Let’s Talk about Earrings for Grown-Ass Women

This is the time of year when I assess my style over the past year, think about what I enjoyed wearing, what collected dust, and what I need to get an even harder working, long-lasting, yet comfortable and joyful wardrobe. And thinking about what really leveled up my style this year was earrings.

Let's Talk about Earrings for Grown-Ass Women

I have always been an earring fan. Even since the early days of Wardrobe Oxygen, I owned not a jewelry box, but a jewelry armoire, with multiple drawers dedicated to earrings. I've liked them big and bold, shiny and architectural, delicate and sparkly, artsy and crafty, and I rarely get rid of earrings because they often come round again in fashion or fitting of my personal style aesthetic.

Shop Jewelry Armoires:

And while I am all for having fun with accessories, I do feel as we head into 2025, the earring is going to be the jewelry piece, and I think it's time for us grown-ass women to take a break from the classic hoops and huggies, and consider a signature pair that take your average to amazing.

Think Architecture, Sculpture, and Flow for 2025

There is a trend towards pieces that look as if they could have been part of Elsa Peretti's 1969 jewelry collection, and others that look like an edgy piece by Ed Weiner, yet many of these styles can be found for less than $75. These earrings can be thrifted, they can be found from small artisans, they may even be already in your jewelry box from a previous trend cycle.

Shop the collage: one | two | three | four | five | six | seven | eight

Straight lines, drips of molten lava, gyroscopes of rings, drops and balls and unexpected angles. All shiny gold, or silver, or maybe a mix of two. This year, expect to see a lot of baroque, freshwater and other styles of more “natural” shaped pearls mixed in with modern metal designs.

Shop the collage: one | two | three | four | five | six | seven | eight | nine

These can be delicate studs, hoop-esque, delicate linear pieces, or bold statements. Most earrings this year do not show any French hooks or wires to connect the earrings; the look is far more solid, even if it is a delicate twisting aluminum ribbon.

Shop the collage: one | two | three | four | five | six | seven | eight | nine

In 1997, I bought a sterling cuff mismarked for $25. It has subtle curves and I've worn it every year since. In 2017, I bought a pair of “Edie” earrings from Jenny Bird, in gold, for $65, and still wear them on the regular. In 2022, I got a pair of gold earrings from Nordstrom's brand Open Edit for $19 that look like crumpled gold metal. They are very similar to an Alexis Bittar design, but not enough to be a dupe. They look so effing cool, my stylish friend borrowed them to take for a night out at the fancy tropical resort she visited over the holidays.

Shop the collage: one | two | three | four | five | six | seven | eight | nine | ten

At the end of last year, I bought myself these earrings from Jenny Bird, in silver. And I have been wearing them almost daily since. My regular hoops feel so ordinary in comparison, and strangers stop me in the mall and market to comment on them. They make me feel cool and modern, and like my sweatshirt and Lands' End jeans are purposefully minimalistic, not what was clean on Thursday.

Shop the collage: one | two | three | four | five | six | seven | eight | nine | ten | eleven

Continue to wear your favorite earrings, or don't wear earrings. The most stylish thing is to wear what brings you comfort and joy. And if a switch up from the classic hoop sounds appealing, I hope you found some stylish inspiration!