From bras to caps to waist chains, jewelry is taking all kinds of new forms

Largely shunned during the pandemic, jewelry is now making a comeback. And, not content with adding the finishing touch to our most sophisticated looks, jewelry is now landing in totally unexpected forms, often elevated from a simple accessory to a garment in its own right, from jewel caps to bras, headbands and eye gems.

Jewellery is back with an increasingly assertive, maximalist aesthetic, reflecting a need for colors, patterns, sparkles and other eccentricities.

The crystal bra

Driven by many celebrities and social media influencers -- Hailey Bieber in the lead -- the jewel bra has a growing number of followers around the world. As a result, from the big luxury houses to fast fashion brands, jewel bras are everywhere. But if there's one model that's proving particularly popular, it's the crystal bra, with search interest up considerably in one year on Google Trends (+93%), and skyrocketing on the global fashion search engine Stylight* (+1,000%).

Jewelry caps are now also a thing, adding a bohemian or oriental touch. Beaded caps are doing well, with a 137% increase in search interest on Google Trends, and over 1,000% on the specialized platform Stylight. Jewelry is also being transformed into belts -- channeling Y2K nostalgia -- or, more precisely, into belly chains (+61% on Google Trends), and into facial stick-ons like eye gems (+75%).

Crown jewels

When it's not stepping into the role of a garment, jewelry seems determined to ramp up femininity -- or clichés -- to the extreme, adopting a regal air. Indeed, Elizabeth II, recently in the spotlight thanks to her Platinum Jubilee celebrations, seems to have been a source of inspiration for many. The tiara is, for example, now buzzing online, with a 313% increase in clicks on Stylight, as are the famous Swarovski crystals (+429%) and waterfall jewelry (+63% on Google Trends).

*The data in this report is based on the search and shopping behavior of the 160 million annual buyers on Stylight. Click-through analysis was conducted from April 1 to May 22, 2022, compared to the same period last year. For Google Trends data, the survey date was May 21 for data from the past 12 months.