Forget about a wardrobe of new clothes. After all, you probably already possess a dark blue trouser suit, a black shift dress, a bias-cut slip and a knee-length coat. They have been fashion staples for at least the past two years and seem set to run and run - well into the next millennium. Finding fresh ways to dress has become an impossible challenge as uniform styles swamp every shop, with barely a button-detail to distinguish one label from the next.
This season, therefore, the real excitement lies in accessories. Here is where the most interesting innovations are taking place and where the freshest names are emerging. Not only are accessories much more imaginative and desirable than used to be the case, but they can also transform an old outfit and make it look wonderfully fresh. They also tend to be more versatile than the clothes they accompany. A great pair of shoes, after all, will confirm their investment value when teamed with a suit for work, dress for evening and casual trousers for weekend. The right bag will travel everywhere (and, ideally, accommodate everything).
Not all accessories, of course, must be required to prove their worth. Just as important is to possess a number of pieces of unadulterated indulgence: a pair of soft, leather gloves in baby pink; a tiny bag encrusted with beads and sequins; a hat so bedecked with feathers that an entire flock of birds must have been stripped naked. Some of the loveliest, most covetable accessories at the moment are the silliest - and in fashion, space must always be permitted for frivolity.
Among the best accessories of 1999 are those which are functional but do not appear so. Shown here is what seems to be a hat but is actually a bag and a straw hat that the unwary might try to swing from a wrist. Other pieces - a pair of kitten-heeled suede mules or an embroidered Indian wrap - are worth having because they combine great design with affordability. So, you should be able to save money while giving your appearance an overhaul by investing in a few key accessories this spring.
