Summer outfits typically require much less layering in terms of garments. Your daily outfits may be much more casual during the warmer months as well—more T-shirts and cotton dresses. To keep the looks from feeling unfinished, try this one easy style tip: layer your necklaces. Here is some guidance with examples from recent client sessions.
Stacking and Layering
You can layer individual necklaces or opt for a piece that is already layered (such as the silver double snake chain in the second photo below). Clients always ask me if it’s OK to mix metals—yes! When done correctly, mixing metals looks elevated and chic. The concept of High-Low can be applied as well: fine jewelry mixed with fun beads creates a stylish summer look. And colorful beads are having a moment this summer (in addition to sea shells).
* Photos below show 1) Mixing metals, diamonds and neutral beads 2) Matching metals in both earrings and necklaces and 3) Elevating a simple black T-shirt by boldly layering color, metals and multiple shapes
The Rule of Three
The human eye loves to find the ‘middle’ of anything and so three items makes the viewer happy. This rule applies well to necklaces. Here are some examples of that.
*Photos below show 1) Three graduated lengths of similar style and metal tone 2) Three diverse shapes and lengths in same metal tone with color added and 3) One long strand necklace draped to create three graduated lengths
Proportion and Shape
Proportion plays a big part in any successful layering. A white T-shirt is a blank canvas for mixing long and short, beads and leather and metal, too.
If your top has a mini-stripe then opt for a delicate necklace to echo the smallness of the stripe. If your top has an overall floral print and you have a necklace in the shape of a flower, use that to echo the design. Small details like this make a big impact.
*Photos below show 1) Combining different shapes and materials to elevated a basic white V-neck 2) A delicate station pearl necklace over stripes—the ‘layering’ here is in the design lines created by one single necklace over multiple stripe lines and 3) Continuing the floral theme of the top into the flower pendant of the necklace
Play with your pendants
Don’t forget that you can remove and add pendants to create completely different looks. Sometimes wearing just a simple chain with the pendant removed adds the perfect finishing layer to a necklace stack. And sometimes doubling up on the pendants in one necklace creates a unique piece that no one else will ever have (because you created it by mixing two pendants from different necklaces).
*Photos below show the same three necklaces but in 1) the circle pendant is on its own thin chain and in 2) we removed the circle pendant from its own thin chain and left that as a stacking element and then added the circle pendant to the T-bar chain so that there are two ‘charms’ on the one thicker chain
