Occasionally as I’m riding the subway, my eyes glance down at my outfit and—to my horror—I realize my heels are gold, the clasps on my purse are silver, and my chain-link necklace is a dark gunmetal. Being a person who vehemently prefers for all her metals, even her shades of crystal jewellery, to match, I first felt that I looked like I had gotten dressed in the dark. But as I got over my triviality, I realized that this old-school faux pas that I had once feared really wasn’t all that bad.

Clockwise, from top left: Hammered bracelets, $38, jewelmint.com. Cuchara Rio Gold necklace, $268, brika.com. Flower stackable rings, $42, stelladot.com. Fireburst bracelet, $78, jcrew.com/ca. Lulu Frost for J.Crew Vineyard Earrings, $138, jcrew.com/ca.

“I think it's modern and edgy to mix metals, while keeping your metals in one tone is more polished,” says Canadian Living’s Fashion & Beauty Web Editor, Andrea Karr. She’s not the only one who favours this look. Julia McEwen, our Fashion & Beauty Director, is all about layering on statement baubles in all shades. And just in time for the holidays, when else is it more appropriate to bring out all the bling? With a little bit of confidence, you can pull off any look effortlessly. But if you’d like a few tips on wearing mixed metals in a more put-together manner, whether that be with regards to your jewellery or the hardware on your clothes and accessories, check out our editor-approved suggestions for refining those finishing touches of your ensemble. 1. To execute jewellery effortlessly, make sure you're working with three different tones of metals but ensure that the finish (shiny, matte or textured) matches. 2. Consider the scale of your accessories when mixing to determine what will stand out the most. Are you thinking of pairing a chunky gold bib necklace with skinny silver bracelets? Varying the size of your pieces will prevent your frame from being overwhelmed. 3. Mixing bracelets of different metal tones is an easy way to pull of the look. You can have a couple gold, a couple silver, a couple rose gold, and then do whatever you want with the rest of your jewellery and hardware. 4. Throw in one piece with a different tone of metal than the rest of your accessories and clothing for a 'happy accident' look, or make it your bridge piece to graduate to a different tone of metal. 5. To add even more visual interest, try choosing items in not only different shades of metals, but also different shapes, such as square gold bangles with a layered round bracelet in silver.