In matters of personal styling, it can be helpful to rely upon fashion experts to provide guidance and advice. With that in mind, I found it interesting to find two distinctively different points of view presented in recent fashion magazines as to what jewelry flatters a busty woman. Tapping into my image-consulting expertise, here is my take on their comments:

In the February 2011 issue of InStyle magazine, designer Shoshanna Gruss of Shoshanna recommends that women with ample bosoms “add a little sparkle with drop earrings, which…draw attention from your chest.” Indeed, I would expand that statement to say that medium or large earrings of any style draw the attention upward toward the face. Drop earrings can be particularly effective when they have movement, giving them plenty of eye-catching sparkle or gleam.

Gruss adds: “Busty women sometimes have to worry where a necklace falls. Detailed dresses allow you to skip extra jewelry. They also give the appearance of a very neat and tailored look, which can be hard to achieve for someone with a big chest.”

The one-shouldered silk dress by Shoshanna pictured with the article is embellished with a beaded shoulder. However, consider how versatile a similar dress would be without the embellishment and with the simple addition of a brooch or cluster of brooches that could be swapped out for different looks. That approach would still allow for a neat and tailored look, should one want to avoid necklaces.

Necklaces work best with one-shouldered dresses for individuals with relatively long necks, and only if the necklace is short enough to fall entirely above the neckline of the dress so as not to disrupt the neckline. However, statement earrings work beautifully with a one-shouldered dress.

The November 2010 issue of More magazine also considers what jewelry is most flattering for a busty woman. If you’re top heavy, suggests More, frame your face. Accomplish this with a well-chosen necklace: “If you eschew necklaces for fear of emphasizing your chest, you’re missing a bet: The right piece will keep the focus on your face, not below it. Try something chunky and layered that lies flat and hits above the breasts.”

More’s advice is spot-on. The pictured necklaces by White House Black Market and Badgley Mischka nest, one inside the other, and are short enough to lie well above the bust line. The model also wears stacked bracelets from Talbots, Roxanne Assoulin for Lee Angel, and House of Lavande.   

Interesting earrings, short necklaces and brooches can provide a variety of looks that flatter a busty woman by bringing attention up to her face, while bracelets (and wristwatches and rings, too) can provide supplemental accents with pizzazz. If you want personalized advice as to what jewelry looks best on you, remember that you can find a qualified image professional through the Association of Image Consultants International.

JCK