Brighten winter with accessories that add personality

My very first girlcrush remains a winter style icon: Miss Bianca from the 1977 film The Rescuers. As the Hungarian delegate to the Rescue Aid Society, she travels the world rescuing children and never lets being a mouse stop her from daring feats or from rocking a look.

Her shawl-collar trapeze coats feel mid-century, but it is the glamorous scarves and hats — a violet pillbox with a matching bow or dashes of mustard — that make cosy winter dressing look delicious. Accessories can have the same impact in real life. At the 2009 inauguration Michelle Obama paired a lemongrass coat and dress by Isabel Toledo with olive-green leather gloves, while Malia and Sasha wore scarf-and-glove sets that contrasted with their coats.

The clothes were elegant, but the accessories made the look memorable, helping the family appear comfortable, relatable and quietly joyful on a freezing, highly symbolic day. Winter dressing is often governed by logistics: safety first, function-led choices, coats for warmth and shoes for traction.

Hungary

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