The Dos and Don’ts of Wearing Body Jewelry

The countdown to music festival season is on.

It’s T minus 11 days to Coachella, which is pretty much the start of summer as far as we’re concerned. It’s also prime time to start road testing some brand new summer 2016 fashion trends. From quintessential festival fringed-everything to breaking out your expertly curated jean shorts collection, this year’s festival circuit promises great sound and style.

One key accessory we’re predicting to see tons of at the festivals and all summer long is body jewelry. Body chains have been around for a while now, but it’s only this year that designers are offering more of them, including arrays with stones, intricate chain detail, and terrific designs the likes of which we’ve never seen before. But before you dive head-first into a bucket full of body chains (a. ouch, b. where is this Scrooge McDuck trove of body chains? Because, we want.), see how the experts do it—because as much as we love a body chain, there are so many ways we’ve seen it go wrong. Chains that are too-tight (again, ouch); too complicated (50 Shades, much?), and just plain bad.

So before you chain up, read our Dos and Don’ts on one of our favorite summer accessories:

Do: Throw a body chain under your crop top for an unexpected touch, like Gigi Hadid.

Don’t: Get tangled! Be careful guys, you don’t want to get stuck in knots of chains.

Do: Try and match your other accessories, like Kendall here. Your body chain should compliment your look, not steal the scene.

Don’t: Mix and match* too* much. Keep your body chain in the same metal tone as the rest of your jewelry to look put-together.

__Do:__Let your body chain peek out from under a simple top or jacket for some subtle edge, like Jennifer Aniston.

Don’t: Don’t go overboard. The idea is to have a little glisten, not a breastplate.

And now, some to shop:

River Island semi-recious body harness, $27, ASOS

Gorjana body chain, $90, Bloomingdale’s

Hoop body pendant chain, $8, Forever21