Welcome to this new series of the Parisian Elegance section of this blog. As you probably know, I am both a big fan of personal (elegant) style & minimalism, and that is not always easy to combine. However, I have found one really smart way to do so: focusing on small things which have great effect and actually make all the difference. That is how this series was born, and here is the first topic we will discuss together: gold/ silver jewelries, which is actually best for YOU?
“Skin undertone” theory explained.
In order to chose the right metal for you, you need to know your skin undertone. There are hundreds of videos discussing that point on Youtube but basically, you can guess it yourself. Here is an explanation of what undertones are:
Warm & cold.
Your undertone can be warm or cold. If it is warm, which means that your skin seems rather yellow or golden (the undertone is basically the color located under your skin, the color you can more or less easily see through it), you will want to wear gold. If it is cool, which means it is rather pink/blue, you will want to wear silver.
Intermediate undertones and what to do with them.
There are far more other intermediate undertones. I have personally what is called “olive skin”, which basically mean that I am rather “cool” but usually, I am said to be a “neutral”. A “neutral” undertone allows you to wear both gold and silver, but I think silver suits me best. If you have a “neutral” undertone (shades of green & yellow, but towards the green side of things rather than the yellowish side of things), try both metals and you will naturally see which one makes you more stunning.
N.B. In theory, neutral and olive undertones are different but I personally can barely see the difference so I would advise you to see for yourself and tell me if you are able to see that difference.
N.B 2. A common misconception is to think that black ladies have necessarily a warm undertone. That is totally wrong. No matter your skin color, your undertone can be everything from cool to warm so do not assume you have X or Y undertone because of your skin color.
Why is it better to know your undertone to choose the right metal?
I personally love these theories but I know they can be boring so let me explain why you just had to read all of it. When you wear the metal that suits best your undertone, there is an immediate effect: people with a cool undertone who wear silver immediately seem more awake and healthier, and the same goes for people with a warm undertone who wear gold. The goal is basically to look healthier, right?
Another common misconception is to think that gold makes everyone more awake or suits tanned people best. However, there are people who look terrible with gold on (people with a very, very cool undertone) as the metal simply goes against their undertone and the combination gets distracting for the eyes, and people who have very fair skin but look stunning with gold on (thanks to their warm undertone).
What to do if you prefer the other metal but it does not suit your undertone?
Nonetheless, there are people who have a fascination for one or the other of these two metals, and people who enjoy changing very often. Here are my tips if that is your case:
Do not care.
You do not necessarily have to care, at all. If you love gold but have a cool undertone, and if you think gold looks stunning on you, just go for it. Nobody can tell you what is best for you and my advice does not have to be anything but a piece of advice.
On the accent picture of that post, you can see that my boyfriend and I have really different skin undertones, but we both wear silver Tissot watches. No matter your skin undertone, you do you. ♡
Focus on the price of items.
If you love to change metals and have a warm undertone, you can maybe buy expensive gold pieces and less expensive silver ones. Thus, you invest more money in what suits you best, but you can still wear the silver pieces you love so much.
You may also like: Minimalism as a fast way to look elegant.
Do not mix metals together.
I tell you that, but I am currently wearing a gold necklace with a silver ring, so let’s be fair, that is just a piece of advice. I usually think that people who wear only one type of metal at a time look far more put together and elegant. Thus, if you love changing metals, maybe wear silver on Mondays and gold on Tuesdays, but do not mix these two metals together.
This post was a giant piece of advice, but keep in mind that there are no set rules when it comes to personal style. You can do your thing, forget about rules, and that will look perfectly great on you if you decide it does. It is good to know the rules, but it is also great to break them. Picasso once said that he loved knowing all the rules in order to be able to break them. Let that be your philosophy: learn it all, but break the rules you feel like breaking when you feel like breaking them. The goal is to find your personal style, not to enter tiny little boxes. ♡
The English-speaking Frenchie 