Fashion accessories are items apart from the garment itself, which compliment the whole outfit. Using them can add detail to an outfit when the garment’s style is plain, or when the fabric from which the garment is has no interesting visual effects. Many accessories also have another more practical use beyond that of style.

With the use of different accessories and jewelry the savvy dresser can make his or her outfit seem completely different. Trends are continuously set by adding accessories to different outfits, for example, belts and Hair Accessories. Accessories can and have in the past changed an entire look. From handbags to shoes to earrings and beaded necklaces to 80s leg warmers, accessories catch the eye, and make most articles of clothing more appealing.

Useful Applications of Accessories

There are also accessories such as handbags, hats and gloves that have more than one use. While they can be used to accent an outfit, handbags can also be useful carrying cases. Hats are created with large or small rims to protect the face from nature’s harsh conditions. Sunglasses are also like hats used to protect the eyes from the harsh light. Shoes are used to cover the feet mostly in winter when they cannot withstand the extreme cold conditions. People in the desert for example wear sandals as the sand is much too hot to walk on for very long distance. Belts help to support the trousers on to the body preventing it from slipping down.

Accessories in some cultures or beliefs are considered inappropriate and so jewelry is not worn at all. In other beliefs beaded jewelry, leather strings and many small detailed belts, scarves and shoes, represent what they believe. In Christianity the cross is worn as a pendant around the neck representing Christ’s Crucifixion. Purity rings are also worn in Christianity to represent sexual purity.

Fashion Jewelry (British: Fashion Jewellery), once known as “paste” - named after the theatrical jewels that were “pasted” onto costumes - and later as “Costume jewelry” because of its theatrical roots - by the 1960s the term was coined to represent a wide category of earrings, bracelets, pendants, rings and other similar accessories that were made of lesser value materials than traditional or “real” jewelry like gold, silver or diamonds.


While at one time the manufacture of fashion jewelry included the use of inexpensive glass components - most notably rhinestones, or a manmade material known as “lucite” - all set in a base metal of pewter, nickel or brass, today the category also includes high end crystals, simulated gemstones, CZs or cubic zirconia simulated diamonds, and lab created gemstones as well as some semi-precious stones and sometimes wood. Metals include gold-over-brass, silver-over-brass, and sometimes gold-over-silver (known as vermeil), as well as sterling silver. In lower priced fashion jewelry you may still find gold plating over pewter, nickel or assorted other metals, and sometimes fashion jewelry imported from countries outside the United States may contain lead. Some less expensive fashion jewelry can also contain components made of plastic or acrylic.

In many instances, high end fashion jewelry has achieved a “collectible” status, meaning it increases in value as time goes on. The secondary market for “vintage” fashion jewelry can be quite lucrative, making it a good investment as well as a trendy way to update your wardrobe.

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