There’s been a change in the air in recent months.
At fashion week, on the street, on the red carpet, even in front of the mirror in your bedroom, there’s something missing from people’s necks.
Statement necklaces.
Remember those? Big, bold pieces of blingy jewellery that demanded attention, jazzed up a top and, as the name suggests, made a grand ol’ statement.
Now the focus has shifted up a bit. The necklace is dead. Long live the earrings.
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As Osman Ahmed put it in the Business of Fashion, “statement earrings are what shoes were to Carrie Bradshaw for a generation who wear Stan Smiths”.
And there’s one very good reason why their popularity has exploded of late, particularly with millenials.
They’re easy to show off in a selfie.
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We’re all taking enough of them anyway, so why not bling it up?
Think about it. With any other piece of jewellery, there are complications to showcasing it in a picture. If you’re wearing a necklace you have to hold the camera way up a la 2006 MySpace or an awkward half body shot. And Despite watching countless episodes of America’s Next Top Model, I’ve still never managed to perfect the art of unawkwardly posing with my arm/hand in shot or touching my face. Hats off to you, jewellery models.
I know this because I am guilty as charged. – scroll through the selfies on my phone (which I won’t show them all here, I’d like to retain some dignity if you please) show that in 89 per cent of selfies I have taken, I’m angled to show off my big earrings.
Wedding ready yesterday (and runny nose hidden) thanks to the magicians at @napoleonperdis ✨
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It’s certainly not the only reason I buy them, but it doesn’t hurt that I can show my outfit and by extension my personality and mood that day without going full #OOTD.
The other reason for the rising trend? They somehow manage to be simultaneously casual AND dressy. You can chuck a pair on with a plain t-shirt and jeans or a ball gown, and on both occasions they’ll improve your outfits. They’re also a great distractor should you have not had time to do your makeup or noticed a peculiar stain on your person.
They work with long hair, short hair, no hair. And while millenials have supercharged it, there’s no age limit on the trend.
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Still not convinced of its pervasiveness? Look at the runways, look at the people walking past you in the street, in your local Lovisa and in the expensive bit in David Jones. They are being embraced on all sides.
Not since the excess of the 1980s have we seen such an in-your-face jewellery trend but instead of big hair and big, well, everything, it’s more likely to be pared back, with minimal makeup or a simple shirt.
They’re full-on, they’re fun, and thanks to advancements in materials and design, don’t have to weigh your ears down.
Now let me take a selfie.
