getting an ear full

images via la modella mafia, jak & jil, mr. kate, and le fashion

unless you live under a rock, you've probably noticed that while arm parties are still going strong, the latest trend in jewelry -- the ear party -- is going, well... really, really strong. aka, your standard studs simply aren't going to cut it anymore.

even if you're like me and have been sporting two upper cartilage rings for the past few years and thought you looked cool, we're  playing it way too small. ear cuffs, tunnel earrings, zany new shapes and even safety pins have entered the world of chic, forward-thinking jewelry, and all i can say is... sign me up.

after a while, high-shine ear parties really don't even seem all that crazy . they're trendy, yes, but daring? of course. statement-making? definitely. worth the risk of drawing awkward attention to your lobes? you bet. oversized, sometimes-violent ear candy toes the line between en vogue and, well... punky. my own mother likened the trend to the over-pierced gothic youth of the 90s, but all i have to say is this: since none of these gilded pieces actually require poking new holes in your body (unless, of course, you don't already have single lobe piercings), it's just an innocent game of c'est-la-vie-and-pile-it-on-before-it's-out-again. which would you choose?

{ clockwise from top left: repossi 'berbere' ear cuff, dana rebecca bar earrings, mr. kate 'bark' ear cuffs [i own a silver one and love it], rebecca minkoff faceted studs, rachel roy safety pin earrings [last seen here], mr. kate 'circe' ear cuffs, giles & brother tiny safety pin earrings, topshop tunnel earrings [which look a lot like those givenchy tusks, no?], mr. kate 'bow' ear cuff }

II emily