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The Right Necklace/White Shirt Combination

Posted by Joe Button on

A white dress shirt (try the Annie Hall from our Sartorial Collection) is the ultimate blank canvas but there are still rules that come in handy when deciding on a necklace to wear with it.

During the day, you have several options; it’s always acceptable to wear a small pendant on a short chain that peeks out behind an open collar. I am currently in love with the ‘The Heartshape Nail Necklace' from A.L.C. It’s small, it’s simple, it’s cute and it stands out.

                  A.L.C.'s ‘The Heartshape Nail Necklace'

If you’re feeling a bit more adventurous or confident, a colourful statement necklace like this one I found on Etsy can be worn underneath an open collar or over the top of a fully buttoned-up shirt.

'Lemon jasper Cleopatra' necklace from seller, johnnymeg on Etsy

The advantage of the statement necklace is that quite a few of them can make the transition from day to night, that much easier. Just slip on some outfit-appropriate heels, apply some bolder make-up, and grab a few more accessories and viola! Go from perusing the markets to drinks with the girls. This necklace from Cara Couture would be perfect!

                                   

                                Cara Couture necklace.

The only times where I would reconsider wearing the statement necklace is when you are either wearing a short skirt or wide-leg pants. In the case of the short skirt, I think that the statement necklace would imbalance the outfit – making the top half of the body too busy and leaving the bottomhalf, too bare. Wearing wide-leg pants creates more of a dramatic silhouette and the focus should be on that, as opposed to the jewellery. Adding a statement necklace to that silhouette would, in my opinion, be a tad over the top; the necklace would make less of a statement and the impact ofthe silhouette would be lost.

One necklace that I think goes well with the wide-leg look is the hanging pendant necklace. The ‘V’created by the hanging chains, act as visual vectors, to elongate the body and narrow the waist. As opposed to the statement necklaces which sit high on the collar and close to the neck, the hanging pendant necklace highlights the silhouette created by pairing the wide-leg pant with the white shirt. I’d go for pendants with interesting shapes or textures like this one from Kahili Creations.

                          

            Aqua quartz cluster necklace by Kahili Creations

With a white shirt, your choices are pretty open; just keep in mind what kind of overall style you’re going for. If you’re incorporating colours through your bottoms, for example, coloured denim, or other accessories, try to maintain a complementary colour palette in your jewellery. I don’t think there are concrete rules with jewellery mixing although I generally try not to mix silver and gold unless it’s white gold. I would also stick to the rule of having one or no statement jewellery pieces at a time. In other words, if you’re wearing a statement necklace, keep the bracelets and earrings fairly simple and vice versa. The only leeway you have if you wear a statement necklace are in the rings because they are far enough away from the neck to resist detracting from it – I wouldn’t go overboard though!

At the end of the day, there are exceptions to every rule and I’m sure there are people whom successfully pull off these looks that I’m advising against. My rules work for me and I think are helpful to people who are after a little bit of guidance but if you disagree with me and think you can pull it off, go for it!

Kay-Reena x

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