There will come a time when you’ll want to push it. Take your look from easy and everyday to stylishly subversive. Transform a combo as simple as a tank top and jeans into a double-take-worthy outfit. And you can do that with a strand of pearls. You mean like Grandma wore? Well . . . yeah.
If you’ve been keeping an eye on the cool kids—the achingly hip downtown types, the off-kilter artsy guys, the capital-F Fashion fans —you know pearl jewellery has picked up steam. But it’s no longer just the avant-garde going for it. Normal guys with a penchant for interesting style are embracing pearls, too.
Why? Because they can inject some rebellious energy and add that essential finishing touch —all without being too loud about it. Pulling it off doesn’t require a delicate Jackie O–approved necklace (though it could if you’re so inclined). You can rough things up by pairing pearls with heavy metal, as in the Tiffany & Co. look you see on the Right, as well as some denim or leather.
You can also try them with your swankiest formalwear or throw ’em on with a tee and a cardigan for your Sunday-morning coffee run. Options abound—so dive in. Once you do, the world’s your oyster