The '00s was a time when Ugg boots reigned supreme, J.Lo still held the title as Booty Queen and just about everything we owned was laden with laces, glitter and rhinestones. Fashion was about piling-on the color and rocking labels galore (cue the Juicy Couture tracksuit with the Von Dutch baseball cap) and personalized jewelry was a key part of the Lauren Conrad aesthetic. Now, stylists like the N.Y.C.-based Gabriel Held, whose gift at resuscitating peak-Paris Hilton ensembles has earned him a client list including Lena Dunham, are bringing it back in full-force.
The highlight of our brief opus on the importance personalized jewelry’s place in early-millennium style has got to be the moment in 2004’s Sex and the City series finale, in which Carrie Bradshaw lands on her butt while shopping at Dior in Paris and loses her beloved "Carrie" necklace. The show’s costume designer, Patricia Fields, told InStyle in 2015 that, “I think there’s a trend now toward smaller pieces, and the name necklace fits within that genre. Names are timeless. Every woman has one: young, old, short or tall."
Chloé recently set the trend off again when it released a 26-piece collection of rings, pendants and bracelets in every letter of the alphabet. Since then, we've seen a surge in the amount of customizable chokers available for sale at high street retailers like Topshop and H&M. Plus, with the runways looking extra wordy this Fashion Week (see Versace’s graphic beanies and embroidery, for example) we think it's high time to place an order for some personalized hoops, a nice nameplate necklace and a few monogramed rings – if you haven't already.
