If you can only afford one wardrobe update for 2024, it should be a really fabulous pair of bold statement earrings… well, it should really be lots of bold statement earrings.
Big hoops and long drops and giant circles and crazy swirls and huge geometric earrings were worn by almost every runway model for every season this year, as well as for day outfits and nighttime ensembles. This current crop of huge earrings really rocks, and these jewels will keep you from looking like a wallflower. So. Just. Do. It.
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There are five main styles to look for:
- Floral statement earrings
- Big ethnic hoops and chandeliers
- Extra-long slinky drops
- Huge 60s mod geometric designs
- Long tassel earrings
We’re talking giant, rock ‘n’ roll, Eurotrash, singing backup for Led Zeppelin, kind of big. I mean, humongous earrings. And these babies are the best legal way to have fun with your clothes on.
If you want to do this trend right, make sure you look for extra-large, jumbo, gigantic earrings. If your accessories can’t be seen from across the room, they won’t work for 2024. And if the earrings look small on the model, they won’t show up on someone with an average-sized face (like you or me).
I have always had a wide, fat, European-peasant face. Even when I was young and skinny, I had the same fat face I have now, so I’ve always been a fan of massive earrings. Hey, the bigger, the better.
I am absolutely ecstatic that statement earrings are back.
Big Statement Earrings for Round Fat Faces
It seems likely that most of us over 50 are a little heavier than we were in college. And that makes our faces plumper, which is good because skinny faces show more wrinkles and give our cheeks that hollowed-out, shrunken, Oklahoma dust-bowl look. And who wants that? So, pass the Cherry Garcia… again!
However, fatter faces, just like fatter bodies, need bigger accessories. Yes, I finally gave up on diamonds and fine gems. I gave my perfect diamond studs and my exquisite pearls to some younger members of my family. What good did they do collecting dust in my jewelry box?
And, in my never-quite-humble opinion, rounder faces look best with big, fat, ROUND earrings. Well, I don’t know what shape your face is, but if your face is somewhat wide like mine, you will always look best in round earrings. You can wear big, round studs, like maybe pearls. You can wear big, round drops or hoops or chandeliers. You can wear almost any earring with a rounded, organic shape or symbol.
Designer Costume Jewelry Brands
If you can afford to buy giant gold earrings with precious gems, please do. However, most of us live in the real world, so we look better in beautifully made “fashion” jewelry. It’s a good idea to buy better quality costume jewelry from big designers whenever there’s something great and somewhat affordable, especially if you’re over 50 because the name-brand stuff really and truly does have better style than the cheap knockoffs. Well, just wear the best you can in whatever price range you find yourself in.
And even though some of the designer jewelry is made of plastic, it doesn’t mean it’s cheap. Great costume jewelry usually starts around $300 and goes up over $1,000 (and well beyond that if made of gemstones), but the designs are so wonderful that you’ll be passing this stuff on to your heirs. Here are some great costume jewelry brands to look for:
- Dolce & Gabbana Jewelry
- Ranjana Khan
- Oscar de la Renta Jewelry
- Marni Jewelry
- Rebecca De Ravenel
There are lots of other fab brands, but you’ll find the right websites by googling those names. And you can do this trend with cheap knockoffs, but you really should look at the ritzy stuff, too.
1. Flower Statement Earrings
Floral jewelry translates well into giant statement earrings. Personally, I prefer earrings that are flexible because they are so feminine. And I love big earrings next to my big, fat face.
2. Ethnic Boho Statement Earrings: Hoops & Chandeliers
If you always wanted to run away and join a gypsy caravan, big hoops, and sultry chandeliers are the boho look for you, and this is your year!
You can find the most amazing assortment of hoops and chandeliers in big-name designer styles. And you will be able to see them from across the room, I promise. Many of the new, trendy earrings are about three to four inches long, and many are longer and bigger and have more pizzazz than anything you’ve seen since high school. (You can find the shops and brands below in Photo Credits. A Reminder: I never get paid to endorse anything. I do this for fun and for the small amount of pin money I get from your support, so if you find typos, use your imagination.)
3. Long Slinky Drop Statement Earrings
If you have a fat face and a short neck, long drop earrings can be the hardest of the current trends to wear. For one thing, skinny earrings don’t show up well on women with a bigger body. However, long drops should not be ignored. They look especially good with a hat or when you pull your hair up. I’ve also found that extremely long drops (that fall to your shoulders or beyond) seem to be OK on chicks with short necks, like me. Weird jewelry, such as earrings of an accentuated length, seem to be weirdly perfect.
In general, I look good in drops if they have some width, such as the first drop earrings in the photo above. If you have a long, thin face and/or a long, thin neck, the thin pearl-type drops in the photo will look fab on you.
Oh, by the way, if you have long hair, try to avoid dark earrings. Dark colors won’t show up unless you pull your hair into a pony, and they won’t always show up when you pull your hair behind your ears. Well, that’s been my experience. Earrings that show up best on me are pearls (real or faux), turquoise, coral, bright crystals with a lot of shimmer, and gold or silver metals. The rest… meh.
So, I don’t waste my money on dark lapis or deep brown crystals, even when the earrings are luscious online.
4. 60’s Mod Geometric Earrings
Yes, you can wear a trend again, even if you wore it the first time around. I don’t know if fashion designers are calling these retro styles “Mod” earrings, but they look an awful lot like the geometric designs I remember from the ’60s. What else could you call them? Modern? Graphic? Structural? Geo? Well, I call them 60s Mod.
I remember the ball earrings on a stick from my days in junior high. Okay, they don’t call them “balls” these days. They call them spheres or globes—same thing. I mean, you could walk into a time machine wearing a pair of these “ball on a stick” earrings with a Sassoon geometric haircut, and you’d fit right in circa 1965.
My old ball earrings were made of inferior plastic and came from someplace like K-Mart, but these new designer things are much nicer. I could definitely wear the humongous faux pearl balls in the photo above. I could rock them to Mars and back.
Earring Tip for Older Broads
One thing I’d like to stress for those of you old enough to have saggy jawlines and no plastic surgeon on speed dial: You need to think about your jowls when buying drop earrings. It’s not that you can’t wear drops or hoops or chandeliers or whatever—it’s just that you don’t want to wear earrings that mimic and exaggerate your jowls. You have to take your lovely baubles home and look at them in various types of lighting to see if they make you look saggy. This tip seldom applies to evening earrings because darkly lit places are fabulous for those of us who depend upon the kindness of strangers.
5. Long Tassel Earrings
Tassel earrings and poms have been around for a few years, but they are everywhere on the runway, and they’ve morphed into new designs. Tassels look especially great with folklore outfits, but they can be worn with anything. They look boho-ish during the day and turn slinky and elegant when the sun goes down.
If you aren’t in your twenties, you should make sure your tassel earrings look sharp and well-made. If not, you’ll run the risk of looking like a DIY granny who pulled her accessories off a parlor pillow. So take care with this trend.
One Trend to Avoid for Women Over 50
Avoid Single Earrings!
One of the hot trends for 2024 is wearing one huge earring. If you are older, it’s going to look like one of your earrings fell off. I mean, unless you are known as a fashion-forward chick, wearing only one earring is going to make you look like you’re lost in Louisiana. If you must go ahead with this lopsided trend, make sure you stick some kind of medium-sized earring in the vacant hole; otherwise, people are going to think you’re getting old and flaky. Yes, it’s a cute style if you’re about 16, but not if you’re 60.
Big Monster Statement Earrings: 5 Fab Trends
Well, all I can say is look around. There are so many cute statement earrings that I’ve been lusting after that I couldn’t fit on this page. (I must have bookmarked 1,000 styles.)
I wish I had an extra $100,000 to blow on baubles, bangles, and bright shiny beads. And I can only hope that statement earrings will stick around for a few years because I’m going to be rocking the huge earring trend no matter what! It’s my favorite trend of all time, right after boho.
Takeaways
- Embrace Boldness: Opt for extra-large statement earrings to make a strong fashion statement.
- Face Shape Matters: Choose earring shapes that complement your face, such as round earrings for wider faces.
- Quality Matters: Invest in designer costume jewelry for better style and longevity.
- Variety of Styles: Explore different styles like floral, boho, geometric, and tassel earrings to find what suits you best.
- Trends to Avoid: Be cautious with trends like single earrings, especially if you’re over 50, to maintain a balanced look.
By following these tips, you can effortlessly enhance your wardrobe with stunning statement earrings that showcase your unique style.
