by Miriam Silverberg

Is Less More?

We’ve all hears it. “Less is More.”  Meaning the more you pile on—the less chic .  But is this really true?  I sometimes think less is just less.  Less chic, less style, less care.

Recently I had lunch with a friend.  She was wearing a plain white button-down shirt and a black pencil skirt.  Perfectly nice as far as It went.  But I kept looking at her and thinking how some jewelry or perhaps a scarf, would improve the look.  She must have read my mind because she asked if I thought she should wear some jewelry and then said, “but less is more.”

Another trope we’ve heard is to remove one thing before leaving the house.  This is true if you’re in the habit of piling on everything you own at once.  Too many women have taken this to mean we don’t have to bother accessorizing an outfit or giving any thought to what we’re wearing.  Just put on whatever comes to hand as long as it doesn’t clash.

Sometimes more is more.  The woman who wears an interesting necklace, earrings and a pin, perhaps a bracelet, will get more admiringly glances.  She looks as if she took the time to put some thought into her appearance.

I love wearing silk scarves with a dress, sweater or shirt.  I always put a pin on the scarf.  This is not only pretty, but anchors the scarf and keeps it from shifting.  This is important because sometimes I don’t knot the scarf, but casually loop it.

Another way of adding style is with a belt.  You can pick up some lovely belts quite reasonably.   Or, you can tie a scarf around your waist. You can also take a man’s tie and use it as a belt, a la Fred Astaire.  Recently I’ve taken to wearing one of my father’s old ties with a shirt. I leave the collar open and tie the tie loosely.  It looks quite chic.

So many women dress so plainly that I think we should  tell them to add one thing before leaving the house!

Miriam Silverberg is a freelance journalist and owner of Miriam Silverberg Associates, a boutique publicity agency in Manhattan. She may be reached at silverbergm@mindspring.com