7 Essential Necklaces

April is almost over and I’m still loving my 10-Item Wardrobe!  Accessories play a critical role in keeping things interesting.  I shared my humble recommendations for essential Spring scarves and now I’m going to try my very hardest to narrow down my necklace collection to the 7 absolute essentials for style-savvy women – whether necklace newbies or avid accessorizors!  Sit back, relax and get ready to see a whole lotta my $4.20 J Crew mint tee and, well, my boobs.

#1 – statement necklace

Statement necklaces are still going strong!  Sparkly, jewels, what’s not to love?!  I had to give props to a little girl in kindergarten the other day rocking a statement necklace with her plain tee.  Go girl, you’ve got style!

#2a – long pendant

The long pendant is the workhorse of accessories!  I like a variety – neutrals, pops of colour and interesting details like real coral on the right or my current fave the blue tassel make every simple outfit new and stylish!

#2b – short pendant

Depending on your top or activities for the day, a short pendant necklace might be a better choice.  I definitely think it’s wrong to discriminate against pendant length.  EQUAL RIGHTS FOR PENDANTS!

#3 – delicate

If you’re a necklace newbie, delicate might be a good place to get started on your accessory journey.  Easy to wear, subtle and often sentimental, these necklaces pack a tiny-but-significant style punch!

#4 – looped

There’s nothing wrong with taking a long strand and looping it around your neck.  This is also a good option for pearls, though I’m not much of a pearls gal myself.

#5 – colourful beads

#6 – multi-strand

I obviously love layered necklaces (enough to have a layered necklace week!), but if you don’t have time to think about what to layer, multi-strand pieces take care of the guess-work!

#7 – signature

As with scarves, thrifting is a great venue for finding signature necklaces.  I have several thrifted one-of-a-kind pieces that I wear all the time, but when I thought about unique pieces that resonate with my aesthetic, these were the two that came to mind.  The piece on the left makes me feel like a queen when I wear it and the elephant pendant on the left has a tiny prayer pot – every time I wear it, I imagine all my prayers breathed into the little pot and it gives me peace.  Also, little kids love my elephant.

To recap, so you know what to look for when thrifting or shopping local, the 7 Essential Necklaces are:

1. statement necklace
2. a) long pendant and b) short pendant
3. delicate
4. looped
5. colourful beads
6. multi-strand
7. signature

That’s right, that makes one for every day of the week!!  That’s a handy reference to make sure you have good necklace variety in your life!  As for how to wear them, well, there are lots of recommendations but my general approach is to just PUT ON A DAMN NECKLACE.  Wear earrings and bracelets too if you like… or a scarf in addition to your necklaces… or wear them all at once – whatever floats your boat.  It’s like art for your outfit, a little reflection of YOU!  You’re worth a minute out of your day to grab a necklace and display your style!