If you ask most fashion experts, they’ll tell you that an outfit really comes together with the final pieces. A balanced, eye-catching fit is great and all, but something magical happens when you add the final touches. Your choice of a purse, jewelry, shoes, or headband can take an outfit from fine to fabulous.
The style instinct is a muscle. The more risks you take and the more looks you try, the stronger it becomes.
In the meantime, you might be wondering how to match jewelry to your outfit. The truth is that there is more than one school of thought on this topic. For the most part, a sense of confidence will make any choice look striking and chic. It’s all about how you do it.
That said, we put together this guide for you to help you decide what jewelry to pair with outfits and how to make sure you look chic for everything on your to-do list.
Let’s dish:
Tips for Matching Jewelry With Your Outfit
Putting together a jewelry collection is a lot like putting together a bag collection. You want to cover your bases and make sure you have an option for every occasion. One of the biggest questions you’ll face when putting together that collection is silver or gold.
Recently, the girls are all obsessed with gold. And we can’t blame them. Gold jewelry will honestly never go out of style. If you care for them well, gold pieces will retain their value over your lifetime.
In fact, Italian jewelry makers say they’re working overtime to meet the market for gold jewelry. Big, oversized gold chains are the item of the moment. Kind of like our Caro Buckle Bag (just saying).
But all trends work like pendulums, and we’re sure that silver and platinum jewelry will have their own moment over the coming years — which is why luxury goods are an investment — they exist beyond trends.
Aside from trends, you should always consider what metalware complements your existing clothing wardrobe and jewelry. Most importantly, think about which metal shade makes your heart skip a beat. It always helps to go into a jewelry store and try on jewelry to get a sense of what makes your skin glow and pop.
When In Doubt, Match Your Hardware
Just like purses, there’s jewelry for every occasion. We’ve got the bracelets, necklaces, earrings, and chains we wear every day, and then the jewelry we set aside for special occasions.
For everyday wear, you don’t necessarily want to spend a ton of time thinking about what jewelry will match your outfit best. In those situations, you can always lean on the simple wisdom of matching your hardware.
Look at the purse you’re taking out. Is it all gold or brass hardware? Great, then it’s easy. Just wear gold jewelry. All silver? Same deal.
Matching your tones will help your outfit look more intentional and pulled together. Luckily, if you’re a Brandon Blackwood girl, then you’ll know our purses come in a variety of hardware options. Our Mini Kendrick Trunk comes in both brass and silver hardware, with literally so many color choices.
However, before moving on to the next tip, fashion rebels love a chance to mix and match metals. It’s a popular home design technique, and since our bodies are our temples, we say it’s also perfect for our attire. (Hint: we’ll get to the how-to later on — keep reading!)
Review Some Basic Color Theory
Color theory is the reasoning behind the infamous color wheel we all drew in art class. We’re talking primary, secondary, and tertiary colors (including how hues, chroma, and lighting affect each color).
On that note, we tend to think of metallic jewelry and clothing as different things, but when you think about it, these are all just embellishments that we’re adding to our outfits. For example, there are go-to classic pairs like black and gold. Certain combos are like peanut butter and jelly: a match made in heaven.
The same color principles that apply to clothing also apply to jewelry. Once you find your ideal combination, consider making it your personal signature. It’s always good (and encouraged!) to experiment but having a go-to color combo in your back pocket is ideal for quick and impromptu dressing. Plus, when you walk in the room, everyone will know it’s you simply from your aura — that’s called being an icon.
Draw Attention To Outfit Focal Points
We’re all for an over-the-top outfit where the eyes barely know where to fall; don’t get us wrong. All the 2022 and 2023 winter trends tell us that dramatic, risk-taking dressing is going to be walking up and down the designer runaways and all over the streets of New York Fashion Week and beyond.
At the same time, there are some simple laws when it comes to putting together a well-balanced and composed outfit.
If you’re ever in doubt, try picking out a few focal point pieces. This could be your pants, your hair, your purse, or of course, a special piece of stand-out jewelry.
If the pearl necklace, earrings, and bracelet you’re wearing are meant to be the draw of your outfit, then don’t crowd them with other loud pieces. Let your jewelry catch the eyes of all those around you.
For us, we think it’s so cool when one arm is absolutely adorned with the finest luxury. Pick your most fabulous purse, like the Bowen Bag in Blue Leather with Gold Hardware, then pack your wrists and fingers with gold statement jewelry. Preferably with a little blue accent! There’s really no easier way to feel like royalty.
Don’t Forget: Jewelry Rules Are Made To Be Broken
Rules are just that. Some of our favorite trends of late have broken or rewritten the rules on dressing and accessorizing.
Take, for instance, the hugely popular mismatched jewelry trend we’ve seen pop up over the last few years. Suddenly, after decades of fashion experts saying that gold and silver did not belong together, we started to see two-tone jewelry and mismatched pieces in designer lines.
Layering together gold, silver, brass, and platinum jewelry is risky but oh so worth it when it’s done right. Don’t be afraid to take risks and put together jewelry and an outfit that is so wrong it’s actually right.
As we said, nothing brings a look together better than confidence.
Accessories Are the Cherry On Top of an Outfit
When it comes to jewelry and dressing, you can consider different fashion choices, like your tools in a toolbox. There are so many strategies for putting together an outfit, and if you know yourself and you know your style, you’ll also know what you feel best in.
On that note, remember that inside all of us is an infinite number of versions of ourselves. Depending on what you’re feeling and what you’re getting up to, the truth is you can pull off anything if you know how to do it.
A casual day at the office? Match your jewelry to your purse with a monochrome look, and don’t think twice about it. A night out on the town? Mismatch your jewelry with a harness and a stunning shoulder bag and flash them confidently on your Instagram Stories — oh, and don’t forget to tag us when you do.
Make up your own rules and have fun with it. Personal style is a journey, not a destination.
Sources:
Italian Jewelers Focus on a Summer of Gold | The New York Times
Trend Report: Your Guide to Wearing the Ultra-Glamorous Black and Gold Pairing | Vogue
Silver or Gold? Wear Both With These Two-Tone, Mixed-Metal Jewelry Pieces | Vogue