Accessories finish off an outfit. Without them, your clothes can look boring or incomplete. They can alter the overall look and even transform day wear to evening wear. Accessories are a way of expressing your personality and making your outfit different form everybody elses.

Imagine a simple pewter shift dress. I have chosen pewter because this is a colour that suits everybody. Now add a pair of knee high boots, black leather handbag, fitted jacket and a simple pendant necklace and stud earrings and you have a smart work outfit.

Now imagine teaming the dress with an elegant pair of black stilettos and a simple gold chain necklace and perhaps a gold watch and gold earrings or with red patent heeled shoes and handbag, a string of red beads and the look is completely different.

The same dress can be quickly transformed into evening wear with a few minor changes.

There are a few rules to consider when accessorizing an outfit. Consider the size of the necklace and earrings in proportion to your own build. A petite woman under 5’3" with a small bone structure would be overwhelmed by a string of large beads or big hooped earrings. If a tall woman wears a tiny pendant, it will be too small to make an impact. Remember; match the size of your jewellery to your size.

The accessories need to be appropriate for the occasion. At work it would be inappropriate to wear ostentatious jewellery and excessively pendulous earrings. Equally the type of jewellery you may wear with casual clothes will be very different from formal wear.

Accessories are a way of expressing yourself or brightening up a neutral outfit. Going back to the pewter shift dress, it is immediately "lifted" by the edition of the red beads. Using accessories can transform a black dress, particularly if you are "soft", "warm" or "light" and should really avoid black. By wearing a scarf or jewellery in one of your most flattering colours, it will add an instant glow to your complexion.

Some women favour gold over silver and vice versa. On some women gold will stand out against their skin and silver will blend with their colouring or the reverse. I would not suggest that you should stick to one or the other, just consider the effect your skin colouring has on the jewellery and in turn the effect it has on your overall appearance.

It is important to choose your accessories carefully. It is not necessary to spend a lot of money, there are lots of different types of jewellery available so you don't need to go over your budget. As long as you use the criteria given above, you should be able to maximise your wardrobe.