Good old fashion studs seem to be coming back into style (especially on shoes). But studs must be carefully worn in order to still look fashion forward and not "punk" or "goth" (not that there's anything wrong with those styles). So I thought I'd try my best to organize studs and when/where/how to wear them...
Number One. Shoes. The most notable appearance of studs these days is on shoes. And I continue to surprise myself at how much I absolutely love them. But sometimes I have to stop myself and ask that familiar question that we all ask ourselves before a fashion purchase: "Would I actually wear this?" For some, the answer is clearly no. Being a pretty average teenage girl, I have to be very careful when I wear studs. Here's the first trick: Stay away from shoes that are completely covered in studs; try some that only have one studded section. I saw these in Nordstrom and fell in love:
The back/heels are covered in a thick layer of badass studs, but everything else about the shoe is classic and elegant. The shape is typical and sleek, with a curvy-but-still-pointed toe. The heel is not excessively tall or skinny. The color is a basic, neutral nude. These two opposites attract in a perfect, hot pump. Which brings me to the second trick: Find shapes and colors that are less eye-catching so the studs can really be the "eye candy" and also to make sure the shoe isn't too crazy.
Number Two. Clothes. Although this may seem contradictory to what I said relating to studded shoes, remember that the reason studs are so appealing is because they do have that badass, retro feel to them. There's no point in getting something studded if the affect of the studs is too diluted with a plainer style or if there is too little of the studs. For instance, I feel like the designers of this shirt (below) tried so hard to make it wearable and normal that they defeated the original purpose of the studs.
The key is too have the perfect ratio of crazy studs to plain clothing. Refer to my first trick for clothing- try to find clothes that only have one or a few patches of studs. Let the studs be full and punk, but let them appear minimally. This way you get that hint of badass in your classy style. However, sometimes we all find something crazy but adorable. It's ok to wear that one piece of clothing that you fell in love with even though it's super crazy. You can make it work if you wear very simple clothing for the rest of your outfit. (neutral colored shoes, plain white shirt, solid skinnyjeans, etc.) and wear it for the right occasion (for a formal event, you may just have to leave the studs at home).
Number Three. Purses. For purses, I say go all out. Just make sure your outfit doesn't include any crazy rips, studs, black, or leather. Let your purse cover that. Also, let it be the main eye-catching piece of your outfit. Don't wear your brightest, sparkliest, sleeziest clothing items when you are also wearing your studded purse, it just confuses the eyes. But keep in mind that your purse should tie in to your outfit in some way. A nice leather studded bag does not match a preppy jcrew sundress dress and rainbows. Nor does it match an elegant silk maxidress. To be safe, I recommend skinnyjeans or tight pants with your studded purse. You can't go wrong with a nice pair of skinnyjeans, pumps, and a white tee.
As a last reminder: When you rock your studs, DO NOT go all out on the eyeliner! Your makeup should look minimal and mature. When you put together your outfit, keep in mind an image of the studs-style you don't want to replicate. I know my mental image includes lots of black and lots of eyeliner. So stay away from the dark eye make-up. Cameron Diaz has this still completely down. She often sneaks punk or retro-looking garments into her outfits while still looking comfortably simple and fashionable.
Here she includes a studded belt in her outfit while her face glows with neutral makeup and a nude lip. Her eyes have almost no makeup on them.
Enjoy your badass studs! And of course, I will be following up this post with some inspiring pictures of women who totally rock the studs.
and then found the same one on forever21.com!
