As accessories queens, the three of us are giving some examples of how to wear jewelry to compliment your look. This comes after a reader request from Patricia who said she didn’t think she is good at choosing jewelry that looks good with outfits.
Of course, I have all kinds of things to say in response to Patricia’s concern, so I wanted to show some old and new examples to explore the idea.
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Quote of the day: “Only those who dare to fail greatly can ever achieve greatly.” John. F. Kennedy
I’m sure there is not one of us reading this that strives to fail greatly when it comes to our fashion choices. Yet, the disadvantage of always playing it safe and only wearing what we feel comfortable wearing can lead us into the frumpy zone.
EVERYTHING in life changes, and that includes styles and our bodies.
I like to sum it up with the words: “We are the boss of our clothes” which to me means we make our clothing work in multiple ways for us. It’s not about finding the rules we like and then only following them.
Yet you will find many rules about how to wear jewelry to compliment your look or what length necklace to wear with which shirt. Heck, there are stylists that suggest what not to wear.
But as educated adults, I think we realize that we should be dressing to our unique needs and personalities. Since no two fingerprints are identical, then how we put together an outfit shouldn’t be identical either.
So instead of giving you rules, I’m going to share my ideas of how to wear jewelry to compliment your look, and the times I don’t wear as much jewelry. There are a couple of things I don’t tend to pair together, but that doesn’t mean it’s wrong. Everyone has their own personal taste and style.
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Contrasting Necklace
My thought is that if you’re going to take the time to accessorize, you want to be able to see the pretties. So for this example, I chose a turquoise necklace to contrast with the orange top.
Insider tip: You know how you read that a “v” neck is flattering because you show more skin that way? Your necklace can act as that “v” with your crew neck tops. It creates a focal point so the top isn’t an overwhelming block of color on your chest.
Matching Your Necklace
For those of you that love to match colors, then the idea of how to wear jewelry to compliment your look might be to wear a necklace of the same color as your top.
This is the opposite of my example above with the contrasting necklace.
Neither option is right nor wrong, but you can see how you get different options each way. I would consider it preferences.
If you like a low profile, then you might want to match your jewelry to the top.
And on the flip side, if you want the pieces (and you) to stand out more, then think about a contrasting color (or metal).
Jacket Jewelry
Even with a jacket or cardigan, I think a long necklace can be a fabulous addition. That doesn’t mean a short necklace wouldn’t work also.
But the longer necklace copies the long line of the jacket and takes up the space of solid color.
Fill In Neckline
A popular way to wear a necklace is to find one that fills in the space of a neckline. For a v-neck top, that would be a shorter necklace.
This is a perfect time to wear your smaller, delicate necklaces. Not that I did in these examples, but it’s one of the options in the related post below.
Related post: 7 options of necklaces with v-necks
Brooches
Another option for wearing jewelry on the top half of your body would be to put a brooch on your sweater. This works fabulously when the neckline of your clothing item is too wide or thick and yet you would like to have some kind of sparkle in a certain place.
Insider tip: You might think it’s “too much” to have a brooch on a textured sweater. Or it’s “too much” with that keyhole opening. My word of the year is “Extra” because it brings me joy to add in the bling wherever I like. For this example, I was trying to change the focus from the opening between the two sweaters, as I rarely showcase my cleavage.
Related post: Wearing brooches in a modern way
Too Much?
When you read the rules of how to wear jewelry to complement your look, many times there will be opinions of what not to wear because it is too much or over the top. And I’m sure these two examples would fall into the rules of what not to wear.
The thing is, I like them. And when the rubber hits the road, that’s what is important.
The outfit on the left includes a plastic tie necklace on top of the micro cardigan and chevron print top. In the right side outfit, I added a necklace even though I was wearing a graphic tee.
Layering Necklaces
It doesn’t stop with just one necklace. There are many, many times you can layer them on top of each other and create a “neck mess”.
Lesley is a pro at combining her necklaces to make them look like one piece.
Insider tip: The necklaces can sit on top of each other intermesh. The best way to find great combinations is to play with them and take photos to see which ones you like the best. Then save those photos that you liked, to remind you for later.
Related post: Experimenting with layering necklaces
Scarves
While scarves are a subject unto themselves, you could consider them a fabric necklace. On top of that, you can combine them with your other necklaces as both Charlotte and Lesley did above.
Related post: 25+ ways to style a scarf
Examples of How to Wear Jewelry to Complement Your Look
Here are three examples of us wearing a dress with and without jewelry. You can see which you prefer better this way.
These photos are from articles where we explored the color of jewelry that goes with a particular color of the dress. Feel free to click over to see all of the options we showcased.
When I Don’t Wear Necklaces
Now when we talk about how to wear jewelry to compliment your look, we aren’t just talking about necklaces. I believe that your earrings, wrist candy, and hair accessories can play a part also.
I wrote an article with many suggestions of what color and size of earrings. Included is a list of essentials that keep your earrings ready to wear.
Statement earrings are my favorite in the summer months because when the temperatures are high, the last thing you want is anything around your neck.
Related post: How to match earrings to your outfit
Below are a couple of examples of times when I left off a necklace. But of course, you will still see other kinds of jewelry. I always say that I have fabulous accessories, so why not wear them?
Right: The tunic had a crossover in the front, so I accessorized it with a scarf in my hair and long earrings.
Right: I used my glasses for extra color and then wore bracelets on both wrists.
My Goal
Thank you for visiting my space on the internet. I like to showcase how it’s never too late to look great for women of any age, size, or working with any kind of budget.
I feel I’m here to help move beyond the fashion rules of yesterday and evolve. Style and clothes are made to give you joy. Not cause us stress because we are worried about what others think.
My hope is that you get ideas and inspiration from Charlotte, Lesley, and myself. It’s not about copying what we wear, but about using what you already have and updating items along the way.
Most of all it’s getting us to think differently and dare I say, have fun.
Welcome to Jodie’s Touch of Style. I’m here to prove that it’s never too late to look great. Clothing and style are meant to showcase your inner personality. So let’s have fun and try new things.
It’s not just about me on this blog, but also about my mother and friend. We get to showcase not only different decades of life but also different body shapes and unique personal styles.
