Baubles, Bangles and Beads

Maury Sullivan has had a tremendous influence on me in many ways, and I’ll forever appreciate her. Through Maury I learned so much about how to conduct myself as a young professional (not so young anymore!). She helped me develop a sharper sense of humor. She gave me a feel for what it was like to accomplish overwhelming tasks. She showed me what sophistication and style looked like.

So it was through Maury’s example that I came to love…. ACCESSORIES. I discovered my inner passion for baubles, bangles, and beads. Maury had so many great accessories, but it was seeing her fabulous necklace from the Austin Museum of Art made up of tiny bits of materials that had traveled to space encased in lucite that was my tipping point. That was the coolest necklace I had ever seen… in…my…life… and I had to get in on that action.

As a big girl, I haven’t always had a full range of stylish clothes at my disposal. But what I discovered was that I could take a fairly plain outfit and make it look so much more put together with just the right accessories. The right necklace and matching earrings. The perfect scarf. One lone bracelet or a giant ring.

Originality became key. The more unusual, the better. Funky and eclectic. I learned from Maury that it was okay to be unique without necessarily being garish or weird. My accessories are the closest thing to a "signature style" that I have. And over the past 7 or 8 years, I’ve been able to collect some pretty neat pieces. None of them are very expensive, none of them are really one-of-a-kind and very few things are precious metals or gems, but I love them all and still take great pleasure every morning in opening up my accessory drawers and figuring out what to wear for the day.

I follow certain accessory rules. Cardinal sin number one is trying to don too many accessories at the same time. Nothing looks worse. And cardinal sin number two is wearing the wrong accessories for the wrong occasions. In other words, I will never wear my big 4" hoop earrings to work, and, similarly, I probably won’t wear my French silk neck scarf from Tattee’s on a Saturday when I’m going to the movies.

Maury will always be my brush with a genuine, live fashionista, just like "Carrie" on Sex in the City. I’ll never have Maury’s sense of style. I’ll never be able to pull off what she can pull off. I will never in one million years be that cool. But I’ll always appreciate her for helping me discover something that makes me feel a little bit less clunky and a teeny tiny bit more hip.