Fashion Tips

Face Shapes:

Classic Oval faces (those where the widest points hit slightly above the midpoints of the sides of the face) are considered by stylists to be the ‘ideal’ face shape.  The jawline of a Classic Oval face tends to be softly rounded and not too narrow, with a hairline that is similar.  Women with the Classic Oval face can wear just about any size and shape of jewelry.  This is dependent upon the length of your neck, width of your shoulders, and the symmetry of your facial features.  Use your best judgment to pick the jewelry that works best with your features.

• Examples of Celebrities: Jennifer Lopez, Lucy Liu, Halle Berry.

Inverted Oval faces are generally oval with the widest point hitting below the midpoints of the sides of the face.  This means that the upper part of the face is narrower than the jawline.  The types of recommended jewelry for Inverted Oval faces are shared with Round facial types.  Please refer to Round for examples.

    Examples of Celebrities: Melanie Griffith, Marisa Jaret Winokur, Kelly Osbourne.

Round faces are ones that are shorter and slightly wider than the Classic Oval face shape.  These faces have gradual curving lines, rather than hard angles.  Earrings for Inverted Oval and Round faces should be vertically long ovals or other shapes with width and gently curving lines. 
 
Earrings should end between the earlobe and the jawline (though, if your neck is longer, they can extend below the jawline).  Avoid long, thin, linear earrings, as they will emphasize the roundness of your face. 
 
Pearls and strands of beads should be long enough to hit the middle or bottom of your breastbone.  Avoid chokers or very short necklaces that sit high on the neck, since the horizontal line will make your face look wider.  If you’re wearing beads, the larger they are, the more wide they will make your face look.  Avoid fine, thin chains of any length.  

• Examples of Celebrities: Isabella Rossellini, Kirsten Dunst, Christina Ricci.

• Examples of Celebrities: Sarah Jessica Parker, Hilary Swank.

• Examples of Celebrities: Reese Witherspoon, Kate Hudson, Gwen Stefani, and even Jay Leno.

Diamond shaped faces are ovals where the widest point of the oval hits at the midpoint of the sides of the face.  The hairline and chin are angled such that both are noticeably narrower than the widest, center part of the face.

Drop earrings look great on Diamond, Inverted Triangle, and Heart-Shaped faces.  They help to balance out the upper and lower portions of these faces.  Inverted Triangles with long, narrow necks look fabulous in shoulder-duster earrings.  Unless you want to highlight your pointed chin, do not select earrings that mimic the shape of your face.
 
These facial shapes should avoid necklaces that are strongly vertical directly under the chin.  Chokers and short, gently round necklaces are more flattering than v-shaped designs.

• Examples of Celebrities: Beyonce Knowles, Venus and Serena Williams.

 
Triangular faces have narrow foreheads, and wide jaws.  The jaw may be strong and square or more rounded like in the inverted oval or round face.  These faces share jewelry recommendations with the Square face.  Please see that face shape for suggestions.

• Examples of Celebrities: Minnie Driver

Square faces have angular jaws with hairlines that are about the same width as the jawline.  Depending on the impression a woman with a Square face wants to make, she will either play up the angular look (for business), or use more curved jewelry to soften the lines of her face for a more approachable demeanor.

Because Square faced women usually wish to deemphasize the length of their faces, short earrings are the way to go.  The length should lie between the ear and the jawline.  If you have a longer neck, the earrings may extend to the midpoint of the neck.
 
Longer necklaces (low-to-mid breastbone) look best on Square faced women.  Short, fine chains with small pendants tend to emphasize the jawline and make the face look wider.

• Examples of Celebrities: Maria Shriver, Salma Hayek, Demi Moore, and Jennifer Aniston.

Jewelry for Different Body Shapes:

Scale is the most important issue relative to your body type.  The scale of your jewelry should be in keeping with your physical size.  Three indicators of your body scale are your bone structure as seen at the wrists and ankles, the size of your facial features, and the amount of space your body appears to occupy.  Larger jewelry tends to look best on larger women; smaller jewelry tends to look better on smaller women.  Unless the woman’s personality matches that of the jewelry (i.e. A gregarious personality on a tiny woman), this rule of thumb tends to hold true.

      Tips for the Full-Figured Woman:

                        Do:

                        -Wear large, bold pieces of jewelry.

                        -Layer many pieces of thin or small jewelry (like chains and bracelets).

                        -Wear jewelry that fits properly, and does not dig into your skin.
 

                        Do Not:

                        -Wear fine millimeter chains with tiny pendant.

                        -Wear thin bracelets.

                        -Wear long, narrow, linear earrings.

            Tips for the Petite Woman:

                        Do:

                        -Wear small, delicate earrings.

                        -Wear delicate necklaces that fall at the base of the throat.

                        -Wear delicate wrist and ankle bracelets.

                        -Wear just one statement piece to accent a particular feature.

                        Do Not:

                        -Wear long, dangling earrings, unless you have a long neck.      

                        -Wear chokers which will make you look shorter.

                        -Wear long or very dense necklaces, which will overwhelm you.

            Tips for the Tall Woman:

                        Do:

                        -Wear long drop earrings or a choker if you have a long neck.

                        -Wear elaborate, multi-strand necklaces.

                        -Wear wide-cuff bracelets.

                        Do Not:

                        -Wear very tiny or delicate items of jewelry.

                        -Wear very long strands of pearls or beads, unless worn in volume.

Miscellaneous Tips:

• Use repetitive designs, textures, and colors to add to an overall look.
• Keep all of the accessories you’re wearing consistent.  For instance, you should not mix chunky and delicate pieces.  You can, however, mix similarly scaled and colored jewelry from different eras.  This is not unlike mixing patterns in fabric—you never want the look to clash or to be too busy.
• Only draw attention to one main focus point.
• Experiment with colors and combinations that you might not have thought of as “you” before.
• Earrings can be used as pins.
• Thicker necklaces can be doubled or tripled for use as bracelets.
• Pins and brooches can be used in your hair (when secured with bobby pins), on the cuffs of gloves, blouses, or shirts, on hats, soft purses, muffs or stoles, boots or shoes, as accents on the low back of an evening dress, to fasten cardigan or wrap sweaters, or to hold unstructured jackets together.
• Develop a “signature” style, like multiple strands of pearls, a particular bright color, or lots of bangle bracelets. 
• Use jewelry to dress appropriately for each occasion.
• Consider the width and depth of the neckline you are wearing when choosing a necklace.  For instance, turtleneck sweaters look nice with long, layered strands of beads, but a typical t-shirt neckline would look best with a necklace whose length falls right along the edge of the line.
• Consider your skin tone and eye color when selecting gemstone jewelry, i.e. Peridot rings for hazel eyes, golden topaz colors for medium-darker skin tones, etc.

Special thanks and credit for all jewelry tips go to “Jewelry Savvy: What Every Jewelry Wearer Should Know,” by Cynthia A. Sliwa and Caroline Stanley.