Matching Your Jewelry to Your Outfits: How to Color-Coordinate Your Accessories this Spring

With spring just around the corner, it’s time to think about how to color-coordinate your jewelry and other accessories with your outfits. Fashion designers have already set the stage for predicting and creating the trends in fashion accessories, colors, and styles for 2014. Here’s a glimpse of what you will see in stores once the post-holiday sales have ended, and tips on how you can take advantage of the latest trends.

Throw back to the 1930s

Along with the revival of several classic stores with movies such as The Great Gatsby, retro fashion is coming back into place with tear-drop earrings, pearls, pastel colors, Peter Pan colors and bits of sparkle dotted throughout headbands. To match your jewelry to your outfit for a retro look, consider checking out vintage stores for clothes or for inspired outfit ideas.

Take a look at Bette Davis’ style for inspiration—everything from her kitten heels and buttoned shirts for to floor length dress and simple up-do hair styles look great. No need for bright colors unless they’re classic shades of red, deep purple, green emerald, or other jewel tones. Overall, white and black with small hints of color and touches of metal (gold or silver) will look best.

If you want a slightly more modern style, Audrey Hepburn is a classic icon of fashion; especially in her most memorable roles such as Holly Golightly from Breakfast at Tiffany’s and Jo Stockton in Funny Face. Pair a classy little black dress with a layer or two of pearls, and keep the rest of your outfit simple.

Diamond in the rough

Often when we think about diamonds and jewels, we might envision a perfectly polished and shaped gem. However, jagged and natural pieces are popular if you love to wear bohemian chic-inspired outfits. Look for leather-bound necklaces or bracelets that are adorned with a rough cut (not perfectly polished) purple amethyst. To go for that bohemian western feel, select rust colors such as deep maroon, forest green, or chocolate brown.

Many fashion designers have featured pieces of jewelry with a single large stone in place of small geometric shapes on a chain. To continue with a natural look, consider wearing metal wire pieces with copper, silver, or gold finishes. Metal wire is flexible enough that it can wrap around the gemstone, yet sturdy enough to keep it secure. One of the most popular metals of late is rose gold which looks beautiful with pink-toned or pastel colors.

Hipster gold geometrics

As more and more people conform to the “hipster” trend of plaid shirts, tight jeans, and colored tights with skirts, so does geometrically-shaped jewelry. One difference, however, is that instead of bright neon yellow, orange, and pink, try pairing the jewelry with pastel colors to match the tones of spring. Wear a pair of earrings with different geometric shapes, like diamonds, circles, or squares. Rather than wearing jewelry with a silver base, try the more popular gold in thin chains or chunky necklaces. If you check out stores such as Urban Outfitters and Topshop, you will be able to find the perfect outfit. Even Beyoncé knows what’s up with this trend.

Awards events fashion

Need some more fashion designer-inspired jewelry ideas for your look this spring? Flip through the channels to check out the latest trends on the red carpet during awards season. Recently at the Golden Globes, many celebrities wore anything from bright colored to beige dresses with silver star-studded earrings or gold bangles.

When it comes to color-coordinating your fashion look for spring, take into consideration what elements are included in your pieces of jewelry. If you go for retro, keep everything simple, from the color to the overall design. If you like bohemian styles, look for earth-inspired pieces from gemstones to metals. When keeping up with the latest hipster trends, the more colorful and bright the pieces, the better.