5 Tips to Match Jewelry With Clothing
Your choice of jewelry for church hopefully wouldn't be the same selection as a wild evening at the club.
Jewelry is an indispensable accessory when putting together an outfit. It can completely transform an ensemble from something relatively casual into something extravagant.
Incorporating jewelry into your wardrobe is a great way to add some glamour and sophistication to your look. You’ve probably noticed from your own experience how designer jewelry can take your look from comfy to catwalk.
But pairing jewelry with clothes can be rather tricky at times. It's great to have choices, but too many can turn dressing into something dreadful.
With such an array of accessories to choose from, it can often feel overwhelming deciding how to choose the best accessories to highlight your features and outfit.
Jewelry is the staple of the ensemble, so why not make informed decisions when you accessorize? To make sure your final touches will make and not break your look, you can use the following five tips to coordinate jewelry to the fullest.
# 1 Consider the occasion
While fashion rules have certainly gotten a bit looser over the years, that doesn’t mean that there aren’t still some rules you should apply when pairing your jewelry with your outfit. For instance, considering the context and tone of the event or occasion.
If you were going to a wedding, for example, you might purchase a diamond necklace from custom jewelers to go with a gown you’ve purchased for the wedding.
However, if you were headed for a girl’s night out, you might want to tone it down with some custom jewelry instead of going full-on bling.
If you're dressing for work, where you plan on doing many things with your hands and fingers, you might want to skip the bangles and hanging bracelets. Dangling wrist jewelry and multiple rings just don't work so well when you're typing on a keyboard.
Even if you plan to mostly meet people to talk, you need to keep in mind how an accessory will draw attention to certain body parts, and if that will be appropriate for the occasion.
For casual occasions, choose simple, classic pieces such as small hoops, stud earrings, small pendants, chain bracelets or simple single bangles. Stick to solitaire rings and studs or small amounts of pave.
Your choice of jewelry for church hopefully wouldn't be the same selection as a wild evening at the club. Make sure to consider where you're going, what you'll be doing, and how the jewelry comes off to onlookers.
# 2 Complement your skin tone
Your jewelry should not only match your outfit, but it should also match your skin tone.
Try to choose stone colors and metal options that will bring out the natural hues in your skin. There is an array of different colors to choose from. There’s also more metal types than silver and gold, so be sure to explore your options.
While there’s no right or wrong when matching your skin, those with darker skin might look better in gold. Gold goes especially well with darker hair and matte skin.
Silver is a standard metal that illuminates most natural tones. Those who have more fair skin might look better in silver or rose gold.
Cooler skin tones go well with gems that are red, purple and blue. Also, white gold is an excellent choice of metal for cooler skin tones. A cool skin tone looks best with red, purple and blue gemstones like garnet, amethyst and topaz.
A warmer skin tone is highlighted best by shades of yellow, orange and green. If this is you, choose stones such as citrine, moonstone and emerald set in yellow metals like gold or copper.
You might also choose blue or a green emerald to match your eyes.
# 3 Match those colors
The next thing to pay close attention to is the color of your outfit. While it is always good to experiment to find the colors that work best for you, do not use more than three colors in your whole ensemble.
Here are some ground rules to keep in mind when matching your outfit with the right color accessories:
If you are wearing neutrals like black or white, accessories in any color look chic and stylish.
If you are looking to make a bold fashion statement, choose primary and secondary colors that are opposite each other on the color wheel. While pairing these colors can be adventurous it’s best to avoid some combinations like red or green unless it is the holiday season.
If you want to play it safe, opt for colors that are next to each other on the color wheel. These colors work very well together and match each other on the same level of light and darkness.
# 4 The proportions matter
You need to consider size when pairing your fashion accessories with your outfit. If you are wearing loud prints, it is best to keep your accessories understated and minimal. Loud and ornate jewelry can muddy a busy print, no matter how great it is.
The same goes for ruffles, sequined or other embellished garments; you want your pieces to accentuate the outfit not compete for attention. Consider solid bracelets, watches, and earrings instead of showy accessories.
Pick one thing to accentuate. If you wear a big statement necklace, don't wear a big pair of earrings as well. If you're wearing a big bracelet, don't wear too many rings on the fingers on that side hand. It's all about having a big piece that pops out ... but it's easy to get carried away very quickly.
# 5 Less is more
It’s easy to get caught up in the beauty of jewelry and think that more is better. But, unless you want the focal point of your outfit to be your jewelry, it’s best to follow the less is more rule of thumb, especially if you’re wearing a more extravagant outfit.
If you do wear a fancy outfit, it should be accented with classic pieces such as diamond studs or an understated gold or silver necklace rather than a statement piece. Too much glitz can sometimes be a bad thing.
When in doubt, reduce. Over-accessorizing takes away from the outfit and more importantly, it takes away from you. So as you’re pairing jewelry, be sure that you’re not going overboard with quantity. Too much is just as bad as too little.
Remember, when pairing jewelry with clothes it’s best to pick pieces that you love.
The best way to pair your jewelry with your outfits is to keep in mind that you’re the focal point, the clothes are the canvas, and the jewelry is the finishing touch. It is meant to be a complimentary item that, first and foremost, helps to illuminate your individual style and personal beauty.