Maximalists, these are for you.
Last Updated Jan 14, 2022
ICYMI: Minimalist jewelry has reigned supreme all pandemic long. For months, the only fashion agenda in question was looking good above the keyboard—which unfussy, barely-there talismans were perfect for.
Now, amidst our yo-yo between WFH and IRL life, designers are coming up with new styles to shake up the touch-and-go nature of our new normal. The result? A new class of Spring 2022 jewelry trends, which go big with maximalism and leave all else by the wayside.As for what’s in store, chunky chokers are eclipsing threadbare necklaces, and low-key chain motifs are being replaced by colossal versions. Bursts of color formerly relegated to birthstones have cropped up on Ring Pop-sized baubles. And of course, Y2K nostalgia continues to have a hand in it all—namely, with the resurgence of bicep bracelets and chrome metals. Peruse the rest ahead.
Designers are getting creative with the ’90s-centric chain-link necklace, blowing it up onto a macro scale. (We can thank JW Anderson for this, as his chunky chain loafers blazed the trail.) For Spring 2022, designers are infusing shoes, belts, and even ready-to-wear with enlarged chain-links, proving that the jewelry trend isn’t losing steam—it’s just getting bigger. (Pun intended.)
Sure, layered necklaces are great, but the runways are making a case for more impactful neckwear. Chunky chokers done up in shiny golds, spherical pearls, and enough crystals to put a Judith Lieber bag to shame are going to be de rigueur this season. In terms of style, some rest along the collarbones, like Richard Quinn’s tubular silhouettes; others fill the entire decolletage, like Balmain’s choker, which feels apropos of the links on a watch band. Pair this necklace with a tube top—aka one of the top Spring 2022 fashion trends this season.
More Spring/Summer 2022 Trends
Sometimes the runway creates trends; other times, they rise up from far-off corners of the world and the runway follows suit. We saw it with nameplate necklaces and grunge style—and now, the same is happening with colorful jewelry. First bubbling up on TikTok in the form of flowery acrylic rings and enamel accents, the sweet-as-candy trend just makes sense for spring and summer.
European heritage brands have officially followed suit: Chanel released colorful, stackable bangles, while Dior went with block-shaped rings in pinks and blues. Use them to dress up a neutral outfit or double down on the fun with a glitzy sequin dress.
Remember the bicep bracelets that Nicole Richie and Aaliyah defaulted to through the ’00s? They’re back with a vengeance. It wasn’t just Y2K frontrunner Blumarine that revisited the jewelry trend for Spring 2022—Tory Burch, Etro, and Fendi also joined the armlet vanguard.
Some design codes dated back to ancient Roman times, military personnel were known to wear armlets). Need an example? Alberta Ferretti’s models wore gilded, wing-shaped cuffs. Others kept it modern, like Mossi with its jet-black, padded bands.
Silver jewelry made its grand re-entrance last summer, following the rise of chrome accents in the decor space. Two seasons later, Ferragamo released Gancini-logo bracelets in the metal, while Alexander McQueen used silver on its mismatched earrings and chokers.
As far as the shapes we’re seeing, curvaceous baubles are leading the charge, again mining inspiration from the design world’s craving for tubular chrome pieces. (The now-viral, Bauhaus-era Wassily chair comes to mind.)
