This started with a drawer full of colourful jewelry I never wore.
I got dressed outfit first. By the time I got to my jewelry, the safe choice always won. The basic one you grab without thinking.
So I turned it around. I put on the necklace I actually wanted to wear, then found an outfit to go with it. My outfit was never the boring part. Once the piece came first, I started combining colours and prints I would not have dared to put together.
Beau, founder of YourStyleBase
Here is how it works, in four steps.
Choose the piece you feel like wearing
Open your jewelry box before you open your wardrobe. Which necklace or earrings pull you in today? A colourful beaded necklace, small hoops, a bold ring or a few fine gold-tone chains.
Do not ask what goes with your outfit. Ask what you want to say today. Calm, playful or outspoken. That piece is your starting point.
Let the colour choose your outfit
Wearing a colourful piece? Let the colour lead. A green beaded necklace sits calmly with beige, white or black. Gold-tone pieces work with warm earth tones. Silver-tone pieces work with grey, blue and crisp white.
Nothing has to match exactly. Look for a colour in your clothes that lets the piece speak, not one that competes with it.
Keep the base calm
When the piece is your starting point, your outfit can stay simple. A white tee with tailored trousers. A black top with jeans. An oversized blazer over a plain shirt.
The calmer the base, the more room your piece gets.
Combine lengths
Want to wear more than one necklace? Combine lengths. Start with a short necklace close to your neck and add a longer one that falls lower. The difference in length and texture creates balance.
Beads next to a fine chain almost always work. One piece brings colour, the other brings calm.
Why this works
When you start with the piece, you choose more deliberately. You wear your pieces more often, the colourful ones too. A simple outfit suddenly feels finished.
Tomorrow you choose something else. That is exactly the idea. Looking for a place to start? Have a look at our bestsellers.
Start with the piece. The outfit gets braver.
