by Ilanit Moskal

Created on: June 16, 2008

The often quoted, and legendary Coco Chanel has been known to say that before leaving the house a woman should stop, look in the mirror and remove one item. The point Madame Chanel was making still holds true for women today, although it takes on a slightly different shape. A woman should stop and look in the mirror before leaving the house and make sure that she has truly optimized her outfit.

Every woman knows that the staple of a great wardrobe is the LBD (to the fashion challenged: the little black dress). The LBD with a pair of stylish pumps is a classic outfit and a woman can not go wrong wearing it, right? Wrong. What I meant by saying that a woman should optimize her outfit is this: while the LBD and pumps combo is nice, why settle for nice when you can be stunning? In order to achieve a complete look (especially a classic one) a woman needs to add the appropriate jewelry. You are not fully dressed until you have added that statement-making jeweled item that will not only attract attention but also keep it.

The key to completing your look with jewelry is to choose the appropriate pieces. Think of your ensemble as a movie or play: there can be many characters but there is only one leading lady. You should choose one piece (a necklace, bracelet, ring, etc.) to be the star, and all other pieces to be the supporting characters. When you have too many leading ladies they tend to compete with each other and your look will be overwhelmed. You also want to choose pieces that will serve as a foil for your outfit, emphasizing certain colors or styles and bringing attention to particular parts of your body.

Once again, you do not want to create competition between the pieces of jewelry you choose, or between the jewelry and the outfit itself. The key to looking truly put together is to use pieces that will stand out and at the same time complement each other and whatever it is you are wearing. Another issue to keep in mind is the right piece for the right occasion.

This may sound like a lot of rules to follow and many issues to keep in mind, but with some practice it truly becomes second nature. Use your mirror and edit your look with a critical eye; try different pieces together with different outfits, have fun with it. Try combinations that may seen counterintuitive, like jeans and a t-shirt with pearls. You may think that two items do not go together but you never know until you see them on. Keep in mind that once you have mastered the art of accessorizing with jewelry, not only will you know the rules, but best of all you will know what rules can be bent or broken without disastrous consequences for your look.

Another way to use jewelry to your advantage is to take on signature pieces. How do you do that? Simple, find pieces in a specific theme or motif that speak to your aesthetic and typify your style and wear them often (with the right outfit of course). Your signature might be nature inspired brooches, earrings featuring cameos, or (my personal favorite) enormous stone cocktail rings. Once you find your signature you will notice that you begin to work your outfit around your favorite pieces. The truly fabulous is just a step away, it can be as simple as adding the right pair of earrings.

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