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Jazz Up Your Wardrobe

Tips and tricks to get more mileage from your clothes and accessories

If your focus has been on looking after the kids, the husband and the house, it’s high time you got your groove back by adding beauty to your daily routine. Sounds impossible? Think again. We asked a few fashion insiders to share their best tips for getting fabulous using items you already own. The result: a chic, fashionable new you this holiday season.

Breathe Life Into a Brooch

Take an old brooch and pin it to a cloth clutch or quilted cosmetic case, says Robert Verdi, celebrity stylist and host of the Style Network’s “Fashion Police.” Suddenly you have a holiday evening bag. Or pin a rhinestone or crystal brooch to a ribbon and wear it as a choke.

Cinch Your Waist

Fitted waists look very fresh right now, declares Dannielle Romano, editor at large of the e-mail newsletter “Daily Candy.” An easy way to create one is with a wide belt. Dig one out and wear it with flowing dresses or skirts. Want another belt trick? Verdi recommends saving a beautiful ribbon from a holiday gift and wearing it as a belt with jeans or khakis. “Whether it’s grosgrain or satin, a ribbon can kick an outfit into high gear,” he says. “It can make a casual weekend outfit look festive.”

Create Some Scarf Magic

Scarves are a simple but elegant way to add some splash to your evening look, but instead of just knotting one at your neck, try these pro tips: Create a halter top by tying two corners of a large square scarf around your neck (creating a cowl in the front) and tying the other two corners around the small of your back. “Wear it under a jacket for a holiday look that’s professional,” says Verdi. Romano likes using a tiny scarf as a headband or as a sweet little bow on a handbag.

Give Your Shoes a Shine

An old pair of clip-on earrings can give your plain pumps an edgy new style. “Take a pair of those great big chunky clip — on earrings from the 1950s and ’60s — the ones you find at flea markets, thrift stores or in your mother’s jewelry case — and clip them to the front of the toe box,” Verdi recommends. Also stash a pair of earrings in your desk. “It’s convenient for a work-to-evening holiday party look.”

Mix Up Your Baubles

Wearing the same earrings and necklace combinations can become passé. Give your accessories a fresher look by breaking up the sets. For example, wear a beaded necklace with diamond studs, Verdi says. If you don’t have diamond earrings, wear inexpensive crystals. Also try layering your necklaces, says Laura Eisman, founder of Girlshop.com. Pair a longer necklace with a shorter one. “This can make your everyday jewelry look brand-new,” Eisman says.