A fashion accessory is an item used to contribute, in a secondary manner, to the wearer's outfit, often used to complete an outfit and chosen to specifically complement the wearer's look. The term came into use in the 19th century.
Fashion accessories can be loosely categorized into two general areas: those that are carried and those that are worn. Traditional carried accessories include purses and handbags, hand fans, parasols and umbrellas, wallets, canes, and ceremonial swords. Accessories that are worn may include jackets, boots and shoes, cravats, ties, hats, bonnets, belts and suspenders, gloves, muffs, jewelry, watches, sashes, shawls, scarves, socks, and stockings.
In Victorian fashion accessories such as fans, parasols and gloves held significance for how women experienced gender, race and class. In this era, there was a trend for women to adopt, or aspire to, a more leisurely lifestyle. Consequently, gloves were often used by women to cover their hands and mask any signs of labor.
Also, in the early 16th century in Italy hat badges were worn by civilian men of a higher social status as decorative item, in imitation of the cap badges worn by the invading military. Hat badges were often worn in conjunction with a decorative sword and hilt. Hat badges were fashioned after plaquettes and often depicted a scene with personal relevance to the wearer.
- Valerie Cumming; C. W. Cunnington; P. E. Cunnington (15 November 2010). The Dictionary of Fashion History. Berg. p. 1. ISBN 978-1-84788-533-3. Retrieved 9 January 2012.
- Ariel Beaujot (June 2012). Victorian Fashion Accessories. Berg. p. 1. ISBN 9781847886828. Retrieved 10 May 2013.
- Marika Leino (7 December 2012). Fashion, Devotion and Contemplation : The Status and Functions of Italian Renaissance Plaquettes. Peter Lang AG. p. 1. ISBN 9783039110681. Retrieved 10 May 2013.
- Media related to Fashion accessory at Wikimedia Commons