Transition back to my original thought: A few of weeks ago, couple of friends and I decided to throw back a few at a newer bar that just opened up a couple months ago on the Hill called Tommy Gun. (Another side note: The male bartender that night was generous with the alcohol/mixer ratio in the drinks which is a rarity these days. Add a warm pretzel with spicy mustard to one of his specialty cocktails and you've got a major plus in my book!) But during the evening, one of my friends commented on my newest find, a quirky cameo ring with an octopus carving-- not your typical cameo piece-- and she remarked how she doesn't know how to accessorize. She's at a loss and her issue is a typical one. On the other hand, I find it as natural as putting on matching socks. Like when an interior designer looks at an empty room and sees endless possibilities of wall coverings and furniture, textiles and paint colors; I see the same on a person. And while not everyone sees an apartment like a designer, not everyone sees a person and gets a sense of what jewelry pieces work best.
She posed the question, how does my ring work with everything else I was wearing? If memory serves (because I usually remember events based on what I was wearing), I had the octopus ring with my silver snake thumb ring on my left hand and my black diamond band ring on my right, a long chain mother-of-pearl carved necklace my mother owned from the 1970s paired with a fleur de lis pewter pendant (which I typically always wear), and hematite stud earrings completed the look. My advice to her: when I put the pieces on, I keep adding until I felt right and balanced. I choose things that go rather than match. And for me, I hate matchy-matchy so you'll never find me wearing the same design of earrings as the necklace (= snore).
The science of accessorizing (for those who need an algorithm for this kind of thing): the octopus ring while it didn't match, had qualities that brought out other qualities of the mother-of-pearl necklace, the hematite earrings complemented the black diamond band ring and the silver snake ring brought out the fleur de lis pendant. Ah, the jewelry trifecta.
But here's the kicker that maddens some people: sometimes the science of things goes out the window because sometimes I just feel like being a little more eclectic and you can't put a pulse on it. Inspiration can't be explained sometimes. Things don't match but they go and it just feels right. One necklace might match but depending on the circumstance, I just don't feel like it goes that day.
Savvy still?
So ask yourself this when you're putting on your jewelry in the morning... does it match or does it go?
And I hope if you aren't still humming the Clash song, I've now brought it back in your head again. You're welcome.
This helped me Carrie. I too have difficulty picking out accessories that match. As a result, I generally pick nothing. Because I usually pick nothing, I generally buy nothing. So you can see the cycle. Perhaps at the next opportunity to wear or buy, I'll sing to myself "does it match or does it go now" and have better luck!
ReplyDeleteI too have the same problem as Tara. I basically only have one necklace and one pair of earrings that I wear on a regular basis. If I'm not wearing either of those pieces, I'm likely not wearing any jewelry at all, other than my wedding ring. The necklace and earrings match and sadly, I was not aware of my grave accessorizing error prior to reading your post. Thank you Carrie for helping me see the light. Not only will I NOT wear the two together in the future, but you've inspired me to begin searching for more jewelry!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the love girls! Glad I could give you food for thought. And Rachel, you can wear whatever combination of jewelry you want... I like to mix things up but if you love it, wear it! :)
ReplyDelete