Dos and Don'ts of Inexpensive Accessories

By the time you reach 45 or so, you've probably amassed an impressive collection of accessories. I know I have a wide array of everything from inexpensive wood jewelry to the good stuff. But out of that collection there are only a few accessories that I turn to regularly, and – not surprisingly – those are sometimes the least expensive ones.

Not all inexpensive fixes are created equal, though. Here are some of my personal Dos and Don'ts for wearing cheap accessories:

• Do: Bracelets. I love bracelets – shiny bracelets, jangly bracelets, wood bracelets, charm bracelets. You name it, and I love it.  My favorites are the cheap gold and silver bangle bracelets I bought for just $5. The beauty of bracelets is that they really do draw attention away from not-so-perfect upper arms. I especially like a jumble of different bracelets so you can mix cheap with cheap or cheap with expensive and no one will know the difference.
• Don't:  Traditional Scarves. Although I love the idea of scarves, and hear from fashion experts all the time how they can transform your wardrobe, I don't like to actually wear them. Traditional scarf prints look frumpy tied the easy way around the shoulders or the neck. And I've never been preppy enough to carry off a scarf tied around a handbag. If I did wear a scarf, it would be one of the new longer ones that look good wrapped around a woman's neck (and it is a great camouflage for sagging necks). I actually tried this look myself, but it drove me crazy. I don't like all that bulk on my neck. If you can carry it off, great.  
• Do: Inexpensive seasonal bags. I have a straw bag that I picked up for less than $40 at an off-price retailer a few years ago and still love carrying it every summer. Buying something summery (or wintery) for a song is a quick way to freshen up your wardrobe for a small investment.
• Don't: Fancy chains for reading glasses. Sorry, but nothing makes you look old quicker than a chain around your neck holding reading glasses. If you keep losing your glasses, I'd suggest buying a few cheap pairs of glasses instead of doing the glasses'-chain-as-accessory bit.
• Do: Fabric flowers. I really love large fabric flowers, a la Carrie Bradshaw/Sarah Jessica Parker from "Sex and the City." It's an easy DIY project if you have the talent; if not, you can snag flower pins on Etsy.com. Flower pins look especially pretty in the spring and summer.
• Don't: Crochet/Knitted/Handpainted. OK, so this is a broad Don't, but what I'm trying to steer you clear of are all things that look like a granny made it for the local bake sale. Handmade is fine (and I pointed you to Etsy.com, above) but you want to go for an artisan look, not something cheesy.