What is Fashion Accessory? A Complete Guide
What is “Accessory” in Fashion?
With roots in the Latin “accessorius,” meaning “approach, fashion accessories are items individuals wear or add to their bodies, outfits, and attire to augment garment functionality or to enhance the look in a process called “accessorizing.”
Accessories can include a broad category of items, from jewelry, scarves, and hats to handbags, shoes, and eyewear.
Origin and Evolution
Depicted in the hieroglyphs and paintings of several past cultures as people wearing collars, rings, and various ornaments, the use of accessories dates back to ancient civilizations.
Over centuries, accessories have evolved alongside shifts in clothing styles, social norms, and technologies, culminating in digital accessories that transcend fashion.
What Are the Different Types of Accessories?
Fashion accessories can categorized into two types:
- Soft Accessories – Textile-based accessories such as scarves, shawls, ties, and hosiery.
- Hard Accessories – Non-textile items like jewelry, watches, handbags, eyewear, and belts.
What is the Role of Accessories in Fashion?
With the addition or substitution of accessories, one can transition an outfit from a day look to an evening look with minimal effort.
However, beyond looks, fashion accessories have other roles:
- Accentuation – draw attention or emphasize a unique outfit feature or contrast with the primary color and style to create a distinct look.
- Functionality – in addition to aesthetic appeal, accessories like belts, handbags, and glasses serve a practical function first.
- Signification – aside from personal style or cultural identity, accessories signify social status. For example, a Rolex watch means affluence, while a string of pearls might suggest sophistication.
Examples of Fashion Accessory
- Belts – A Hermès “H” belt serves the practical function of holding up trousers and the aesthetic purpose of signaling luxury and attention to detail.
- Eyewear – Oliver Peoples’ spectacles are not only for vision correction but have become a style statement worn even without prescription lenses.
- Hats – While offering sun protection, a Borsalino Fedora can transform one’s look to convey elegance or mystery.
- Gloves – A pair of Gucci leather gloves serves the dual function of keeping the hands warm and adding a touch of luxurious sophistication.
- Shawls – An Alexander McQueen shawl made of luxurious materials like cashmere or silk augments an outfit’s look while providing warmth.
What is the Difference Between Accessory, Apparel, and Wearables?
Although used interchangeably, accessories, apparel, and wearables differ in their functional roles.
While apparel forms the foundation of an ensemble, accessories serve as the finishing touches, lending character and personal style to the outfit.
On the other hand, while wearables offer function and form, they mainly focus on the former.
Accessories
Not required for basic decency or protection from elements but used to enhance aesthetic appeal, accessories are supplementary items that provide a certain level of functionality while augmenting a dressing ensemble.
Apparel
With origins in the Old French word ‘apareil,’ meaning ‘fitting’ or ‘suit,’ apparel is an umbrella term for everything that can be worn on a human body, such as clothes, shoes, accessories, and gadgets.
Wearables
Technology-enabled devices worn on the body – such as smartwatches or fitness trackers – are designed to serve specific functional needs rather than prioritizing improving the wearer’s look.
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source https://thevou.com/fashion/accessory/
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