I’ve got to start this series
off with something very near and dear to my heart, jewelry. I do as stated in
my last post own a horrifyingly large collection of statement necklaces, and
98% of the time they are what I base my entire outfit around, and I seriously
wear one, EVERY. SINGLE. DAY. I mean, in my opinion, you can never go wrong
with a statement necklace, and I often find that it adds a lovely finish to
what ends up being a very polished outfit. Here, I’ll be “revealing” my top
tips on choosing the perfect statement necklace, where I like to buy them, how
much I generally spend, and of course, how I like to style them! I hope you enjoy!
HOW TO CHOOSE YOUR
PERFECT FIRST STATEMENT NECKLACE
Ever been in Charming Charlie or
Francesca’s? What about the jewelry department of a big department store like
Macy’s or Kohl’s? It’s damn overwhelming. I know, I’ve been there. There are
almost too many options, too many colors and styles. Large pendants, small
pendants, rhinestones, beads, metal, acrylic HOW IS A GIRL SUPPOSED TO CHOOSE? Here’s
my thing, ALWAYS choose the one your eye is first drawn to, it was drawn there
for a reason. You’ll wear that one the most, it just make sense. That being
said if you’ve never ventured into any of these places, and never felt the need
to own a statement piece then I’ve got some tips to help you conquer your fear
of the jewelry department and come out looking like you belong on the cover of
vogue; work those jewels, girl!
Generally
the first time a woman goes shopping for a statement necklace it’s for a
specific outfit. She’s going to a wedding, or a party she has her dress… but
NOTHING to go with it (we’ve all been there). This is often when she suddenly
thinks, “Hmmm, I’ve never tried a statement piece before, but maybe, just MAYBE
with this dress, I could pull it off.” UNTIL she reaches the jewelry department
and walks around up and down the fixtures staring at them, completely confused.
Here are my tips for her:
· For the
first necklace you’re looking to purchase, try and stick to necklaces with just
metal tones and clear stones/ gems. This is versatile, and you’ll get more wear
out of it after the event that you’re attending wearing that beautiful outfit.
You’ll also wear it more because it isn’t so ‘outgoing’. It’ll attract just the
right amount of attention without feeling like you could stop traffic with it
on.
·
If you
must have a bit of color, BRING A PICTURE (or even better the actual dress/
shirt/ outfit)! You’ll be able to better narrow down your choices if you’ve got
a specific color in mind! Also you can keep the colors relatively similar,
again so as to not shock the general public with your new found fashion sense.
·
If you’re
in a store with a consultant, ASK FOR HELP! They’ve been hired to work
specifically with jewelry and I mean usually you can tell by looking at them,
if they’ve got their shit together in the fashion department. Ask their
opinion, or check and see if they’ve got any advice, it is more than likely
they know what product they have and what is popular, and sometimes if you’re
lucky they’ll have something they haven’t yet had the chance to put out yet but
they may show it to you anyway.
·
If you’re
unwilling to ask, go for simple, and use this guide:
This
will guide you on finding the perfect necklace for the cut of your blouse/ top/
dress, whatever. That way you won’t look completely silly, if you haven’t followed
the rest of my rules thus far.
HOW TO ADD TO YOUR
COLLECTION
Now that you’ve attended that
wedding, and wooed all of your distant relative with how stylish you’ve become,
because of your new bling; it’s time to step up your game a little bit. It may
be a good idea to purchase statement pieces only when you’ve got a specific
outfit that could use a little flair (instead of all willy nilly, with reckless
abandon like some would accuse yours truly of…). This way you can make a
purchase with the confidence that you’ll wear it at least once. There are a
certain number of things that you can consider when you begin to add to your
collection. If you’ve got a specific top or dress, find a piece that has that
color, with at least one other. Another option, go for a complimentary color, preferably
only one, but hey girl, you do you (color wheel for your reference, you’re
welcome.)
BUT there isn’t anything
necessarily wrong with going into a shop and buying a piece even if you haven’t
got anything in mind to wear with it. After curating a large enough collection,
I often wing it while I’m in the store, and match it with things in my closet when
I get home. However for someone who is looking to add to their collection, a
useful tip, think of the colors you wear most often. Then go for things in that
color family, or a complimentary color (use the color wheel; again, you’re welcome,
no problem at all.) I GET IT THOUGH, sometimes you’re drawn to something, and
often times, that’ll be your most worn piece, and you WILL find things that you
own that match it, even if you can’t think of them while you’re standing in awe
staring at the beauty hanging on the shelf in front of you.
Another option, is to build up
your basic collection first, silver, gold, rose gold (sometimes necessary
although, not my favorite), a pearl-esque collar, something acrylic tortoise is
always useful, some with rhinestones, some with just plain chain. Then once you’ve
got your basics covered you can go for something a bit more adventurous, and
use the rules from above… and maybe even that color wheel too.
STATEMENT NECKLACES
RETAILERS AND COSTS
Where are the best places to buy
statement necklaces? Here’s the thing people, this is costume jewelry. It’s not
something you need to spend lots and lots of money on, because I hate to break
it to you but, it isn’t going to last nearly as long as those pearls you
inherited from granny. This jewelry is to polish off an outfit, it doesn’t need
to be name brand, and no matter what you pay, they generally look the same.
I find that specialty stores
like Charming Charlie and Francesca’s are good for jewelry if you’re really
into it, they’ve got more “outgoing” pieces, most of which are not for the
faint of heart. Department stores like Kohl’s, Macy’s and Target often offer
the same quality jewelry for less money, and I mean if you’re really not
looking to spend much, I also know Walmart has a fairly large selection for
around $10, I believe. If you’re really dedicated to jewelry (ahem, me) you can
look to online retailers, like BaubleBar or Stella and Dot which happen to be
quite expensive, but slightly better quality. I suppose it all just depends on
your level of interest.
At all of the places (aside from
Walmart) you’re looking at a price range of anywhere from $13, which would be
typical of Target, to as much as $40 or $50 for something from BaubleBar. This
stuff is not cheap, but guess what, I AM. I am very CHEAP. Normally I cannot justify
spending more than $10 on something I know won’t last super long (although I do
take VERY good care of my jewelry because I find it important so mine actually
does last a long time), I’ve found a few ways to score all of the jewelry and
gems of your dreams for a fraction of the cost, and I am going to share them
with you.
·
Shop the
jewelry clearance! NO ONE will know if you’ve got last winter’s necklace on once
you take the tag off of it. And guess what, you can style it so many ways that
you could wear it for years and years and never wear it the same way twice, if
you were determined enough.
·
This one
is a bit funny, LOOK for the broken things! You can often get money off of the
original price, or even better, the clearance price, if you opt to buy the
broken one and then fix it yourself at home. Because... GUESS WHAT those little
jump rings holding that $15 necklace together… yeah, they sell those at craft
store in a box of 40 for about $4.50. Invest in a box of jump rings and the
world is your oyster when it comes to jewelry.
·
Shop
during sales, most jewelry shops that sell only accessories hold % off sales,
and also give out coupons. Use these to your advantage, young grasshopper.
·
Buy things
online, amazon and eBay have people who sell only jewelry, that often look like
the expensive pieces but are a fraction of the actual price. Etsy has a
selection of people who make jewelry too, and then you’d potentially have
something that is one of a kind!
·
Lastly,
MAKE YOUR OWN SHIT! You can go to any craft store and buy all of the things
necessary to make a beautiful statement necklace and as long as you’ve got
hands and a pair (or two) of pliers I promise, it is possible.
HOW I STYLE STATEMENT
NECKLACES
I wear a statement necklace
EVERY DAY, with almost no exceptions. I’ve made up some pretty fantastic
outfits, and some not so great ones. I think fashion and style is about
experimenting to find out what looks good for you, which colors and styles work
best. While I am constantly looking to try new outfits and styles, I do have
some favorites that I’d like to feature here.
The good ol’ preppy
layered look, with a bit of sparkle is my go to.
Dressing up a graphic
T-shirt is easily done with a statement necklace.
If you’re feeling
adventurous layering the necklaces themselves is a viable option too.
All black outfits with
colorful statement necklaces, because “more is more and less is a bore”
(Thanks, Iris).
Colors on colors is
something I’m not afraid of, sometimes you’ve just got to be the conversation piece.
OK! Well I hope you’ve
enjoyed, maybe even feel a bit inspired? Who knows, stranger things have
happened. Look around next week for the next post in my series, I will be
excited to share!
Cheers!
xoxo
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