the female folks who have a wide range of accessories which are actually a lot diverse and a bit complicated. These include scarves, shawls, hats, turban, sunglasses, handbags/ purses, cardigan, shoes, jackets, hats, jewelry (bangles, earrings, rings, watches, necklaces), belts, hair accessories (bands, pins), umbrellas to mention just a few.

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So now, let’s get down to how to make your choice of accessories easy without fretting or sweating. For your accessories to help boost/perfect your look and your choice of outfit there are just a few rules to keep in mind.                                    

For me, your choice of style and fashion should be dependent on the occasion/ event and your personality; yes! There are different accessories for several occasions or outings; for example, when attending formal meetings like a job interview, you are required to minimize bold or colorful accessories because you only need the attention of the interviewer focused on your person, and not on what you are putting on; that way you are heard (the interviewer pays more attention to what you say), and not just to be admired or despised for your choice of clothes of accessories. This also works for a presentation, too. Burial outings also demand understated accessories as you wouldn’t like to look like a fish out of the water in such situations.

HELPFUL TIPS FOR YOUR ENSEMBLE (FOR WOMEN)

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• Remember that you can achieve several looks from one outfit by adding accessories.
• Pay attention to colours when selecting your accessories. This will save you a lot of negative attention from the fashion police. If you are still weary on how to select/ mix and match colours, just stick to neutral colours (colours wey no get enemy) like black, ash/grey, khaki colour or white. Things like black handbag, silver earrings and necklaces, brown or black bracelet or beads can always come through for you. In a case you want to experiment with colours, remember the colour wheel and its rules (you can match opposite colours on the colour wheel or complement with neighbouring colours) and also avoid wearing more than three colours of accessories (this rule will guide you).

ACCESSORIES/ ITEMS TO SPICE UP YOUR LOOK

• Wristwatches: for women, watches with a smaller face and not too larger bands are more suitable even though choices might differ according to individuals. Also, metal band watches are classier and versatile as they go with a lot of outfit while leather watches are nice and stylish, yet they need to match any other leather you are wearing. You can still wear other colours of wristwatch but be sure it matches or complements your outfit.Do not wear a sports watch (those watches with rubber/plastic) for a business or formal meeting because it depicts casual or sports sense. You can wear a black metal (chain) watch or have those watches with several band colours to aid your style generally. And your watch can be tight but not tight as to leave an imprint or markings when you remove them; loose not sloppy.
  

• Handbags: the length of the strap of a handbag shows where you can wear/ carry them. For instance, shoulder bags are to be worn on the shoulder, on the elbow or across the body or even as clutch. You shouldn’t worry so much on the colours to match if you keep to the first tip stated above. You can match it with practically anything on your outfit like scarf, shoes, and clothes or not. Remember that handbags are all about proportion. For example, if you are a slim lady, you should avoid too small bags but embrace medium to large bags. If you are on the petite/short side avoid big bags as they will make you look shorter and if you are busty, you can wear bags with long straps to draw attention away from your assets. Just remember handbags are our best and necessary accessory.
  
• Sunglasses: the key to wearing the right sunglasses will be your face shape though there are other rules, but they aren’t cast in stone. Do you know that your sunglasses shouldn’t necessarily cover your eyebrow, they can accentuate the arch (if you have one) of your eyebrows. Generally, from small frame to oversized glasses there is something for everyone in sunglasses department, below are a few rules to stick to when choosing sunglasses (sunshades).

1. If you have an oval face, i.e. the width of your face is shorter than the length and you possess a narrow jaw and a broad forehead then you can wear almost all kinds of sunglasses just make sure your eyebrows are visible.
2. If you have a round face, i.e. the length and width of your face are almost the same size, and then you can wear oversized glasses and any glasses that make your face look longer.
3. When you wear glasses, it should rest on the bridge of your nose not on your cheek and not move when you’re smiling.
4. Your eye should appear towards the top of the sunglasses and more space beneath and you shouldn’t wear glasses that are too wide.
5. Remember that there are several frame colours for sunglasses.It would be wise you know your personality to help your choices e.g are you trying to make a fashion statement or just to wear a simple glasses in peace?
   

• Beads: beads are ornamental objects that are made from various materials such as plastic, pearl, glass, shell, stone, wood, etc. They exude creativity and show cultural diversity while they can equally be stylish when worn around the neck. These are occasionally worn for weddings/traditional weddings, christening, church services, funeral, etc. They have variety of colours/shapes/sizes and have holes at both end that helps in threading them. Beads are beautiful accessories that can be quite indispensible for some African women. You can match them with your outfit or contrast them. Beads can give you a royal look and showcase elegance and style.

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 ACCESSORIES FOR MEN

Men have limited options when it comes to accessorizing but every gentleman should accessorize because it differentiates men of style and class. We will just talk about three basic accessories for men amongst many others.

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Watches: watches aren’t just for checking time, they can add to the beauty of an outfit. Do you know that in formal occasions or black tie events, you shouldn’t wear a watch? Even if you have to wear one then you don’t need to check time because it will appear the event is either boring or you aren’t interested. Nonetheless, watches are a reflection of a man’s personality and his fashion sense. There are a few tips for men to spice up their style!

1. Don’t wear a digital watch to formal events especially those ones with rubber bands
2. You can wear a leather watch for extremely formal occasions, just make sure it matches with other leather accessories on your outfit, such as belts or shoes. Also, bear in mind that black leather band is more formal than brown leather watches.
3. Watches with metal straps like gold, silver, platinum, titanium can be worn for several occasions and you can opt to match them with other metals in your outfit like belt buckle, rings, cufflinks, etc.
4. If you are going to be participating in a sports or other physical activity, you should wear a sports watch which can be digital or analog (chronograph) because they have features (complications) like stopwatch to measure time intervals during an event/activity.
5. You can match silver watches with black shoes and gold watches with brown/beige shoes, just ensure that the colours are close to each other.
   

Belts:  belts are both practical and stylish! They hold your trousers to your waist and do much more like embellish your outfit, below are tips on how to wear them.

1. It is necessary to wear your belts at all times especially if you must tuck in your shirts
2. If you are a large man and you are attending a formal occasion, you can go for a suspender
3. Match the metals in your belt with other metals in your outfit like watch, shoe buckle especially when your shirt is tucked in.
4. Your belt should match your shoes.
5. Your belt shouldn’t be too long. It should be just 1-2 inches longer than your trousers waist, that is to say; if you wear 38-39 inches (waist measurement), you should wear a belt of about 40-41 inch.
6. Buy a good (durable) leather belt because you will reap the benefit for years to come.

Cufflinks: these are simple metals with intricate designs. They are timeless accessories necessary for a gentleman to help achieve a clean and luxurious look. Most Nigerian men wear cufflinks only with their senator traditional wears, but cufflinks are both decorative and practical. There are certain shirts (shirts with French cuffs) that require these beautiful metal pieces to complete an outfit and also make you look smart. Below are things to keep in mind about cufflinks:

1. The colour of your cufflinks should be similar to the colour of your shirt e.g. a black/silver cufflinks with a dark blue/black shirt. This is not a rule though; a silver cufflinks can complement almost any shirt.
2. You can own a silver and gold cufflinks because they are quite versatile and can match with several outfits.
3. Feel free to mix and match colours with your cufflinks as there are a variety of colours to choose from.

Finally, I always say that in all these things, confidence is the key because it doesn’t matter what you put on or how you do it, just don’t leave your house without confidence!