Dress up or Down with the Right Necklaces

People often think that style is all about what you wear – and for the most part, it is. It’s also about what’s on the inside, of course – but what people tend to forget is that style isn’t just about clothes, but also about accessories. The right accessories can easily make or break an outfit, transforming something drab to something wonderful. A good necklace, a stack of bangles, even some chic earrings – can easily transform something boring into something wonderful. In this article, we’ll walk through a few sample outfits, and what jewelry you could pair with them to truly make them pop.

Let’s say it’s Monday, and you’re getting ready for work. Mondays are tough. You’re tired, you’re cranky, and likely, the last thing you want to do is go to work. Our go-to tip is to pick out your outfit the night before and hang it up on your wall so that you can get a sense of what it’ll look like. Add jewelry as well – lay it all out, from top to bottom, shoes included. This helps minimize your time in the morning, and then you don’t have to worry about an early morning scramble – you know the kind: the one where you’re running around like a chicken with your head cut off because the outfit you’ve just put on simply isn’t working and you can’t figure out what to wear. Picking out your outfit the night before eliminates the “What do I wear?” problem by having you deal with the stress of picking it out the night before, when you’ve got all the time in the world. So, it’s Sunday night, and you’re picking out your outfit for Monday morning. Let’s say you’ve selected a pair of high waisted silk trousers that you’re going to pair with a white tank and a structured jacket. Let’s pretend the pants are black and tie at the waist, and are a bit slouchy. The shirt is an Alexander Wang tank with a tiny pocket in the top right hand corner, and the jacket is a yellow asymmetric number from Zara that perfectly captures this summer’s neon trend. For jewelry, consider an oversized statement necklace. Since you’re not wearing any prints anywhere else, feel free to go a bit crazy with your jewelry. The easiest place to do that? On your neck, of course. Check out online retailers for trendy statement necklaces to make this look pop, top it all off with simple gold studs, and you’re good to go. The outfit is great on its own, but it’s even better with the statement necklace.

Another great example is a little black party dress. LBDs are a wardrobe staple, but they can often be bland, even when paired with a great pair of shoes, or a great little printed jacket. To spice it up a little bit for your next party, consider putting your hair up and rocking some seriously cool earrings. The bigger, the better, and longer is great too. You can find great cheap crystal earrings that look more expensive than they are at budget retailers, and you can use them to spice up your outfit easily. If earrings aren’t your thing, an arm full of bracelets and bangles is another great option. They’re what the fashion bloggers have deemed an “arm party” – an arm full of various bracelets, none matching, but all cool. If you’re going for bracelets, it’s easy to pare down your other jewelry, and really let your dress do the talking. This option is good for those whose LBD is a bit more complicated – say, a peplum dress or an asymmetrical dress. When you want the dress to shine, you can still wear jewelry – just keep it far enough away that the dress can be center stage. This is a case in which earrings and bracelets are better than, say, a statement necklace.

The right necklaces can easily be found to dress an outfit up or down. An outfit that’s simple and work-appropriate can be made funky and perfect for a night out on the town with minimal effort. All you have to do is switch up your jewelry! For example, if you’re wearing a delicate gold necklace with a dress and a blazer for work, come nighttime, you can ditch the blazer and add a chunky gold collar in place of your simple necklace and voila – you’ve got yourself an evening outfit! Most outfits can be switched up with the simple addition of jewelry, so don’t forget about beads, baubles, and whatever other bling you desire on your shopping trips. You never know what jewelry can do.