A Bargain Bang for Your Fashion Buck

Most red-blooded fashionistas don’t miss a beat as far as keeping their wardrobe up to date for each season. But most of us are on a budget, so if you need to take a little breather from buying clothing and shoes, it may be time to defer to accessories while you regroup and build up your clothing allowance for the next fashion round.

Most of you will agree there is really no such thing as having too many fabulous and funky accessories. We all know the right accessories can take your wardrobe into the next season, but they are also perfect when you have a strong urge to shop and spend but you really shouldn’t.

One hot accessory to check out for fall 2012 is a wide bangle. Bangles are often worn in bunches; typically, they are narrow in width, but for Fall 2012, my fashion motto is “less is hardly more and bigger is better.”

You can still do the traditional look by wearing a group of bangles piled on your wrist, but also try the trend of wearing just one very wide bangle. What I like about this piece of jewelry is wider bangles are more like cuffs; in fact, you can do what I do and buy two of the same bangle and wear them like cuffs on a bare arm, or dress up the edge of your garment’s cuff.

Gold, silver, and other metals are always a great buy and easy to work into your wardrobe, but check out some of the other interesting textiles like wood and plastic and bangles with embellishments like sequins, studs, and jewels. You can also do some fashion multitasking with some of the other fashion trends that have been translated onto this accessory, like leopard, snakeskin, and graphic prints. You may even find faux fur or feathers.

Bangles have been part of fashion for decades, and one cool thing about them is they are able to blend with different looks and fashion eras depending on the textile of the bangle and your outfit. A bold gold or silver metal bangle can have a sleek ’70s or geometric futuristic look, a wooden bangle can go retro or hippie boho, and a leopard print would fit a ’40s vamp or ’50s bombshell look. Another plus for this fun and fashionable accessory is unless you go with a faux fur, you will be able to wear it right into the next season and perhaps the next year.