Let’s role play here: you wake up each morning, reach out for your work outfit or weekend brunch pairing. You throw it together with a lovely lipstick, your favourite pair of office shoes or sandals, and you look in the mirror feeling like something’s missing.
That’s where your jewellery comes into play.
The truth is that for such small items, our jewellery pack such big punch in helping to amp up our looks and transform the mood. Add a bracelet and you automatically look more polished and ready to tackle that big pitch. Switch up your earrings for something more exciting and you’ll get that “after dark diva” vibe.
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And here’s the great news: you probably already have the pieces you need in your trinket box, so you don’t have to buy new pieces. You just need to learn how to style them properly, and that’s where these local style stars come in.
See how they showcase their favourite bling for a myriad of occasions – from everyday glimmer to black-tie glamour – and take a page (or two) from their styling playbook!
Let’s start with a more casual approach to jewellery, and follow in Rui En’s footsteps with a pair of classic hoops. Hoop earrings have great staying power because of how timeless they are, so if you don’t have them yet in your jewellery box, it’s time to sort out that issue! They help to dress up casual looks, and they also go great with evening dresses.
Another great classic look to try? A polo neck top with a chunky gold chain necklace worn over, shown by Joanne Peh here. It automatically exudes an air of grown-up elegance, and when paired with a tailored bottom – such as a structured skirt or slim trousers – makes for a chic power look.
On the topic of chains, if you’re planning on layering them together, one easy way to get them to work is to opt for slimmer, matching designs. It’s trickier to nail, given that you have to have a few of the same pieces in your collection, but actress Oon Shu An shows that it’s possible. Slim twisted rope-style necklaces in varying lengths match a bracelet option, and she’s even thrown on a different chain bracelet to good effect.
Here, we’re headed into more playful jewellery territory, and we’re looking to Chantalle Ang and her mum Lin Mei Jiao to lead with their fun pairing. The lesson here? Oversized gems can automatically dress up even something as simple as a tee. The next time you’re headed out with your mum or daughter, use the chance to play around with matching looks!
One of the big trends we’ve seen in jewellery of late has been pearls or beads strung together with playful charms, such as the one that Hayley Woo is wearing here. It’s a great off duty option, and you can get endless wear out of it when you pair it with a sundress or casual tops and denim shorts.
In case you weren’t told, Y2K fashion is very much in right now thanks to social media style stars embracing everything from hip-slung denim jeans to tie-dye cropped tees. Before you shudder at having to be seen in public in your fashion mistakes from 2001, here’s a modern way of wearing the trend: a statement choker, as seen on Carrie Wong.
Her piece comes from the Fendace collaboration between Fendi and Versace, but there are plenty of affordable options out there as well! Have it worn with a simple white shift dress for a contemporary take on the Y2K look!
Statement earrings have been in trend for a few years now, and we can understand the appeal of them because they can automatically jazz up every outfit without any effort at all! Actress Jesseca Liu’s hammered gold disc earrings are a fun addition to her look, and can also be worked into any type of ensemble.
Can’t decide which ring to wear? Wear ‘em all, à la fashion influencer Yoyo Cao! She makes it work with a couple of tricks.
Firstly, all of the rings are in similar sizes, ensuring that no one ring takes more spotlight than the other.
Second of all, she picked matching metal colours – gold, in this case – and had matching stones in two of her rings.
Finally, she mixed different textures together, from pavé diamonds to smooth stones.
Some nights, we just want to feel like our million-dollar selves, and that’s where we want to layer up an arsenal of jewellery. This could go either way, but if you’re aiming to hit the right look, then follow Fann Wong’s lead. Pick jewellery that has similar looks – here, she pulls from Tiffany & Co.’s Tiffany T range across her rings and bracelets – and keep your outfit parred down to let your jewellery take centre stage.
If you cannot afford an armful of Tiffany & Co. jewellery, getting multiple sets of the same affordable costume jewellery and layering them together gives you a similar effect.
It’s so easy to reach out for a bracelet to match your evening dress, but follow Rebecca Lim’s example and consider a jewellery timepiece instead! It’s a fun twist to evening wristwear, and you already have the time on your wrist so you can do away with wearing an extra watch.
Featured image: @joannepeh, @limrebecca, @yoyokulala/Instagram