I volunteer at our hospital gift shop where we carry many casual, “ready-to-wear” pieces for women–including dresses, tops, scarves, kimonos. Even jewelry.

The volunteers help “style” the pieces when they arrive, and I always have fun putting outfits together for display in our window or to hang on the shop door.

Recently my co-worker, Shirley, and I found a plain black dress. Here’s how we styled it:

After we hung this outfit on the door, a woman promptly came into the shop and bought the kimono. She could visualize how it would look over a dress she already owned.

When I suggested how nice it would look with a long necklace (like the one shown), she said, “Oh, I have lots of necklaces, but I never wear them.”

Shirley and I got to thinking about her comment. We understood completely that some gals don’t want to bother with accessories or simply aren’t interested in jewelry–and we totally respected that.

Then, Shirley and I tried an experiment. (We weren’t too busy at the shop right at that moment.)

I asked Shirley to take off all the jewelry she was wearing, and then put it back on.

Of course, Shirley is beautiful either way, but her outfit seemed a bit “blah” without the texture, shine, and interest of her silver jewelry.

You may or may not agree.

The point of this simple blog is to demonstrate one concept from page 56 in our book Quintessential Style, where my co-author writes:

“If you went to your closet right now, imagine how you might combine accessories you already own to add flair, polish, or even whimsy to your outfit—to create a look that would truly be your own. That’s signature style!” … Janna Beatty