How I Add Polish To My Basic Outfits
The one step I never skip that's the key to feeling put together...
This post is sponsored by Mejuri - the jewellery brand I’ve been wearing since way back (2017, to be precise!). I’m THRILLED to partner with them.
When it comes to my personal style and getting dressed daily, there are always three words that I’m trying to encapsulate in some way. It makes the process fast and efficient - a shorthand to ensure the end result feels like ‘me’. Classic - which I tend to channel through basic pieces, think jeans, crew-neck jumpers and a trench. Those clean and simple silhouettes. Undone - which breaks things up and adds much-needed ease to my outfits. Things like wearing my hair loose and wavy and throwing in texture, like cosy cable knits or woven leather bags, add some contrast. Then, finally, polished - I want my outfit to convey a put-together vibe. Effortless but with a refined edge. It’s perhaps the easiest of the words to lean into because I primarily use one category to express it - jewellery. And more often than not, it’s a combination of Mejuri pieces I’ve collected throughout the years.
So, with the gifting season in full swing, before we get into the guts of outfit polishing, I thought I’d give a quick rundown of my top jewellery picks where I’d highly recommend employing the ‘one for you, one for me’ sentiment…
Mejuri Mega Dôme Earrings - A new find that perfectly fulfils my need for a sculptural earring. They aren’t heavy, either.
Mejuri Flat Curb Chain Necklace - I’ve had this in my jewellery collection for years, and it’s my most worn piece by a MILE. It’s just a classic.
Mejuri Dôme Figure Ring - If you’re looking for a good entry-level ‘chunky ring’ then this is your guy.
Mejuri Dôme Cuff Bracelet - Over knitwear in the winter or worn mid-arm during the summer, I have to say I love a cuff right now.
Mejuri Dôme Hoops - These feel like a great crowd-pleasing piece if you want a solid choice on the gifting front.
Create a ring uniform. Whilst the rest of my jewellery changes daily, one thing remains constant - my rings. I rarely ever remove them and kept the same dainty ring stack for the best part of five years. Earlier in the summer, I moved over to the chunkier side of things with the Dôme Figure Ring, and I wear it every single day on my right middle finger. Even though my stack has downsized to just the singular, it’s still a uniform of sorts that remains unchanged no matter what I’m doing with the rest of my outfit, and I like having that constant (and one less thing to think about!).
Never underestimate the power of a bold earring. Come rain or shine, a big, bold earring can work wonders, even with the most basic outfits. It’s one of those small tweaks that can have a huge impact on the finished product. Think of your standard white T-shirt, a pair of jeans and a black loafer. Add in a pearl earring, and the whole thing feels refined. Go for something big and sculptural and it goes down a more modern route. A big gold hoop might feel a little more seventies. You see? A bold earring holds truly transformative powers.
Mix your textures and weights. I don’t have a hard and fast rule with this, but in the interests of me and my personal taste when it comes to jewellery, if I’ve got a chunky earring going on, then nine times out of ten I’ll pair it with a slinkier, lighter necklace - or no necklace at all. If I decide to go bold with both, then that’s part of the look. So play around here. Perhaps you like to layer up your chains and skip earrings completely, or maybe you like to layer your lobe too. There are so many options, and all these combinations will feel personal for each of us. I’ll always have a soft spot for chunky earring + simple chain + chunky ring.
An everyday chain. If you don’t count yourself as much of a jewellery wearer and don’t know where to start, then an everyday chain is a good option to add polish to your outfits. My two top picks would be the Flat Curb Chain Necklace or the Serpentine Necklace if you want something that feels a little more elegant. I own both, and they are two of my most worn necklaces. I love the idea of a chain that you wear day in and day out; that just becomes part of you. If it’s thin enough, you can build charms or layer it with heavier pieces of differing lengths. There’s a simplicity built into them that I never get bored of.
Don’t forget your wrists (and ankles!). Can you believe there was a day that I didn’t wear jewellery. After my heady days of adorning myself in questionable plastic bead necklaces in my University years, I went cold turkey for a while, barely wearing anything more than a gold stud earring. Eventually I found my way back in, with a few dainty rings and subtle necklaces to work back up the courage, but it’s taken me until the past few years to not forget that bracelets and anklets exist too. And especially in the summer when those parts of our bodies actually see sunlight!! That’s some valuable real estate to add some metallic interest to. Right now I am VERY into a cuff. I find the structural element adds just the right vibe of polish that I’m looking for.
It doesn’t have to be ‘polish’. So although when I think of jewellery I think of adding the ‘polish’ ingredient to my style recipe, it might be a different word that comes to find for you. A diamond stud could add ‘prep’, a locket could feel ‘romantic’, a thin hoop might feel ‘edgy’ or ‘sexy’. If you feel you’re putting outfits together and you’re consistently missing a key ingredient, then see it’s a flavour that you sprinkle in with just a tweak in your jewellery.
Have a play with a watch stack. This is a recent thing for me. But when I was in New York, I bought a vintage Seiko watch (full NYC shopping guide here!), and some days I find myself just reaching for that and a pair of earrings. It ends up ticking two boxes for me - classic and polished. I actually find when I layer it up with a few thinner bracelets, like the Letter Bracelet (SUCH a cracking gift), and the Timepiece Chain Bracelet, it brings a bit more of an undone feel. One wrist stack that hits all my three words? Tick.
Look, if you take one thing from this post, it’s the power of a great pair of earrings - they are the ultimate outfit polisher. I might be a jewellery lover, but it’s earrings that really have my heart. Your outfit will never feel basic again. And you’ll always look FAB in a Zoom meeting. Like what you see here? Make sure you subscribe for my weekly style ramblings direct to your inbox…
Until next time!
Anna x
This grey polo! I need it! Details please 🙂
You're always so chic – we can't keep up! I don't really like the feeling of wearing a necklace that rests on my collarbones, but you make it look so damn elegant that I might just have to consider it again. I also love those Dome cuffs!