Jewelry takes your mind off of wrinkles, they say.
Bags take your mind off of their constituents when life gets hazy.
Shoes are the silent witness to all this time spent in mischief.

On seeing trends in succulent eyewear, trendsetting women’s clothing, and even a framework for lookbook, albeit applied to joyous canines, I next sequenced my thoughts to examine accessories: bags, shoes, and more. For often, these either complete a look, or are the prime focal point. My obsession with the voyer-esque feature of sunglasses made me detangle them from the rest, for what’s life without the coy vision that allows for ogling other accessories (and their wearers)?

The function of a bag has long evolved from simply holding belongings, and often times comes in shapes so odd that it doesn’t even fit anything of substance. My favorite was a turquoise blue patchwork tote made of comfy cotton and embellished with lace florets (even on the shoulder strap for whimsey!) on its chaotic paisley and floral print.

The stud obsession continued, taking cue from my What to wear with what you are wearing series, merging blunt ended gold studs as a base for a sumptuous red bag. The other inventive use was of sharp studs alongside Turkish eyes on what looked like a backpack on its belly. Piercing studs and wide open eyeballs, almost a scary premonition.

While the effortlessly quoted Another F@$&ing wasn’t my favorite due to my intolerance towards profanity, I could totally resonate with it, being on an quest for apt menswear day bags. The antithesis of which is a cute alligator clutch held so demonically over a ship wrapped in a dragon, that I couldn’t help but think of it as a metaphor of glitz. And lastly, I liked the heavily trending document clutch with studs once again (two trends in one!), which, judging by its non-existing width, probably held nothing. The skinny wearer paired this with Nike heeled shoes with a gold swoosh for her credit!

Which brings us to shoes, the reason that credit card companies are still alive. A heavily studded Christian Louboutin drew all the attention away from a more somber but dignified gold pair of heels, both of which I liked for distinct reasons – the latter as a glamorous peekaboo aloha, while the former as a statement piece with which nothing else could be adorned. Well, per say.

Owing to my fascination for plaid trends, the perfectly pink and white gingham tablecloth shoes were an alarming refreshment from the mundane. Perfect for brunch! As was the hound tooth checker print most often found on granddad’s jacket, as it snaked its way onto a closed toe sneaker heel. But of course, the leopard print was my favorite of the day, owing to the density of it’s coverage over the foot… and perhaps because I had just consumed at the Leopard!

Not forgetting the dapper side of things, I sported black suede boots with leather accents and an elf like toe with my blue plaid skinnies. And couldn’t help noticing that blue was in vogue for men’s shoes – either with suede sky blue loafers with a trending yellow sole, or an alligator patch boot with a blue zipper (which spelled envy, by the way). The studded slip ons were surprisingly ordinary in comparison, making me wonder if I was finally going to suspect my affair with heavy metal on everything.

The ogling ended with jewelry, which I have to say I am most particular about. For I feel that apt clothing and impeccable hair and the likes often mandate that jewelry isn’t garish or statement-like. Which unfortunately I often find it is, which may be fine, but is just not my style. Jewelry should be a form of expression, just like how clothing should tell you a story. Much like a fellow blogger’s Ganesha ring under her mini Turkish eye. I too sport Ganesha owing to my love for him and his founding in Le Marais Paris, or my favorite grandma’s pendant that sits on my chest daily.

As such the only other things I found enticing were two golden accessories, which knowing my tastes for over the top, is a surprisingly short list. It was good to see a man sporting a golden menswear choker necklace with a V of vertical slivers with otherwise minimalistic clothing – a black muscle tee and a denim backpack. The juxtaposition worked, I thought. As did a maang-tikka from India on a fellow blogger, where the pairing of the red and jewels with her and dress made for great coordination (barring her necklace!).

It’s comical how so many elements go into both constructing and deconstructing a look: eyewear, attire, and now accessories. All in a week’s worth of visual exploration.