Accessorising dresses is an art that can elevate your entire look! The right accessories can enhance your outfit without overpowering it or dress up a relatively simple outfit. Here are some tips and tricks for accessorising formal dresses:
Jewellery
With jewellery you need to keep it balanced. If your dress has intricate details opt for simpler jewellery to avoid overwhelming the look. For minimalist or solid-colour dresses, you can afford to be a bit bolder with your jewellery choices.
Here’s some tips for the top three pieces of jewellery:
Earrings:
- For strapless or off-the-shoulder dresses, statement earrings or chandelier earrings are perfect, but avoid pairing with a statement necklace. A bare neck can be more complementary.
- For dresses with high necklines or detailed collars, consider studs to keep the focus on the dress itself.
- If the dress is minimalistic, large, bold earrings can add an elegant touch.
Necklaces:
- With a plunging neckline, a bare neckline can be stunning and elongate the neckline.
- For a scoop or sweetheart neckline, a shorter statement necklace can be stunning.
- For a high neckline or turtleneck dress, avoid a necklace altogether. Do not be templated to hang a necklace over it.
Bracelets and Rings:
- A statement bracelet or cuff (not too tight or this can make your hands appear large) can complement a sleeveless dress.
- When wearing long sleeves or a dress with intricate sleeve details, keep the bracelets minimal.
- If you’re wearing a bold ring, consider keeping other jewellery minimal on the same hand to avoid clashing. This also involves potentially swapping your watch to the other hand.
Handbags and Clutches
With handbags and clutches, depending on your outfit, you can either go big or you can keep it simple. Use these tips to figure out what works best for your dress:
- Small and Elegant: For formal events, a small clutch or a miniature handbag is the best choice, however, lets face it, you need it to hold your phone and lipstick (as a minimum) so make sure these fit, otherwise the bag is just another thing to carry.
- Metallics: Gold, silver, or jewelled clutches work well with many formal dresses, especially those in darker or neutral shades. For bold-coloured dresses, consider a more neutral clutch to balance the look. But be careful with jewelled clutches as they can destroy your dress!!
- Matching or Contrasting: You can match your clutch with the dress colour or choose one that contrasts to create an eye-catching pop.
Shoes
With shoes you need to make sure you are comfortable, there is nothing less glamourous than someone who can’t walk in their shoes! but when attending a formal event, heels are a must (height depending on the dress style)
- Match or Contrast: For a timeless look, you can match your shoes to your dress colour or opt for metallic tones like gold, silver, or nude or add a pop of colour using your clutch to tone it in.
- Comfort is Key: If you’re attending a long event, consider platform heels or a low kitten heel, to ensure your comfort throughout the night. (pop a few blister plasters in your clutch as a wee fail safe)
Our Final Tips:
- Don’t Overdo It: With formal dresses, it’s easy to get carried away with accessories. Focus on one or two statement pieces, like bold earrings or a striking clutch, are more than enough.
- Stay True to the Dress Style: Your accessories should match the tone of the event and the style of the dress. For example, if your dress is vintage inspired, choose accessories that align with that vibe.
…And remember accessories should always complement not detract.
