In accessorizing, the neckline of your garment will largely determine what you can wear in the way of necklaces. If you are wearing a collarless garment that hugs your curves, such as a camisole or v-neck sweater or jewel-neck blouse, go ahead and pile on the necklaces. It gets trickier if you are wearing a garment with a collar, because you will likely want to wear your necklaces inside the collar. This limits the length of the necklaces, since having them spill over the top-buttoned button is often sloppy looking, but might work if the fabric of the blouse has some body to it.

Whatever type of neckline you are wearing, decide whether you want the neckline of the garment or the necklace(s) to predominate. One or the other should be stronger in appearance, whether by weight, color, size or a combination of factors, so that the eye of the viewer isn’t pulled in multiple directions.

Take care with extra long necklaces, generally those of 30 inches or longer, that they don’t get caught around one or both breasts. The extra-long necklaces generally work best on women with smaller bust line or widely spaced breasts.  If you are big-busted, avoid necklaces that hang off the shelf of your bosom; keep your necklaces shorter.  You can still layer necklaces from a point below your neck to a point a couple of inches above the crest of your bosom.  Depending upon the size and shape of your neck, this may allow you a range of 18” to 28” or so.

You can find necklaces of up to 60” or more in length, that are designed to be worn doubled or even tripled up around the neck. While this type of necklace offers versatility, it also tends to require frequent adjustment. If you are in a situation where you need to appear especially poised and polished, avoid any jewelry that requires such attention.

With multiple necklaces, you can train your eye as to the volume and scale of accessories that look most attractive on your body. However, if the load of beads and chains around your neck are so heavy that you’re in danger of toppling over, you seriously need to dial back!  All the pressure of too many heavy necklaces hitting the back of the neck can translate into a serious neck ache. Do some judicious editing or find some extremely lightweight options in costume jewelry to replace the heavier necklaces.

These days, many necklaces are manufactured with extenders, which produce some leftover length dangling from a necklace after it has been fastened at the optimal length for the wearer. While one or two of these “tails” aren’t much of a problem, you can have a nest of tangles developing at the back of your neck when wearing multiple necklaces with extenders. Important rule of thumb: Check out both the front and back views in a mirror before you step out. If something doesn’t look good, rethink it.

Along with necklaces, the multiples trend is huge in bracelets. Enjoy the opportunity to mix ‘em up and have some fun. For Spring 2006, volume is key. If one bracelet is good, three or more are better.  Mix and match bangles, link-style bracelets and woven or rigid cuffs.

As with necklaces, the variety of materials is staggering. Plastic and resin bracelets or bangles and gem-studded metals add serious doses of color. Some stylists also wrap a necklace around the wrist to function as a multi-strand bracelet. If you do this, be sure that the resulting “bracelet” fits closely enough that it won’t start unraveling and slipping off your hand at the most inopportune moment.

A few retailers carry larger bangle bracelets. If you don’t want to struggle with getting a rigid bracelet over your hand, look for hinged bangles, which will also provide a closer fit. Cuffs can be an excellent addition to the mix because typically they are designed with an open back to enable the bracelet to be slipped on and off.

If the graceful shape of your arm is swallowed up in a wide swath of bracelets, the result may be the look of a shorter, stubbier arm. Assess the collection you’ve assembled on your arm in a mirror and adjust as necessary to maximize your physical assets. 

Finally, a word of caution:  Sometimes more can be too much. Choose only one focal point for your ensemble. If you’re wearing multiple necklaces, skip the bracelets and choose modestly sized earrings. If you’re wearing multiple bracelets, make that the focal point of your ensemble. You want to look fashion-forward, not like Madame Bijoux, the old woman who had been sketched by Leonardo DiCaprio’s character in Titanic as she sat at a bar wearing every piece of jewelry she owned.