Androgyny may be the hottest trend on the runways and off them, but it’s quite tricky to style androgynous, or gender-fluid numbers with jewellery. We often pair a sharp power suit, or boss babe ensemble with minimal bling so the jewellery doesn’t over-shadow the statement made by our clothes. But Lily Collins recently taught us how to go overboard with seriously flashy high jewellery, when we want to style it with a masculine number.
For a recent event, Lily chose to wear an elaborate Cartier collar bone necklace featuring Blue sapphires, yellow diamonds and lapis lazuli. The neck piece itself was stunningly flamboyant and, Lily paired it with a black, plunging peplum pantsuit. You’ll notice the festive suit is refreshingly relaxed in its draping, so despite being quite distinct, doesn’t come across as stuffy. Lily definitely decided to play up her neck with the look, as the Cartier necklace she chose was droopier, especially considering the dangling gemstone pendants. This went marvellously with her deep, breezy shirt. This is a wonderful hack for styling deep V-neck dresses as well; if you’re choosing ornate numbers which accentuate your neck, try to stick to a colour palette for your jewellery, and don’t mix jewels with pastels. Lily, for instance, chooses a necklace that has an even design.
The hack to sporting elaborate jewels with power suits or masculine formal wear is to stick to distinct silhouettes, and go easy on draping. Lily’s look features sharp well-cut numbers, which accommodate a space for a high jewellery number; if you play up the layering a lot, or bring in too many elements, it’s often hard to team the ensemble with jewellery. For black tie events, if you want an androgynous look, but don’t want to look stuffy or boring, this styling is a great way to go. Just choose a power suit in solid number, but make sure it goes with some high-end jewellery which can give your clothes a lift. We also love how Lily keeps her hair and makeup completely uncluttered, so they don’t get in the way of her entire look. Interestingly, she does not go the minimal makeup way, but an old school bun and some trusty dramatic eyeliner does the job perfectly.
