Give me flash tats, give me crop tops, give me jelly sandals. There's always one overarching trend everyone has to try for themselves during the sunny season! And the latest summer look I’m figuring out how to wear is body jewelry. Finally, body jewelry can take the place of creative layering for warmth, or stressing to find the perfect coat that won’t clash over everything else you own.
If you angstily await winter's end posted up by the window, watching snowflakes melt into another too-cold-for-swimsuits season with all the moody gusto of a Sofia Coppola heroine, then summer — and all the blessed style trends that come along with it — is your time to shine, baby.
The energy usually reserved for hibernating beneath a cocoon of couture is now yours to spend freely, so get experimental with your style and join the body chain campaign.
Once a style reserved for island-hopping starlets who are less about sand-sculpting than they are photo-opp'ing on yachts, I admit I was skeptical of the trend at first. After all, wouldn’t you sweat profusely over your shiny baubles and, when paired with a swimsuit, get one weird-looking tan line? How do you really pull body jewelry off?
I took to Instagram for some pointers from everyday style trendsetters on how to wear summer's best jewelry trend. Get ready to be enlightened.
1. Music Fest Best
Sometimes the strongest statement is made through subtlety. Body chains look sublime shimmering underneath a lace top and skirt or bohemian maxi dress. Make sure your top is sheer enough that you can just see the chain underneath!
2. Beach Babe
Cast away your subtleties when the tide rolls in, and test the waters with a bolder body chain, too. The edgy, modern jewelry is well-balanced here by a throwback crochet swim top and high-waisted shorts. When it's done right, mixing decades can be the quickest way to a major wardrobe win.
3. Getting Comfortable
When you're back from the beach and ready to cozy up in your favorite sweater, there's no need to retire the body chain just yet! Your chest is covered, so choose a chain that will brilliantly set off the skin that does show — just around your midriff. Keep the style simple (and Swift-approved) by opting for a high-waisted skirt or pant that won't show your belly button. (Too many things to stare at just gets messy.)
4. Shoulder Style
Shoulder chains are the perfect accompaniment to an evening rooftop get-together (aside from the snacks, naturally). Take this lovely lady's lead, and don your favorite sleeveless style, so that your shoulder chain has even more room to shine. And by all means, play up the headwear game! Go glam, or go home.
5. Look Luxe
Don't think body chains are confined to the casual! An outfit-popping piece is just at home on the dance floor as it is on the seaside, and this girl's got the gleam on lock. The trick to wearing a chain over your clothes is keeping the palette underneath as neutral as possible. By sticking to an all-black top and skirt, the body chain sparkles brilliantly against the leather-textured pieces.
6. Darling in Daywear
Wearing a chain over your look works on a day of brunching or errand-running, too. Again, stick to the rule of keeping the color palette beneath fairly neutral, so that the chain's not lost in the ensemble. But just because you're in black and white, don't think your outfit is limited. Express your style sense through detailed belts, fun hats, and vintage wash denim shorts you've already got at home.
Image: @empireofeden/Instagram (1)
