by ATFDC Teen Contributor Monika Bapna

This past season, metallics were big on the runway and slowly made its way to clothing stores like Urban Outfitters and H&M. The rest of the population, on the other hand, has been a little slow on the uptake and I do not blame them; it is a hard piece to style and even harder to fit in with people’s daily schedules.

Here are some guidelines/tips on wearing metallic.

1. Opt for a skirt

I have seen metallic done best in the form of a skirt. I am not sure why skirts work the best, but they just tend to counter the otherwise overpowering fabric. Furthermore, they allow a more feminine, body flattering shape, especially a body-con or a pencil skirt, compared to either a shirt or pants.

photo courtesy of Hypeed.com

2. Wear as much neutral as possible

Neutrals are a god’s gift when it comes to balancing out heavy patterned clothing. So if you are wearing a fabric as strong as metallic, counter it with more neutral colors. So while wearing a metallic skirt (my favorite example!) go for an all white or black top. Not only does it hold back the intensity of the fabric, but also gives the daring outfit a more familiar touch. Like this outfit from Denim Therapy shows how the dark toned hues work perfectly with the gold metallic top.

photo courtesy of Denim Therapy

3. Pick a color completely opposite from the color of the metallic item

Most of the metallic clothing items tend to be gold, silver or black. For those I suggest, black or white. This sort of goes along with the previous tip, but wearing more subdued colors will balance the extremeness and the oddity of the fabric. Plus, a completely black or white article of clothing with metallic gives a more finished look to the outfit since the colors nicely complement each other. Metallic pants, in my opinion, are the hardest to style. However, they are very well done in the below pictures because of the contrasting, subdued colors.

photo courtesy of citygurlsecrets.com

Monika Bapna is a junior in high school and an absolute fashion junkie. Photography is her inspiration, fashion is her passion and writing is her love.