Accessory Style: Beach Party

The summer sun hasn't been shining the past few days here on the Jersey Shore, but things are supposed to brighten up over the weekend. I for one love nothing more than a beach party on a beautiful day. Though most days that I spend at the beach I only wear a bathing suit, cover up and a pair of shades, beach parties call for a different kind of attire. Even if you're only attending a casual occasion, it's still a chance to look your best. So show off your style. make sure you accessorize those cute cover-ups! If you're going to be in the sand make sure you wear flat sandals so you spend the day having fun instead of trying to walk without falling on your face. I'd keep everything else kind of casual, and make sure you have a beach tote with everything you need for the day/night. Jewelry can be a tough one, in this case. If you're actually going to be spending a ton of time in the sand and the ocean I'd skip the jewelry, it might get ruined or lost. However, if it's more of a tiki bar or beach house party go for the jewels. Keep things to a summery beach theme, like the starfish ring and turquoise earrings above. Just remember to take them off if you decide to go for a swim!

Bring Light to the Dark

My day job requires me to wear all black, which looks professional but can get kind of boring. It's pretty easy to find pretty black pants and tops but you can only get so creative while trying to look work appropriate. The worst part is I have to wear these ugly non-slip black shoes all the time (I'm a hostess and we need those to walk into the kitchen). So I don't have a ton of options but I like to mix things up with my accessories. A bit of color and texture can go a long way. I like wearing a crew neck black blouse with a bold bib necklace. It gives a little sophistication to an otherwise simple top. I'm also OBSESSED with stacking bracelets. I love grouping different size bracelets in the same color family together. It's a nice pop of color and texture that people always comment on. A more subtle way to bring a little life to a dark wardrobe is with a pair of unusual earrings. Earrings don't take a lot of thought, you can pop them in and easily give an outfit a face lift. I don't suggest wearing an all black outfit, at least not all the time. Still, if you don't have a choice there are way around looking boring, so no slacker excuses people!