7 Budget Friendly Accessorising Tips

Use a bulky ring to dress up a scarf                                Image:Marie Vonow

I love clothes but am not a fashionista. One of my favourite treats is to find a place where I can access thick glossy fashion magazines like Vogue, InStyle and the like for free and spend time looking at the photos. The library enables me to do this and some cafes have such magazines too. Although my clothes don't look like anything you'll see in Vogue I am happy with my wardrobe. My clothes reflect my personality and I keep within my budget.

I like to look at the prices of fashion items in glossy magazines and think of how much I save by not buying such expensive items. However, I do like to ring the changes and experiment a little without spending lots of money and without buying too many items. This is where accessories can help out.

Sometimes I glean ideas for accessorising with an inexpensive purchase (quite possibly from an op shop) or by repurposing something I already own.

Some ideas include:

*Use a brooch to decorate a plain bag. You can just pin it on or you may be able to remove the pin from the back and super glue the brooch to your bag for a permanent fixture.

*Attach a charm to the zip puller of a bag or purse.

*Use a serviette ring as a scarf ring.

This owl gets more use as a scarf ring than as a serviette ring               Image:Marie Vonow

*Perhaps you have a ring you find too bulky to wear on your fingers. Before you give it away, consider using it as a scarf ring.

*Swap chains around on your jewellery. Sometimes a longer or shorter chain or one that is thicker or thinner means you get more use from a piece of jewellery. If you don't have what you need already, perhaps a friend has surplus items. You may be able to swap. Alternatively, buy one from a budget store, op shop or garage sale.

*Try wearing two necklaces of different lengths at the same time. A common colour or other feature may make it work well, especially when worn with a plain top. (You want this to look like you planned it, not that you forgot you already had a necklace on.)

*Use some stretch fabric to plait a 'chain' for a bulky pendant.

Pendant from Spotlight with chain of plaited fabric    Image:Marie Vonow

Often you can accessorise by repurposing something, swapping things around or by trying different combinations.