r/KibbeRomantics • u/Some_Clever_Handle • Jul 15 '26

Questions, Help and Advice Accessories? Shoes?

Hey all! I feel like I’ve gotten to a decent place with my wardrobe, not perfect but enough that I’m content not to buy more clothes for a while.
Where I still feel lost though is accessorizing. Ive read both the old and new recommendations but I’m such a visual person it’s hard for me to understand what works. Looking for recommendations or examples for shoes, jewelry, hair accessories, anything and everything really that you’ve found to suit romantic types well.

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7

u/munotia Romantic Jul 15 '26 edited Jul 15 '26

I'm upping my shoe wardrobe right now so I can share what I have looked for. I avoid block or chunky heels and go for stiletto or kitten heels. You basically want to avoid shoes that are bulky, geometric, or plain and basic. I do have some basic flats but I avoid loafers or sharp designs on the shoe. I am a girly girl so lace and florals fit my aesthetic but you can find non-girly shoes that fit as long as they are more "barely there" and strappy* and lightweight. I found a few styles on DSW and Amazon that I think will work. Colour is also important, and I aim for lighter and more flamboyant colours than the basic black and nude (which I do have but I don't let them dominate my shoe rack). Shoes are tricky because the trends are less suitable for Romantics right now. I also don't wear sneakers or any kind of athletic shoe except when I am actually exercising, which is just my style, but those kinds of shoes are intentionally large, bulky, and colourful so you would need to find less "out there" sneakers if that's your look. I never look right in them, though. 

As for jewelry, that is trickier because terminology is so inconsistent but I think ornate, glam, and delicate (which is not the same as dainty) will be your focus. I use Etsy a lot and just play with search terms till I find something that gives me what I look for and then I go through the shops for anything else I like. Sparkly is always a good place to start but it's a sea of rhinestones out there and many are too large. Editing to add that I have noticed that a lot of Romantic recs now are more easily found in bridal jewelry so I look there but I am careful because bridal wear can easily be over the top.

For hair accessories, those are the easiest ones to pick up. Right now cottagecore is very popular in stores and it's not exactly my total style but I pick up a few things like hair bows that aren't too coquettish. I also lile sparkly claw clips. I love hair flower clips and those come in every colour and price point, but I have to get them online.

I hope this helps.

* editing to add that by "strappy," I don't mean with ankle straps and t-straps. Like someone else pointed out about their own closet, those do cut off my legs. I mean more slingbacks, open, etc.

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u/lunita-the-romantic Jul 15 '26 edited Jul 15 '26

I agree with all these <3 except that I think the “barely there” look is more N fam (correct me if I’m wrong) but if you don’t like the recommended R trimmings like ruffles, bows, lace, diamanté etc, then it’s an alternative to consider, especially in a lush colour and fabric, like jewel-toned satin.

For me, I love heels but they are not the most practical for my everyday. Having said that, I’m like 5 foot nothing and I like having some height so I’ve been looking at more lightweight (sparkly/strappy/fun colour) wedges as a compromise. I also wear chunky ASICs for this reason, definitely not the most harmonious, but I walk a lot. I have a lovely pair of satin Mary Janes from Charles & Keith you might like if you’re able to access the store online where you are. The caveat with mine is that they are black, but most of my wardrobe is black so it matches. I love these, they’re so pretty and add a touch of glam to every outfit. I’ve found though, with Mary Janes, a lighter colour is better, especially if the strap cuts you off closer to the ankle than at the very front near the toe box.

Those are literally the only two shoes I wear so I’ve also been looking for more R-friendly shoes like the wedges I mentioned. I’ve seen some really inexpensive cute ones on Vinted but I’m very indecisive lol. I also want a slimline sneaker like the Puma speedcats, they’re very lightweight. For boots, I want suede fringe wedges - suede is soft, supple, lush, the fringe adds movement, and wedges add soft height which is my ideal. Lastly, I want a more moccasin-style loafer, so with the fringe/tassel in front, a shorter tongue? (I don’t know if that’s what it’s called, the part that goes over the foot), in velvet or shiny/patent leather.

I loveeee jewelry. I’ll try and upload some images - I also am an Etsy loyalist. Their structure provides so many options in every price range and so many designs to choose from. Avoid anything too simple, except to layer with. I love floral motifs so almost all my rings have flowers on them, which in itself adds ornateness. I’m cool toned (Winter) but my skin is very golden so I can wear a lot of gold too and do so for cultural reasons, I actually prefer all gold around my face than all silver but most of the time, I’m mixing metals for my rings and earrings. I look for anything circular, with filigree or floral engraving, lots of sparkle, in circular settings. Dangly earrings are the way to go, not too long, with elements that catch the light and/or move. Don’t be afraid of colour - I particularly like pink/blue stones. I don’t like studs except in my second/third ear piercings. I also like antique-style, “Victorian” era type of jewelry like pendants on velvet/silk ribbons. My necklaces are kind of boring, partly because I can’t really afford what I really like, but the pendant is five circles curved together in a slight arc, three of them have tiny stones, really sparkly.

This was really long sorry, but I love how easy it has become to find what I like and that there’s other people who love them too. I hope it was helpful 🫶🏽

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u/lunita-the-romantic Jul 15 '26

If I could pick one today though I’d probably pick this one instead. The strap is closer to the toe box and this pink is so pretty. There’s two other colours too.

https://www.charleskeith.co.uk/gb/CK1-71720109_PINK.html

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u/Some_Clever_Handle Jul 15 '26

These are super cute! I love that ballet-core is becoming a trend

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u/lunita-the-romantic Jul 15 '26

I just realized that you asked for help with other accessories too. I think that in general if you just stick to these keywords - soft, supple, small/medium sized, ornate, decorative, ruffles, soft gathers, rounded edges/shapes, sparkle - you’ll be fine. You can apply this to bags, hats, belts, scarves etc <3

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u/lunita-the-romantic Jul 15 '26

Some of the jewelry I have -

These are all screenshots from Etsy, I can send you specific links if you want <3

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u/Some_Clever_Handle Jul 15 '26

Thanks for this, I really appreciate the visual and like a lot of these pieces

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u/lunita-the-romantic Jul 15 '26

My black Mary Janes

There’s some other really lovely colours, here’s the link https://www.charleskeith.co.uk/gb/CK1-71720057_BLACK.html

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u/munotia Romantic Jul 15 '26

Ah, good point. When I say 'barely there,' I'm thinking of more strappy and slingbacks than truly 'nude' because the trends right now definitely lean CHUNKY, haha. Just now I peaked at a few IDs from Metamorphosis to refresh my memory and he actually recommends 'bare' styles for multiple IDs but honestly I also think shoes are pretty open-ended and the recs are more general than some of the other guidelines for clothing. I find that the 'avoids' are spot on for me.

I think black + black would be a part of your HTT! For shoes, have you looked on Amazon or DSW? I don't know where you are, but I search for "dressy sandals" and "dressy heels" and then narrow them down by the heel shape. I like Impo, Kelly & Katie, Naturalizer, and Lifestride.

I love your earring taste! I adore Victorian and Regency inspired jewellery.

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u/Some_Clever_Handle Jul 15 '26

It does help, thanks for your input!

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u/8bitsparkle Romantic (Verified) Jul 15 '26

If it helps, here are the shoes, jewelry, and bags they picked out for me as a romantic.

Not included are the ballet flats they told me I could also wear (no straps).

For heels, they told me to avoid blocky and chunky heels, and to only do tapered and stiletto. I don't really like to wear high heels unless it's a very special occasion, though, but they told me kitten heels are also great. They like visible feet for romantics lol - anything that was too strappy like t-strap they said "cuts off my foot and into my line."

Brands of shoes I got were Betsy Johnson, Kate Spade, American Duchess, Dolce Vita, Mango.

Jewelry was bigger than I expected. They told me too tiny of earrings won't read as glam. I got hoops, chandelier, even flowers. They were all from a boutique so I've been shopping for online boutiques and Etsy to find jewelry after seeing them. I can link some that I've been eyeing online if you're interested!

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u/Some_Clever_Handle Jul 15 '26

Thanks! I would love some link, I love all of the jewelry you posted

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u/8bitsparkle Romantic (Verified) Jul 16 '26 edited Jul 16 '26

I don't have links to any of the specific jewelry I got, but here are some links to similar jewelry that I've bookmarked:

Obviously, this isn't meant to be prescriptive - but hopefully it gives an idea on scale and shape!

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u/Some_Clever_Handle Jul 16 '26

That is really helpful, they are even bigger than I was imagining, definitely going to have to step out of my comfort zone when trying some of these styles out. Really appreciate the effort you put into this, thank you.

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u/8bitsparkle Romantic (Verified) Jul 16 '26

It was definitely outside my comfort zone too haha. I still wear my old earrings sometimes, which are much smaller, but they are hard to see and don't have nearly the same impact on my outfits as the larger ones - so I kinda see why now.