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The Tyranny of Trifles: When Accessories Dictate Style



There’s a particular breed of fashion devotee, and you know the type. They wouldn’t be caught dead in last season’s shoe, their handbag could fund a small island nation, and their jewelry box? A veritable Fort Knox of precious metals and ethically-sourced gemstones. They are slaves to the whims of trends, their personal style held hostage by the tyranny of trifles.


Don’t get me wrong, I appreciate a well-chosen accessory. A flash of gold at the wrist, a pop of color from a silk scarf, the architectural marvel of a truly exceptional heel. These things have their place. They can elevate an outfit, inject personality, even spark a conversation. But somewhere along the way, we’ve crossed a line.


We’ve gone from using accessories to enhance our personal style to letting them dictate it. Instead of choosing pieces that speak to our individual tastes, we’re chasing after the latest It-bag, the must-have earring, the influencer-approved sneaker. And for what? A fleeting moment of trend-driven validation?


I remember once, years ago, attending a runway show in Paris. It was one of those sweltering July days, the air thick with humidity and the scent of expensive perfume. The collection itself was…fine. Forgettable, really. But the accessories! Giant, unwieldy totes in clashing prints. Shoes that looked like instruments of torture devised by a particularly sadistic cobbler. And the jewelry! Enough metal and stones to make Elizabeth I blush.


The fashion flock, of course, went wild. Pens scribbled furiously, pronouncements of “genius!” and “groundbreaking!” filled the air. But as I watched those poor models teeter down the runway, their bodies weighed down by the sheer volume of “stuff,” I couldn’t help but feel a pang of sympathy. Where was the joy in dressing? The freedom of expression?


It all felt so…prescriptive. As if true style could be bought and sold in the form of a logo-emblazoned handbag or a pair of exorbitantly priced sneakers. And that’s the real danger of this accessory obsession, isn’t it? It allows us to outsource our personal style, to buy into a pre-packaged version of chic instead of cultivating our own.


Because real style, the kind that turns heads for all the right reasons, isn’t about the things you wear. It’s about the woman (or man, let’s be inclusive here) wearing them. It’s about confidence, about owning your choices, about understanding what works for you and what doesn’t. It’s about knowing that a perfectly worn-in leather jacket and a string of pearls you inherited from your grandmother can be infinitely more stylish than the latest designer drop.


So, by all means, enjoy your accessories. Experiment, have fun, indulge in a little sartorial whimsy now and then. But don’t let them become your shackles. Don’t let the tyranny of trifles drown out your own unique voice. Because true style? It comes from within. It can’t be bought, borrowed, or Instagrammed into existence. It’s something far more valuable, far more enduring, than the fleeting whims of fashion.

It’s about time we remembered that.


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