Whew, sorry everyone. I overcommitted myself over the course of the last month between some big projects and traveling. Unfortunately this newsletter fell by the wayside because my brain could only process so much. But I’m back! Albeit, this is going to be a bit more sporadic because I’ll be traveling again for fashion month. The good news? Getting a chance to see the collections as well packing for such a massive trip means lots of future ideas for upcoming newsletter.
Coincidentally that ties right into the topic of this one! While working on a big project, which will make its debut on the newsletter as well as IG very soon, I got into a discussion with my friend Andrew. He mentioned that he solely wears silver jewelry. Then in Sydney, when I was talking to Yoon Ahn from AMBUSH, I noticed she also was solely wearing silver-toned pieces. I asked her what she thought about them and her response, to paraphrase, was along the lines of “Ohhhhh honey, do you think this is silver?” Oops. Someone (me) got quickly humbled because in her case, the necklaces and earrings consisted platinum, white gold, pearls, and diamonds.
Either way, the takeaway from my debacle with Yoon is that suddenly silver-toned jewelry feels fresh and desirable to me. Yes, I realize that it’s a bit of a Gen-Z cliche that also coincides with the predictable cyclical response to yellow gold having a death grip over the last decade. Whether it was in the form of jewelry or homeware, what felt interesting and unique in 2012 suddenly has veered into mass market millennial cliche. It sounds absurd because it really shouldn’t matter what color metal one prefers but I can’t help but be swayed. After all, I’ve always subscribed to the thought that if you don’t slightly adapt to the times, you wind up psychologically prematurely aging yourself.
This newfound interest in silver doesn’t mean I’ve forgone all my gold jewelry. I say this as someone who has engagement and wedding bands as well as permanent bracelets and some hard to remove ear cartilage piercings, all in various carat weights. I’m thinking more of a mix-and-match situation, which is not only realistic given that certain fine jewelry is too expensive to stop wearing but also shows that you’re not a complete slave to trends.
Before you complain about how only gold jewelry looks good on your skin tone, I’m going to call bullshit on that. This sudden resurgence in color matching that we’ve been seeing all over social media feels ineffective at best, ludicrous at its worst. That’s not to say there’s not a tiny bit of validity. Some shades genuinely don’t work on certain people. But I don’t see the difference as the woman holds slightly hues of cloth against the skin. And when they do the different metallics, it feels even more absurd because at the end of the day what looks “good” against your skin tone is so heavily influenced by what is popular at the moment. This is a long-winded way of saying that gold or silver is a personal preference and can be chic when mixed, so just have fun with it.
Lastly, if you’re not convinced, I’ll also add that silver tones are also echoed all over the New York runways. There were a few super fun Puppets and Puppets sequin sack dresses while on the other end of the style spectrum, the always elegant Carolina Herrera featured a sparkly column gown that’ll make for a very eye catching red carpet moment, whenever the SAG strike ends. And because they say three is a trend, Dion Lee’s bubble hem tin foil-esque mini was also very cool. Added bonus: the earrings at 3.1 Phillip Lim and Tory Burch were sculptural and unexpected, making me want to borrow a pair on the spot. Unfortunately, I did not ask to borrow some but I did pack a few styles and I may buy a few more in Europe. Here’s what I have my eyes on.
I actually own these (full disclosure: they were a gift from the brand) and they’re the perfect everyday size since they’re on the smaller size. Lightweight and sculptural, I actually love the idea of wearing them on my second and third piercing to create an ear cuff, so I’ll be trying that this month.
The inspiration behind stacking my silver studs is from this Alexander McQueen photo that features their Accumulation earrings. I love how dramatic this looks, even though just a clever layering of a cuff and a pair of hoops. There are so many iterations of this style available for purchase at the moment, with the rhinestone one being my favorite. At $690 it’s not cheap but it’s definitely extremely cool looking.
I’ve always loved Agmes — they’re artsy and weird, a brand that would not exist were it not for our collective obsession with everything Phoebe Philo did during her time at Céline. These drop earrings are more refined than what I normally would opt for but then again, Phoebe did do a refined moment!
I wish I saw these earrings last week but to be fair, my brain has been stretched in six different directions. I probably wouldn’t enter the address in correctly if I did buy them (true story, I royally fucked up a different SSENSE order earlier this month). Anyway, these are a more budget friendly way to recreate the Alexander McQueen stack and I’m into their drama.
At this price, these dangling clip ons are also very tempting. They’re not as chunky as I’d like but when you mix in a chain necklace or stack it, you can give it more substance. Also, these are great if you don’t have pierced ears or you want to give your lobes a break.
And finally on the completely other end of the spectrum are these by Grace Lee. The shape coupled with diamonds makes for a striking pair of earrings but of course the price tag reflects that. I’d like to think that Yoon would approve of my decision to get these earrings — maybe one day when I hit a major milestone?
Thanks for putting up with my delays!! Next week, we’re back to a Wednesday publishing schedule with a newsletter that hopefully features a little fashion month packing recap from London along with a bonus installment on Friday, about a fun work project I am working on. See you then!
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Fun to play with Silver and Gold. At my age I've inherited both (not platinum ) that span decades of fashion trends . The early 70s was a Silver moment for those wanting to sport a hippie look. Squash Blossom necklaces and Silver bangles.