Ear styling is officially in — at least according to 2017’s Pinterest 100, the social scrapbooking site’s annual trend report. Based on recent increases in saved pins, Pinterest’s Insights team is betting that the multiple earrings look will be huge this year. (Per the report, there’s been a 255 percent increase in interest in “multiple earrings” over the past year.)
We wholeheartedly agree. Call it the Zoë Kravitz effect, but multiple ear piercings have made their way into the mainstream. And we’re not talking just two or three holes. Fashion fixtures like Kravitz, Scarlett Johansson, Jessica Alba and Nicole Richie (one of the early supporters of the trend) are known to sport upward of four earrings at once (though Richie has toned down her ear look as of late).
Fashion’s cool kids have picked up on the once fringe trend. They’re here for more earrings — and less conventional placement. Jewelry designers have risen to the occasion, churning out trompe l’oeil lobe huggers, twirl hoops, ear crawlers and cuffs for those who love the effect of multiple earrings…but hate needles. Piercing salons like Manhattan’s New York Adorned, headed up by Kravitz favorite J. Colby Smith, specialize in arranging multiple earrings in asymmetric, aesthetically pleasing patterns that even the most traditional fashion gals can get behind.
Ready to test out your jewelry layering skills? Piercers like Smith and his New York Adorned colleagues Adrian Castillo and Cassi Lopez, along with jewelry brands like Amarilo and Monocrafft, fill their Instagram pages with tons of ear-spiration. Click through the gallery below to see some seriously decked out ears — and shop our favorite layering pieces of the moment. (One caveat: While these looks err toward the minimal and boho-inspired, we like to anchor our ear look with a serious statement piece.)
Multiple Earrings
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Multiple Earrings #1
You can't go wrong with classic yellow gold. For those with a slightly gauged ear, we highly recommend the multiple-mini-hoops-in-one-hole look.
Image: @adriancastillo
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Multiple Earrings #2
Stack fitted hoops over a climber for added edge.
Image: @adriancastillo
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Multiple Earrings #3
To quote the great Diana Vreeland, "The eye has to travel." Give it some direction with chevron studs.
Image: @cassisoclassy
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Multiple Earrings #4
Pair dainty threaders with geometric huggers.
Image: @rosefieldwatches
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Multiple Earrings #5
Some say jewelry layering calls for dainty, minimalist pieces. We say go big or go home. Make an outsize, vintage-feeling stud your centerpiece.
Image: @cassisoclassy
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Multiple Earrings #6
Mix every type of metal. Then, for added dissonance, pop in a classic pearl.
Image: @jcolbysmith
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Multiple Earrings #7
Daith piercings are no picnic, but for a gorgeous inner ear hoop, we'd brave the needle.
Image: @jcolbysmith
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Multiple Earrings #8
When sourcing your ear candy, we highly recommend WWAKE jewelry, featured here.
Image: @jcolbysmith
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Multiple Earrings #9
Monocrafft designer Merrel Westhoff looks to "ancient patterns, ethnic tribes, music and the shape of shadows" for inspiration. Our source of ear-spiration? Her Instagram page.
Image: @monocrafft
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Multiple Earrings #10
In place of that simple tragus stud, try a cute pave cluster from New York–based brand Shashi. They're plated in 18-karat gold and come in a range of colors.
Image: @monocrafft
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Multiple Earrings #11
Love the look of multiple piercings in one ear, but not ready to commit? We've got two words for you: ear. cuffs.
Image: @monocrafft
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Multiple Earrings #12
We love a good chain link earring almost as much as we love this clever Sansoeurs stud that mimics the effect of a conch piercing.
Image: @jcolbysmith
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Multiple Earrings #13
An anti-tragus hoop is the new septum ring, you heard it here first.
Image: @adriancastillo
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Multiple Earrings #14
Lobe piercings are so passé. Draw attention to creative placement with sleek, simple earrings.
Image: @cassisoclassy
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Multiple Earrings #15
An assembly line of danglers is a safe approach to a naturally rebellious look.
Image: @amarilo
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Multiple Earrings #16
A linear ear cuff breaks up the monotony of multiple studs.
Image: @amarilo
