Get ready for the ear-drobe
It won’t have escaped the observant that ear furniture is now a major fashion super power. First it was chandelier earrings – glittery, shoulder-brushing extravaganzas that, we now know, drag your lobes down to your clavicles. Then came the asymmetric non-matchy combo. But ever since Maria Tash, New York’s self-appointed priestess of piercings, launched in the UK – bringing with her a formidable range of opinions on where to place your piercings for maximum cheekbone enhancement – tiny little diamond and pearl specks lodged in multiple piercings have ruled, along with previously obscure words describing hitherto ignored bits of ear anatomy such as the scapha, helix and tragus.
The latest trend in the evolving ear-drobe, according to designer Jennifer Fisher, is the hoop. Fisher has form: her hoops have dressed Michelle Obama, Jennifer Lopez and Adwoa Aboah, who appeared on the cover of Italian Vogue wearing her own multiple studs with Fisher’s teeny Huggie Hoops. If you haven’t worn a hoop since your crush on Sade (a major influence on Fisher) or your turn as Madame
Arcati in the school production of Blithe Spirit, it might be time to revisit.
Not all hoops are as hoopy as they used to be. Some are small and dainty; others are small and chunky (thank you, Old Céline); some ovoid, others heptagonal, some like little cuffs, designed to be worn higher up the lobe – something for every face shape.
The real selling point, says Fisher, is their campus-toblack-tie versatility and the way a large, hollow pair delivers drama with lightness. Fisher, a former stylist, is all about a pared-back but strong look.
“The biggest mistake women make with jewellery is wearing too much,” she says. “One of my pet peeves is necklaces with big earrings. If you wear hoops, take your necklaces off, no matter how small. It’s a cleaner look and your earrings have more impact.”
Fisher has a big business selling a multiplicity of hoops to women who like to juxtapose different shapes to change the tone of an outfit. “Michelle Obama mixes our brass hoops with customised fine jewellery – a great blend of classic with high fashion that feels accessible whether she’s at college day or on the cover of US Elle. Hailey Bieber, meanwhile loves a timeless small hoop. They can go classic or, if you double and triple layer them, ultra-modern. They’re the denim of jewellery.”
jenniferfisherjewelry.com from £58 to £883