The Top Jewelry Trends of Spring 2020 - Vogue.com
A necklace that wraps around your neck, a bracelet that cuffs your wrist, a ring that slips onto your finger—jewelry is generally designed in the round. And because of the value of the raw materials it’s made of, the jewelry industry is, at least to a certain extent, circular in the sustainable sense. Responsible fashion was the main talking point of the Spring 2020 season, and the use of humble, natural materials like shell, stone, raffia, and wood suggested that jewelry designers have taken all the earth-friendly talk in.
Trends in jewelry aren’t as radical as those in accessories; and the emotion evoked by a finely wrought ring, say, is different than bag or shoe lust. Instead, it awakens a sort of instinctual magpie tendency. Sparkly objects tend to have a magnetic pull, and there are plenty on offer for Spring: Prepare to sparkle from the top of your head the tips of your toes.
Indeed, full-body jewelry is a big thing this season. At Balmain and Gabriela Hearst, it was built-in; elsewhere baubles were fashioned into garments. Chokers retain their leading position and chunky links are of the moment. Plan to layer them—two or more deep—on days when you’re not wearing a lariat worn wrapped like a scarf or with the chains falling through the décolletage, as at Versace.
Earrings are sold in pairs, but you don’t need to wear them that way. The trend for mismatched and single earrings is still around; for Spring it was played with the perennial hoop earring (worn individually, mismatched, or as a pair). Finally, when designers weren’t playing ball—beads, pearls, and orbs were everywhere—they were line dancing, with the above-mentioned lariats and new iterations of dangling “art” earrings, some resembling Calder mobiles. It’ll be difficult not to fall hook, line, and sinker for them.
Back to Nature
Jewelry doesn’t need to be made of diamonds to be precious. We saw shell parures at Prada, wooden brooches at Miu Miu, raffia necklaces at Simone Rocha, and so much more. Everywhere you looked, designers were elevating humble materials into highly desirable pieces.
The Body Beautiful
Paco Rabanne was one of the first designers to blur the line between jewelry and dress; Julien Dossena, now head of the house, isn’t the only one following in his footsteps. Area, Gypsy Sport, and Kenzo took body jewelry way beyond the belly chain. For less exhibitionist types, Balenciaga and Moschino offered trompe l’oeil jewelry prints.
Feeling Hoopy
Worn in pairs or singly, hoops made the rounds in all shapes and sizes this season. Particularly effective were the versions that got an art-class makeover, like the paint-dipped hoops at Marni.
Spheres of Influence
Jewelry creators literally had a ball for Spring, suspending globes of metal and glass from ear lobes, and stringing multicolored beads into lariats. Bottega Veneta’s Daniel Lee draped pendant orbs down backs, and other designers embraced pearls—with and without irony.
Linked In
Chokers remain high on must-have lists. Bigger is better in terms of links; and more is more when it comes to piling and layering these pieces around your neck.
Free Fallin’
Like a lariat? The Spring runways presented lots of options, from sexy at Versace to bougie à la Celine.
Twinkle Toes
There’s nothing down-to-earth about a brooch on a sock, a chandelier drop suspended from an espadrille, or delicate anklet jewelry. So kick up your heels and have some fun!
