Jewellery and dresses: the dos and don'ts

Choose the perfect jewellery to go with all your favourite dresses, with our helpful roundup of what works and what to avoid. 

What jewellery should you wear with your favourite dress?

Wondering what jewellery will go with that new dress you’ve been dying to wear? Want to make an entrance at that party next week but not sure what sparkly goodies go best with your killer outfit? Perhaps you have a ‘work do’ and need to dress to impress?

Happily, we’ve got plenty of tips and advice about what jewellery works best with all the different dress styles in your wardrobe - and we're willing to share!

Whether you're choosing jewellery to accessorise your trusty little black dress, or complement your favourite tea dress, we have helpful suggestions to set you on the right path. Feel confident that you're choosing the right pieces and look amazing, with our advice below.

Jewellery to wear with your little black dress

We’ve all got one. A trusty little black dress that makes us look good and feel special. But what sort of jewellery goes best with your favourite LBD? 

Now, we should add a slight caveat here, because there are obviously a huge range of different styles of LBDs out there and what jewellery works best will depend greatly on the style and neckline of your particular dress. But there is plenty more detail to help with that below.

As a general rule, however, we think statement jewellery is the way to go. That's because most of the time your jewellery is there to complement and enhance your outfit. Whereas your little black dress is essentially a blank canvas or empty stage to work with. A chance for your jewellery to be the star of the show, without overpowering your dress. So get those statement pieces out and wear them with confidence!

Our favourite LBD jewellery combinations include chunky chains in silver and gold, paired with a pair of statement hoops. Wear chains short, in a choker style. Or choose long, layered chains with pendants or charms for a more textured look.

Statement jewellery also presents an opportunity to add a flash of colour to your little black dress ensemble.

Choose chunky crystal or colourful gemstone necklaces and earrings to add a flash of colour. But if your evening calls for something more refined, try layering fine gold chains. Or even consider pearls. After all, the traditional pearl choker and little black dress is a classic look, coined by the likes of Audrey Hepburn and never out of fashion.

Jewellery to wear with high-necked dresses

On those chilly autumn and winter days, there’s nothing more cosy than a high-necked dress. But a high neckline can pose challenges when choosing jewellery. With so much fabric around the neckline, you don’t want to make your accompanying jewellery too complicated, or things could get messy.

Our advice is to keep it simple, by choosing to wear either a necklace or earrings, rather than both, for instance. But choosing one piece doesn’t mean you have to be boring. Because a high neckline directs attention towards the face, use it as an opportunity to show off a pair of statement earrings. A stunning pair of dangling statement earrings that compliment or contrast with the colours of your outfit, for example. Or a pair of stunning sparklers that add impact to your look.

Alternatively, forget flashy earrings and focus on long chain necklaces in singles or layers. You could even add charms for extra texture. Long layers look particularly effective against bold background colours like black, red, white or navy. You can also add extra bling to your look with a bracelet stack, or a glamorous cocktail ring.

Jewellery to wear with your Bardot or strapless dresses

When wearing a Bardot or strapless neckline, attention is focussed on the shape of your neck and shoulders. This leaves a big area of skin to play with, so don’t hold back when composing your look. But focus on complementing and accentuating those aspects, rather than detracting from them.

Delicate dangling earrings come into their own here, accentuating the gap between your ears and shoulders and giving you a lovely long neck. Look at pretty dangling pearls, long chain earrings or even large, textured hoops.

When it comes to necklaces to wear with a Bardot or strapless dress, we love to layer long and short chains. Drawing attention to the neck and chest. Combine delicate chains, chains with pendants and embellished chains for interesting textures and layers. Add a chain bracelet stack and perhaps a decorative ring stack or two to build on this look.

Jewellery to wear with v-neck dresses

The ‘v’ shape of a v-neck dress will naturally draw attention to your chest. This is an open invitation to experiment with pendant necklaces of all kinds. From shorter, choker versions, to longer chains with pendants that nestle in the bosom. 

Choosing the right pendant to go with your favourite v-neck dress will depend on the colour of your dress and the occasion. For more formal events, for instance, choose a classic necklace design that compliments the colour or style of your dress. For casual occasions, you have a more freedom to choose pendants that speak to you and your personality, so look at gemstones and charms for inspiration. 

With so much attention on the neckline, it's probably best to keep earrings minimal. Small hoop earrings or huggies are a good choice. But you can always add cocktail rings and bold bangles to add more sparkle.

Cocktail chic jewellery

There’s a lot of fun to be had when choosing jewellery to go with your cocktail dress. Different types of cocktail dress obviously call for different accessories and there are a few different paths you can choose from.

For those slinky, body-hugging cocktail dresses, you want the attention to be on the dress (and the body in it!) not your accessories. So you will need jewellery that elevates rather than detracts from your look.

We love experimenting with bangles and bracelet stacks, cocktail rings with stones, or ring stacks.

Fine gold chains that dangle seductively low on deep v-necks are always a winner. Simply add an attention-grabbing pendant for extra allure. 

But when your dress already makes a statement, like a one-shouldered dress or a bold colour, for example, you will need jewellery to match.

There’s no point in being shy when it comes to accessories, so go big with the sparkle. Chunky crystal necklaces or chains would be our choice, with earrings to match. Highlight the colour of your dress with matching jewellery, or go for contrasting colours to make a big statement.

On-trend jewellery to wear with your tea dresses

Tea dresses look great with all kinds of jewellery. Most are patterned, so for those dresses already rocking spots, stripes or flowers, we suggest keeping your jewellery designs fairly plain and simple. 

We enjoy teaming these tea dresses with simple necklace stacks or pendants in plain or sculpted metal. But they also look lovely with pearl earrings and bracelets, or gemstones that pick out a key colour from the pattern. A pair of pearl studs or simple gold hoops make an ideal combination and rings in plain bands of silver or gold will beautifully complete the look.