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There is, no doubt, a direct correlation between dressing up and feeling good. Throwing on a little something special provides an easy morale boost and can be an effective method of self-care. And while many of us have played the occasional game of at-home dress-up over the course of the pandemic, the urge to strut our stuff in public seems to be ever increasing. Since Governor Andrew Cuomo announced Phase 2 of New York’s reopening, restaurants across the five boroughs have been slowly making their way out onto the streets and fashioning newfangled al fresco seating oases (complete with freshly potted palms and tented roofs) in areas formerly known as bike lanes and street-cleaning zones. Now in Phase 4, apartment dwellers have returned to their nightly neighborhood strolls, and parks are filled with socially distanced picnics. The bustle of the city has far from returned to its usual deafening hum of honking, beeping, huffing, and puffing, but there is a liveliness in the air. It feels the way I imagine Florence might have felt during the ’60s—only with face masks and smartphones. Given the very real sadness and confinement we’ve felt for months on end, low-risk social activities such as evening walks and distanced outdoor cocktail hours feel exceedingly special.
Of course, the appeal of the Big Apple has always been grounded in its inherent spectacle, and after a quarter-long hibernation period, New Yorkers are yearning to see and be seen. And with more and more options for safe outdoor socializing around the city, what better time than now to shimmy our feet on out of those house slippers and into our strappiest croc-embossed kitten heels? To swap out that überfunctional market tote for a dainty silk wrist pouch that may or may not fit an iPhone? Of course, our favorite accessories will have to play nice with the latest and greatest in neck-up adornment (the mask!), but if Kendall Jenner can teach us anything, it’s that when done right face coverings and chic leather goods can certainly coexist and even put the finishing touch on a killer look.
Below, 10 perfectly paired accessory trios (the trifecta of handbag, heel, and face mask) for your next (or your first!) night on the town this summer.
