Fashion
How to Wear Metallics Without Looking Like a Cyborg
Everyone's all metallics, metallics, metallics these days (honestly, when haven't metallics been in style?), but nobody talks about the inherent dangers of dressing in bronze, silver, and aluminum. See, slipping into a wickedly shiny gold jumpsuit is all well and good until someone mistakes you for C-3P0. And who hasn't experienced a bit of robot-shaming in their sparkly silver dress? Here's how to make metallics human again.
Stick to metallic detailing
The touch of golden fringe on Emma Stone’s dress here is gorgeous — and thank goodness she didn’t go for head-to-toe fringe because we’ve already packed away all our Gatsby references for at least another year.
Keep metallics a little dorky
Birkenstocks are ugly-chic. Metallic Birkenstocks are either uglier-chic or ugly-chicer, and that’s a conundrum that you’ve got to embrace.
Arizona Metallic Birkenstock, $90, freepeople.com
Don't do this
Shoulderpads and sequined pants are not a match made in heaven. Not even robot heaven.
Opt for burnished, not shiny
You don’t need to actually reflect things to take your place in the metallics hall of fame.
Finders Keepers Retrograde Metallic Dress with Drop Waist, $295.38, asos.com
Mix mix mix textures
This look is straight-up cool, and that’s probably because a) it’s a bomber jacket with no sleeves, and b) all that shiny gold fabric is offset by Breton stripes and a cool tweed-y collar.
ASOS Sleeveless Bomber Jacket In Metallic Leather And Sweat, $47.04, asos.com
No metallic separates
You’re not in a music video and Coachella is over.
Stick with similar hues in different finishes
The shiny silver-white skirt almost looks like it’s reflecting the matte white top. Gorgeous.
Keep it casual
A metallic mini-backpack? No big, just reliving all my junior high fantasies in gold.
Jack Wills Mini Leather Duffle Bag, $111.94, asos.com
Don't do sparkly cocktail dresses
They are so, so, so overdone, and New Year’s Eve is a long ways away. Smother them in mothballs and pack them away for a while.
Stick to metallic graphics
No one will ever know you’re an alien cyborg sent to infiltrate and destroy our species if the only glint of metallic on your person is in the form of cool, calm, and collected triangles.
Vintage Sweatshirt in Metallic Triangles, $49.99, jcrew.com
