The Return of Dandy Style in Jewelry

Every year, on the first Monday in May, New York experiences one of its most glamorous days: The Costume Institute Benefit, alias The Met Gala, the jet set’s most coveted charity event, whose fundraising is the main source of financing for the museum’s exhibitions, publications and acquisitions. An exhibition is also always inaugurated at the same time and, this year, “Superfine: Tailoring Black Style” aims to bring the myth of the dandy back into the limelight. Open from 10 May to 26 October, the exhibition will feature a cultural and historical examination of “black style” from the 18th century to present day through an exploration of the concept of dandyism. The theme of the exhibition will also inspire the evening's dress code, which, for the 2025 edition, is “Tailored for You”, a concept focused on suits and menswear, silhouettes, fabrics and accessories, which each guest can freely interpret, much to the delight of the best stylists around. And the fact that the most social event of the year spotlights men's fashion, particularly the use of accessories, jewelry in primis, is not surprising since it is only the point of arrival of a now widespread trend that, in recent times, initially invaded the catwalks and then the red carpets of half the world. To give an example, here in Italy, on stage of the last Sanremo Festival, singers and guests (men in particular) were adorned with precious jewelry, something that, until a few seasons ago, was only worn by their female colleagues. A sign of an evolution in taste, of an overbearing return to the figure of the dandy or of a change in the big jewelry brands’ communication strategy? We summoned two authoritative voices in the fashion & jewelry sphere to comment on this phenomenon: Mariella Milani, a well-known journalist and costume expert, and Paola De Luca, founder of The Futurist and creative director of Trendvision Jewellery + Forecasting, IEG's independent observatory. The opening words are from Milani, starting with the Oscar night. «For some time now, vanity has gone from being the prerogative of women, to also become that of men. The growing concept of genderless has cleared the way for a certain type of clothing, so much so that women steal pieces from men's wardrobes and men from women's, borrowing a whole series of decorative elements. Images of Adrien Brody lifting his latest Oscar wearing a stunning, and decidedly large, diamond brooch have traveled the world, an icon of a male trend that has become increasingly present on the red carpet. It all makes for bigger headlines, benefiting the turnover of jewelry brands and bringing secure sales results. By no means surprising, since, fashion, in itself cyclical, often sees these historical ebbs and flows. If, for example, we look a little further ahead, to next winter, there are already those who are talking about the return of fur coats: so, with all due respect to animal rights activists, get ready to fish them out of your wardrobes if you want to keep up! Returning to jewelry, there is no doubt that it has become highly striking and visual. The pieces are sometimes true works of art that become decisive in the creation of a look. The idea of tailoring, of the tailor-made product, as suggested by the Met exhibition, was also devised to justify an exponential increase in the prices of luxury fashion houses, and from the desire to offer something different, of quality, that deviates from the idea of the rather sideshow-like fashion that is currently prevailing.» Paola De Luca, on the other hand, turns the discussion more onto the socio-cultural aspect: «The historical scene we are witnessing, the differences between generations, between digital natives and boomers, have unhinged the social equilibrium with a domino effect. The fluid society incorporates transgenerational values as well as the cultural hybridizations brought about by large-scale migrations. Throughout history, men have always worn jewelry, yet, by the beginning of last century, male adornment in Western society was reduced to a watch. Gen Z, young Millennials and the new social revolutions, have rekindled issues of gender rights and gender differences. Instead, in countries like India, China, Africa and the Middle East, men have continued to wear jewelry with precious stones, gold, diamonds and pearls. Men's jewelry has also returned to the West thanks to cultural hybridization and brands are seizing this cultural shift as a business opportunity. Tiffany & Co., to name one global brand, launched a collection of diamond wedding rings for men several years ago, while Pharrell Williams designed their Titan collection. Shifting our focus to the phenomenon of dandyism, it originated in France during the English Regency era (1811-1820) and later developed in France during the Restoration. The dandy was known for his ostentatious elegance, his refinement and ironic and provocative attitude in opposition to bourgeois values and industrial modernity. Dandyism was represented by rebellious intellectuals such as Charles Baudelaire and Jules Amédée Barbey d'Aurevilly, and in Italy by Gabriele D'Annunzio. Hence, the Met's exhibition on African-American dandyism and the new male trends, recounts a historical social transgression. In a world where sportswear reigns supreme, as does costume standardization, the Dandy 5.0 is back as a form of rebellion and avant-garde.»