How to Style Layered Necklaces
Every season, there are new fashion and jewellery trends coming to the forefront but one trend that has stayed consistently popular is layered necklaces. Layered necklaces are the latest go-to style for everyday and they’ve been spotted on many celebrities, including Kendall Jenner, Bella and Gigi Hadid and Cara Delevingne. If you’re new to layering necklaces, we’ve got you covered. Below is our guide on how to style layered necklaces, including the best lengths and types to create a truly unique look.
What to consider when layering necklaces
There’s no right or wrong way when it comes to wearing and styling jewellery. That’s what makes jewellery so fun and exciting as you can really play around with it and find your own personal and signature style! However, there are a few easy tips and tricks that can elevate your layers and take them to the next level.
What’s your magic number?
When you start layering, it’s a good idea to pick the number of necklaces you want to layer first before you go into lengths and style. If you’re starting out with layering, we’d recommend picking three different necklaces to create your first stack. Odd numbers are the most effective, versatile and allows you to have more of a focal point to draw attention to. It’s completely up to you how many necklaces you want to wear together but for something simpler, go for two or for something more complex, go for five!
Consider your lengths
Length is extremely important when it comes to wearing layered necklaces. If you stack necklaces that are all the same length, you run the risk of covering them all up and getting them tangled. You’ll also want to pick lengths that work well together with whatever outfit and neckline you’re wearing. The model is wearing an 18" chain and a 20" chain for reference.
Necklace types – what goes together?
Carrying on from above, there are some necklace lengths and types that go together and some that should stay far away from each other! Our favourite way to layer is to go with a necklace tight to the neck like a choker, followed by a pendant necklace to fill the chest area. To finish, choose a matinee necklace for more length. The style of choker, pendant or matinee is up to you but we have more guidance on this below!
Pick your colours and metals
Picking your colours and materials is what makes your look special and unique. It’s always a good idea to choose your favourite metal and you can go from there with building your layers. You can choose all the same colour or chain to keep your look coordinated, like gold chains in different lengths or mix your metals for a more contrasting look. Alternatively, go for a mixture of colours and textures to bring more attention to your neckline. If you’re looking to stay up to date with today’s trends, gold and colourful beads are really popular right now and look stunning layered together.
Now that you know how to start layering, here’s some of our favourite ways to style layered necklaces.
Pair different pendants & beads
Pendants and beads together add a lot of fun, pattern, and texture to an outfit. Beads are a key trend this Spring Summer season. Beads have a strong ‘throwback’ feel to them and give a colourful kitsch vibe to any look. Pendant necklaces are beautiful standalone pieces, but layers are where they really come to life.
To create this look, start with a beaded necklace that sits tight to the neck. This necklace can be made of an abundance of colourful beads or fun icon, like letters, stars, smiley faces and more. Follow this up with a pendant necklace that connects to the beaded choker, either by the colours or by taking an icon or pattern within the beads and displaying it in pendant form.
Play with lariats & body chains
Loved by Kylie Jenner – who’s determined to bring the body chain back – body chains are daring and stylish. Unlike Kylie, we can’t be on holiday all the time so rather than pairing a body chain with a bikini, you can wear them underneath V-necks, crop tops, or sultry low-cut dresses. Alongside these chains, pair a body chain with an equally long and stylish lariat necklace. These necklaces add a great dimension and originality to any look and always leaves people wanting more.
Mix up your shapes with discs & bars
Shapes are always fun to play with when it comes to jewellery. Many jewellery myths float around about not mixing metals and sticking to the same shapes – but where’s the fun in that?! If you’re a pendant necklace lover, this is your chance to layer pendant necklaces in all shapes and sizes. Varying your lengths, layer together fun pendant necklaces that feature discs, coins, bars, hearts and more! This creates a fun clutter of necklaces that’s messy but not too out of control!
Chains on chains
Chain jewellery has been dominating most jewellery collections, especially the SS21 runway. We all love chains and while we love layers that are over the top and feature a lot of shape and colour, sometimes less is more and that’s where chains come in. A tight chain choker is always a good idea when starting any layering combination. Pair this with longer chunkier chains creates more texture and dimension to a look. Oversized chains are especially popular at the moment, so try and incorporate more size into your layers. If you’re going to mix it up with the size of chain, go for thinner and daintier chains higher up the neck and body. As you go down the body, increase the size of your chain links.
Layering necklaces are super versatile and a fun trend that’s sure to be around for the next decade of jewellery and fashion trends. If you’re looking to start your necklace layers or want to add to your current stack, take a look at our range of necklaces and find your next layering piece.