1. Match without Being Matchy
Think about how you put together your accessories. There is no need to buy a matching set (and it can look kind of contrived in this modern age), so think about matching:
- Shapes
- Colours
- Textures
- Sheen
- Sparkle
- Metal
The colours of the turquoise in the necklace and bracelets match. The uneven shapes in the necklace replicate the uneven shapes in the textured cardigan
Read: Matching jewellery – sets without beings sets
2. Level of Refinement Rules
What are you wearing the jewellery with? Casual jeans for a trip to the supermarket? Dressy jeans for a lunch out with friends? Dress Pants and a blouse for a day in the office? Cocktail frock for an evening event? Each of these outfits needs a different level of refinement with your jewellery.
Wooden beads work with relaxed jeans and a tee
Casual: Wooden beads, polished stones (such as turquoise or lapis lazuli) sea glass, plastic, resin are all great materials to consider.
Here the shapes of the necklace replicate the shapes of the Iris petals in the panel. The silver colour blends with the grey.
Smart Casual: Silver and gold, either with sheen or brushed, stones (as above) and resin too.
Smart Work: Metals or a mix of metals, shiny or brushed. Stones with some sparkle, but not over the top
Evening: Sparkle away to your heart’s content!
Read: Levels of Refinement Jeans and Jewellery
3. Relate it To Your Outfit
What are you wearing? What kind of details does the outfit have? Lace? Marle? Ruffles? Floral pattern? Leopard Print? Boiled wool?
Whatever the details choose jewellery that relates to elements of your outfit.
Here I’ve chosen a multi-coloured floral necklace that harmonises with my multi-coloured floral skirt.
Floral pattern dress – then look for jewellery that has curves rather than angles. It may repeat the floral patter by also being a floral (or stylized floral) shape.
Read: 5 Ways to Accessorise Day to Night, How to wear metallic accessories
4. Personality is Key
Who are you? How do you express that with your jewellery?
- Feminine and delicate jewellery works for a nurturing, warm and caring personality
- Bold and colourful jewellery works for a dramatic and dynamic personality
- Understated and refined jewellery works for a mature, professional and responsible personality
- Quirky and unusual jewellery works for a creative and innovative personality
Who you are is key to choosing jewellery. In fact jewellery is a key way of expressing who you are through your outfit. If you really want to discover how your personality influences what you wear (and I can tell you this alone will save you a fortune in mistakes) then do my 7 Steps to Style program.
This necklace suits my personality style – interesting detail, colours that work, and the shapes relate to the shapes in the texture of the dress.
Read: How to upscale your jewellery without it overwhelming your features, how to choose a necklace to work with your personality
5. How Much is Too Much?
The age old question. This in part comes down to personality (see number 4 in this list) and also where you’re going (number 2) and the rest of your outfit (number 3).
Going to the gym – then keep your accessories to a minimum, without any fussy detail (such as a pair of stud earrings).
A dressy outfit calls for a statement necklace. The necklace is big and bold, so the earrings are more modest and discreet so they don’t fight with each other.
Going to work – think professional not party levels of accessories.
Read: Accessories are the Icing on Your Sartorial Cake When is enough, enough? How much jewellery at once? When you should avoid a necklace.
6. The Three Ss – Shape, Scale and Sheen
Relate the shapes of your necklaces to the shapes of the necklines you are wearing them with – which I wrote about here.
Relate the sheen – so sparkles with sparkles or polished with polished.
Medium scale pattern requires medium scale accessories – nothing to small and delicate to work with the floral print on this dress.
Consider the scale of your bust and facial features to ensure that you flatter your assets. If you have larger facial features or bust, then opt for larger scale jewellery.
What’s your body shape? What do you want to draw attention to or away from? Where you end your necklace will also make a difference – discover more here.
Read: The Art of Reminiscence – how to choose jewellery, co-ordinating jewellery to necklines, 5 quick tips for choosing necklaces, How to wear long and large scale necklaces, Which is best for your Matte, Sheen or Shine
7. How You Wear Your Hair
If your hair is pulled back off your face and you’re not wearing a large necklace – choose larger earrings if you want to make more of a statement. Notice the organic shape of these earrings work with the feathered pattern on the dress. The silver earrings work well with the grey dress.
Short hair – use earring to balance and flatter your face shape – check out my tips on each of the face shapes here.
Longer hair -if my hair is down bigger earrings can be worn with a statement necklace as you just don’t really see them. If my hair is up I often make a choice between so they aren’t cluttered.
8. What’s the Weather
Layering up chunky stones for winter works (but would feel hot and heavy in summer)
Summer requires lighter in construction and “feel” jewellery. You may prefer to avoid necklaces and play more with earrings if something draped around your neck makes you feel hotter.
Think about light and airy pieces that don’t weigh you down.
In winter you can choose more dense and heavier pieces. Play with felt or other “warm” materials which relate to the rest of your clothing.
Read: How to accessorise in winter, how to choose jewellery for the season
9. Colour and Pattern Matching
What colour earring to wear with coloured beads? Do you have to match the earring to the bead or can you go with a metal? Is a question people ask me frequently.
You can mix metals with colours – but there still needs to be a relationship between the two elements. If there is any metal in between the beads, then choose that same metal in your earrings or other pieces. Add in a third piece such as a bracelet that includes both the bead colour and the metal you wish to wear with the outfit to create a relationship between them.
Here I’m blending the angles and curves of the shrug with the angles of the earrings and the curves of the beads (both bracelets and necklace). The colours in the bracelets are the same as the top and shrug, with just an additional pop of red in the necklace for interest.
Patterns such as straighter geometric shapes look best with more angular beads or accessories. Whist curved shapes are better with curved accessories.
Read: How to mix metals, How to match jewellery to the pattern you’re wearing.
10. What Do You Want to Communicate?
Where are you going? What do you want to communicate?
Thinking about the occasion and what is appropriate will tell you about what kind of accessories to choose.
For example, you may want to be seen as professional and credible at work. If so, avoid dangling, chandelier style earrings with lots of beads as they read as “fun and playful” which is not the message you’re after.
Instead choose something that is more refined or understated, more smooth and sleek which has a more professional and credible message.
Going to a party? Then pop on those oversized chandeliers, that multiple layered blinged up necklace and express your fun and joyful side.
These beads and outfit communicate a bit of fun and a social environment rather than a serious day at the corporate office.
Further reading:
Top 3 Tips to Consider When Adding Accessories to Colourful Outfits
Imogen,
How do eyeglasses factor in? That is, if you are wearing them, especially if they are at all “bold,” do you cut back on other accessories? I have just started wearing them more often (darkish-tortoiseshell frames, so, noticeable!) and am not sure if or how to adjust my other accessories.
Thank you!
Katie Ross
You might wear a smaller or more discreet earring if you are wearing hair pulled back or short. But if you have long hair it often disguises earrings anyway!
THE SHRUG! Love it with that dress…and the necklace of course. You look gorgeous. My other favorite is the grey feathered dress with the silver earrings. Love both the dress an earrings with your hair pulled back..very glam! Great article and fabulous looks….some of my favorites!
Thank you for this wonderful article.I just loved all the looks. I loved the way you had combined the various accessories with the clothing for different occasions.
I just wanted to know what type of accessories mostly neck piece will suit an animal print dress or tops.
Regards
Swapna
Loved this article. Very clear and easy to follow logic. Thank you.