The Daily Telegraph - Saturday - Saturday
YULETIDE SPARKLE
It’s likely a velvet mule or satin drawstring bag is high on your partyaccessories lust list this season, no doubt with hopes of adding a glamorous touch to your simple LBD for the office party, or as the ideal partner to a winter-wedding-guest look. That may be all well and good (and I’d steer you towards Ganni and Aeyde for the best options), but with most of us sporting the same simple studs day in, day out, it’s worth getting your lobes in on the glitzy action too. ’Tis the season, after all.
Not only is a chandelier earring the easiest way to add a luxe touch to a simple outfit (stash them under your office desk for a swift swap come 6pm), they’re also a timeless buy. Princess Margaret’s, below right, would look just as fabulous now with a cream blouse and black denim as they did with her pretty chiffon frock and tiara in 1969.
Even back then, they weren’t brand new. The chandelier design – a long, drop earring with suspended stones
– is one of the oldest styles, with origins in the Middle East and China. Like the Duchess of Sussex and her Strathberry tote, and the Duchess of Cambridge and her LK Bennett courts, we can pinpoint the sudden rise in their popularity to a member of the royal family. Post-colonialism, the style spread to the West, and was in high demand after George VI gifted his daughter Elizabeth a pretty pair on her wedding day in 1947.
The offering in 2018 isn’t entirely dissimilar to these earlier iterations. My favourite takeaways from Chanel’s autumn/winter 2018 show were the statement drop earrings that featured pearls, diamonds and coloured gems, snaking up ears then falling into mismatched chandeliers.
If, like me, your budget doesn’t stretch to Chanel, Susan Caplan’s selection of affordable vintage earrings is unrivalled. On the high street, Spanish brands Mango and Uterqüe have the OTT earring trend down pat and are the best quality I’ve found thus far. Should your pockets be deeper, fashion girls are currently drooling over Alessandra Rich’s dazzling drop earrings, which are quite the investment. Now, go forth and sparkle.