Do you recall Coco Chanel telling us to take off an accessory before we walk out the door? However, some style influencers are flipping that idea on its head.
For example, a philanthropist Brooke Garber Neidich has gone through an unusual style evolution. In 1980, when the Domed Cuff was introduced, she started wearing two at a time, one in yellow and one in white gold. When the Tubogas Rolling Bracelets came out in 1985, she did not hold herself back in stacking two bangles together (two yellow gold bands and one white gold). She now wears three of those on her wrist, along with a six-strand version. Garber Neidich drew inspiration from photographs of Tina Chow wearing an ivory T-shirt, an oversized sweater, and several layers of necklaces.
Her necklaces grew longer with time. Chains, pearls, halo-set diamonds, gold charms, gold and diamond chains, even floral and green sapphire strands – she wears them all. Garber Neidich loves the depth all this layering adds, saying that she is “jewelry-first” when it comes to choosing what she will wear for the day.
The owner of Sidney Garber advocates odd-number stacks, bold accessories, and one final iPhone selfie before leaving the house. The result? Women tend to find themselves buying whatever she is wearing, anyway.
So why does she feel sometimes under-accessorized? An armful of bracelets and layers of diamonds may look like effortless chic, but there definitely needs to be some strategy here. Ultimately, it’s all about balance for Garber Neidich. She uses her wardrobe as a rather neutral, minimalist backdrop for the jewelry pieces that grab all the attention. She said that she doesn’t believe in symmetry because it looks more natural. Instead of sticking to all the traditional guidelines, she would rather not do that.
The founder of Foundrae, Beth Hutchens prefers a line of heavily gold-chained and vintage heart-charmed jewelry (as worn by Gwyneth Paltrow). Such pieces have literally become her second nature, which is testified by the fact that she even sleeps in some of her pieces. It seems that they are not just adornment but rather an extension of her.
Through simply layering chains and bracelets and mixing them with an understated vintage T-shirt — sometimes layering them, even to bed – Ms. Hutchens pulls off her heavy styling without piety. Jewelry has always been a key component of her personal brand, and she adores layering the stacks on stacks on stacks. She balances the heavy look with minimal effort on other parts of her appearance. Her hair, which looks more like a wiry nest, is never brushed, and most of her makeup stays minimal (dark eyeliner, as always). During each outing, she wears at least one vintage, thrift, or unexpectedly inexpensive item (a $10 T-shirt from Canal Street, for example).
Like Garber Neidich, she stresses the importance of balance: “As one savvy lady once told me, you can either do your hair or your face, but never both.” It seems like such a selective approach may work with jewelry pieces too, as long as you are making smart decisions.
Lisa Pomerantz, a luxury brand consultant, takes a similar but personalized approach. She wears most of her jewelry all at once and chooses basic clothing. She has built what she calls her “permanent base of comfort” over the years – pieces that serve as the foundation of her jewelry wardrobe, which she never takes off. So, at this point in her life, she embraces a uniform way of dressing.
After putting on all the clothes and accessories, Ms. Pomerantz looks in the mirror one last time and usually adds one or two statement pieces atop her base layers. She maintains that when you wear something elaborate or ostentatious, playfully approaching it with irreverence, it makes the piece work for you instead of against you. Whatever that last glance in the mirror may be – whether you end up putting on something extra or removing something, – it just seems to be the key. This ritual is also borrowed by Garber Neidich. She learned from her friend and stylist Kate Young to quickly take an iPhone picture and check it before leaving. This comes in so handy, and occasionally she will take off a piece or two. Ultimately, not looking overdone with a lot of jewelry comes down to expression, confidence, and balance. It’s just about your accessories speaking part of the story and not giving out all the details. Take it from this bunch, there really can be too much of a good thing.
