Pearl was everywhere on the spring and summer 2024 runways from New York to Paris, from London to Milan.
Precious and chic beads, already presented on the catwalks of previous Fashion Weeks, are undoubtedly the main trend of the season, and they will continue to be relevant next season.
Keep reading this article to learn more about this trend!
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According to legend, one day Cleopatra took off her pearl earring, dissolved the pearls in wine and drank this cocktail. Thus, Cleopatra proved that she could afford the most expensive drink in the world. In Ancient Rome, pearls were valued higher than gold: they were used to decorate the temples of the most revered gods, but ordinary people could not afford them.
The 16th–17th centuries can be called a time when pearls were not only the main decoration, but also an indicator of richness. Every single ceremonial portrait of that time was complete with such decorations. For European monarchs, pearls became a mandatory element of their looks. Pearls were spent kilograms on decorating the dresses, which is why the outfits of the court ladies simply weighed exorbitantly.
In the beginning of the twentieth century, pearl jewelry gained popularity as a symbol of the fight against the stiffness of the aristocrats and the clumsy traditions of the bourgeoisie. Coco Chanel led this war. Chanel introduced the fashion for pearls, and since then all women have kept pearls in their box. Chanel pearl beads are costume jewelry and are made of glass and coated with mother-of-pearl. It was she who made pearls a democratic accessory that goes with any outfit and suggested wearing a white pearl necklace with a black turtleneck, jacket and little black dress.
In England, Queen Elizabeth I became the leader of the trend. It was with her light hand that pearls received the status of an integral attribute of the secular image of a lady belonging to the royal family. And although this was back in the 17th century, not a single bow of the modern Queen of England Elizabeth II is complete without a string of pearls. And as a result, pearls became a symbol of the royal person.
After the Second World War, pearls again climbed the fashion Olympus, as they began to be associated with a distinctly feminine “lady-like” style. The image of a respectable housewife began to be replicated for a reason. After war losses, it was important to increase the birth rate and strengthen value of family.
In the 1960s, the dictates of the lady-like style began to gradually weaken under the pressure of feminist movements. Pearls at this time began to be increasingly perceived as a bourgeois relic. It was worn by those who emulated Jackie Kennedy's style. It was she who owned the most expensive fake pearl necklace, which was put up at auction for 211,000, as part of the legendary wardrobe. According to biographers, Jacqueline bought the faux pearl jewelry in the 1950s for $35.
Since the 1970s, pearls have become strongly associated with bourgeois relics and retro style. It was sent to the wardrobe of Elizabeth II's peers and, it seemed, completely forgotten. A new round in the fashionable history of pearls has occurred only in our days. Designers turned to him in the wake of rethinking the heritage of different fashion eras. In particular, the 1960s, which today are actively replicated in popular culture and cinema.
Pearl trend is genderless. While many men limit themselves to watches, others do not hide their attraction to jewelry. They turn the established rules upside down with a huge amount of jewelry.
