How to Accessorize with Earrings
I am an earring fiend— I never leave the house without at least one pair of earrings on! A couple years ago, I started to realize the potential of earrings and how much they can really add to an outfit. Today, I don’t think any outfit is complete without a matching pair of earrings to round out the look. I own probably around 70 pairs... it’s become more of a collection rather than just some accessories! I love bold earrings, costume earrings, and statement earrings, and I’m happy to see that in the past year, statement earrings have become very trendy and can be found in almost every store. Here is how I have learned to accessorize outfits with bold earrings!
Center-of-Attention Earrings
I have quite a few pairs of earrings that are outlandish and eye-catching. Accessorizing with these bold styles are not as intimidating as you might think! Everyone’s tastes and expressions are different, and even I don’t follow these guidelines all the time. However, these are a few good rules of thumb to use when styling earrings. With large or detailed earrings, I often try to style my outfit around the jewels instead of finding earrings to match my outfit. With this pair, I typically keep my outfit simple—maybe even monochromatic. I like to identify the earrings’ color palette and wear clothes with the same colors. If the earring has red in it, I’ll find a matching red top or bottom with another plain-colored counterpart. It is important not to be too busy if you want your earrings to be the stars of the show.
Solid Color Earrings
This category is the largest part of my collection. Often, earrings are usually one color or variations of a single color. Whether it’s a statement color or not, I typically follow these guidelines when picking out a pair to match my outfit. I like to pick a color featured in my outfit, either prominently or subtly, and wear matching earrings. An example would be wearing white earrings to match my white boots or red cherry earrings when wearing a shirt with red and green in the pattern. Again, it doesn’t ever have to be an exact match! I find that picking one element of your outfit, whether it’s shoes, a belt, or a scarf, and wearing earrings with a complimenting color always ties the look together!
A Subtle Look
Not everyone loves—or even wants—to pull off bold earrings ! Sometimes, even I will wear small or subtle earrings to add a nice touch to an outfit. Small dangly earrings are easier to style and hard to mess up, so if you are wearing them as a finishing touch, pick earrings that match the aesthetic or “vibe” of your outfit. An example is wearing small flower earrings if my outfit has more organic or natural colors, or dangly pearl earrings if I’m wearing a more sophisticated look. Additionally, if you’re wearing other jewelry, it's easier to match your earrings when looking at your other accessories. If you’re wearing rings or necklaces, find earrings that don’t draw attention, but instead compliment the style of your other jewelry to tie the look together.
Metals
A rule I’m sure everyone is familiar with: mixing silver, gold, and bronze is typically a no-no. I don’t follow this rule all the time, but for the most part, you can’t go wrong with complimenting your outfit with matching metals. Match your earrings to your other jewelry, the clasps on your shoes, or your belt buckle. It will really make your outfit come together! Another tip: when in doubt, wear hoops! If I can’t find the perfect earrings, I have a pair of reliable silver and gold hoops that work with literally any outfit.
Don’t let statement earrings intimidate you! Styling with earrings almost always elevates an outfit. A final tip: My favorite place to get earrings from is Dynamite Vintage downtown. They have a giant collection to satisfy any style! Indigo Child also has a pretty great collection, and even Target has some awesome and trendy statement earrings. Safe shopping and happy styling!