The Relationship Between Shirts and Accessories: Wearing a Touch of Elegance

Earrings that sway by the ear with an updo, hair accessories that look lovely even from behind, necklaces and pendants that make the décolletage look delicate—we'll introduce you to how to choose accessories to pair with shirts, creating a refined impression with just one piece.

What Kind of Shirts Call for Accessories?

Shirts come in many varieties due to differences in detail, but this time we've picked out three types of shirts that pair especially well with accessories.

Band Collar Shirts / Collarless Shirts

Band collar shirts, or collarless shirts, refer to [shirts without a collar].

"Collar" comes from the English word for the neckline part of clothing. There is a slight difference between band collar and no collar: no collar refers to garments with no collar portion at all, while band collar refers to those with a [band: a strip of fabric] attached.

An example of the band collar type.

Compared to collared shirts with a crisp, formal feel, these have a subtle sense of casualness. The neckline appears sleek and elongated, giving off a cool, refreshing impression.

Skipper Shirts

Originally, knitwear with a neckline design that resembled layered clothing was called "skipper," and from this, buttonless polo shirts, or cut-and-sew tops with a collar added to a V-neck, came to be called skipper shirts. The collar portion is called a skipper collar.

Skipper shirts often feature a design that opens neatly down to the chest, allowing you to change the impression depending on the inner layer worn underneath. They're commonly seen in spring and summer shirts and give a cool, refreshing impression.

Sleeveless Shirts

The previous two were collared designs, but accessories also look wonderful with sleeveless shirts, which you'll want to wear in the height of summer.

By cutting away the sleeves and exposing more skin, the arms appear longer and give a cool, refreshing look. Even with a shirt of handsome design, choosing a sleeveless style can create a feminine, refined impression.

For Band Collar and Collarless Shirts, Draw the Eye Upward with Accessories

Now, let's take a look at how to pair accessories with each of the three types of shirts. First, the collarless band collar and no-collar shirts.

Collarless shirts make the neckline look neat and clean, so accessories really stand out. To further enhance the cool, refreshing impression of the neckline, try choosing accessories with the idea of [drawing the visual weight upward] in mind.

Pulling your hair up into a neat updo, or wearing pierced earrings or earrings, also brings the visual weight upward. Simple, larger motifs look wonderful too, and it's also nice to bring a swaying necklace up near the ear.

A Basic Hair Tie for Updos

If you want to enjoy arranging your hair, make use of a hair tie with a motif. The janeke Hair Tie Flower features a translucent flower motif that gives a cool, refreshing feel—the kind of hair tie made for a mature woman. It's a versatile accessory that pairs easily with any outfit.

A Barrette for Effortless Hair Arrangements

A barrette makes for an easy arrangement if you have medium to long hair. Simply putting your hair in a half-up style gives a visually cool look. The janeke Barrette TB comes in a subtle shade somewhere between beige and gray, and wearing it alone creates an elegant impression, making you want to pair it with your outfit every day.

A Delicate Pair of Earrings for the Ears

Collarless shirts can give a unisex impression, which makes feminine accessories stand out all the more. The Hario Lampwork Factory Pierced Earrings Ru, which express raindrops in glass, sway gently by the ear with a fleeting, delicate beauty, creating a feminine atmosphere.

Pair Skipper Shirts with a Delicate Necklace

Skipper shirts, which show off the chest area neatly, enhance the charm of a mature woman. To give a skipper shirt an even more delicate, charming impression, pair it with [a necklace with a delicate look].

"Necklace" is often used as a general term for accessories worn around the neck, while "pendant" is said to derive from the English word [pend: to hang down], with the characteristic V shape formed by the weight of the pendant top. Paired with the opening of a skipper shirt, this is an item that makes the whole body look stylish.

Shirt: SKIPPER Shirt Stripe (discontinued), Pendant: [Special Order] OCTAGON NECKLACE (red)

How to Choose a Necklace

While the motif of a necklace matters, [length] is also a key point to consider when choosing one. Necklaces can be classified by length as [choker], [princess], [matinee], [opera], and [rope].

The choker type is a relatively short necklace, with a chain length of around 35 to 40 cm. While this length suits nearly everyone, it sits close to the base of the neck, so how it feels when worn can vary from person to person.

The princess type is a necklace with a length of about 40 to 45 cm, with the pendant resting just below the collarbone. Many people probably picture this length when they think of a necklace. It makes the neckline look slender and elongated, giving an elegant impression that blends in beautifully when dressed up.

The matinee type refers to necklaces with the pendant falling around the chest, at a length of roughly 50 to 55 cm. "Matinee" is French for daytime performances of musicals and plays, and this necklace length is said to have been commonly worn in European daytime social circles. It's elegant yet also easy to pair with casual clothing.

The opera type refers to necklaces about 70 to 80 cm long. Traditionally worn with long dresses for evening opera performances, this length gives the whole silhouette a vertical, elongated look.

And finally, there's the rope type. At over 100 cm, this necklace is even longer than the opera type. Of course it can be worn as a single strand, but you can also double it up, or, depending on the material, take advantage of its length to tie it—part of the fun is arranging it to suit your outfit.

Since skipper shirts have a V-shaped opening at the chest, the princess type, at around 40 cm, fits the silhouette perfectly. It's also a good idea to choose a necklace with an adjuster that lets you change the length.

Sleeveless shirts create flair at the wrist

Sleeveless shirts, which you'll want to wear during the hot summer, expose more skin, so pairing them with accessories makes for a more glamorous finish. What you should choose is a design-forward accessory to wear at the wrist.

A leather bracelet with beautiful braiding

Bracelet B01 by Monica Johansson, made using the traditional reindeer leather and tin alloy passed down among the Sami people who live in the Nordic region. Though not particularly large, its distinctive materials give it a one-of-a-kind presence. It's so lightweight you might forget you're wearing it, making it an easy bracelet to wear even for those unaccustomed to accessories.

Mini Chief, instantly more glamorous with just one wrap

Wrist accessories aren't limited to bracelets—wrapping a small scarf or chief around your wrist once looks lovely too. GLARNER TUECHLI's Bandana Cowbell Regular Size features a woodblock hand print of a cow walking with a distinctly Swiss cowbell, and its vivid, beautiful coloring catches the eye.

▽See the full accessory lineup here