Suit wearing isn’t just for the men to enjoy and there are plenty of options for ladies who choose to rock the formal suit over an evening or smart dress. However, there is more to wearing a suit than a simple shirt, trousers and jacket and to really turn heads when you walk in the room, you’ll want to find the accessories that make others go ‘Wow!’
Accessories don’t have to be loud and intrusive; you’ll probably look out of place wearing a rainbow coloured scarf for instance but instead can bring a bit of shimmer and shine to your suit and tie together your outfit nicely. Make sure to pair accessories correctly, there is a bit of thought that goes into complementary and contrasting colours, as well as ensuring your accessories don’t overthrow the look by appearing out of place in your ensemble.
To help you find the pieces that will make your outfit pop, we’ve put together the below handy guide, including how to wear certain accessories such as how to wear a lapel pin and how to use cufflinks.
Choosing the Right Colours
Colours are important; too bright and you run the risk of sticking out like a sore thumb and potentially even considered an eyesore. All black is popular but should be jazzed up with suitable silver or grey accessories that offer a subtle brightness and prevent you looking like a thundercloud on an otherwise joyous or formal occasion. Darker suits such as navy, black and grey look great with plain silver, titanium or gunmetal jewellery or for those high-brow, black-tie prestigious events, invest in some quality white gold. Lighter suits, commonly available in dusky pink, neutral tans and chic white provide more options for accessories and suit gold metals, alongside pretty natural stones such as sapphire and emerald.
If you aren’t sure how to start matching your suit colour, begin by complimenting your skin tone, choosing light and white metals for cooler skin tones and golds, coppers and yellows for a warmer skin tone. Your skin tone isn’t the same thing as your skin colour and you can check what skin tone you have by looking at your veins under natural light; if your veins appear blue or purple in hue, you have a cool skin tone, whereas veins that look slightly greener indicate a warm skin tone.
Picking the Right Accessories
Accessories aren’t restricted to jewellery but include your shoes, handbags, watch and belt, should you need to wear one, so it’s important to find the right bits to match your outfit. When wearing leathers, make sure the leathers are closely matching, so stick to black or brown leathers across your belt, handbag, watch strap and shoes rather than mixing and matching a black handbag with a brown belt.
Certain accessories are not only stylish but functional, if you need to wear a tie for example, you’ll want to include a tie pin or bar that will keep your tie firmly in place (and prevent it from flopping into your dinner!) Similar for cufflinks, they fit through cuff buttonholes to prevent your sleeve cuffs coming undone and potentially getting stained from food or drink and ensure your outfit looks tidy. Only certain shirts are suitable for wearing with cufflinks so double check your dress shirt sleeves before splashing out on a luxury pair of cufflinks. Lapel pins, while they do not have a functional use, are used to show your personal affiliations or supported causes in a non-intrusive and stylish manner and can make a great talking point when meeting new people.
The important thing is not to stress about your outfit, enjoy the process of finding complimenting accessories and treat yourself to a piece of jewellery that makes you smile. After all, a luxury, high-quality piece of jewellery or accessory is a good investment and will last for decades to come!
