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Is It Time to Bring Back the Statement Necklace?
All signs point to yes.
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Picture it: early January, 2013. A new show has just begun airing on Bravo, piggybacking from the end of an episode of Real Housewives of Beverly Hills and placing us smack dab in the center of Lisa Vanderpump’s SUR, or Sexy Unique Restaurant… Restaurant. Vanderpump says that her restaurant Villa Blanca is where you take your wife, and SUR is where you take your mistress. It’s dimly lit with accents of hot pink and purple; bartenders wear all black and the SURvers (get it?) wear microscopic scarf minidresses, which they frequently style with impractical high platform heels and enormous, over-the-top statement necklaces whose baubles probably weigh more than the entree plates they carry out to their tables. They wear their necklaces everywhere: out drinking, to auditions, in confessionals. And no one has more statement necklaces to their name than SUR’s queen bee, Ms. Nastassia Bianca Schroeder, a.k.a. Stassi.
It doesn’t feel like 2013 and season one of Vanderpump Rules was all that long ago, but it’s been well over a decade since we met Stassi, Kate, Kristen, Scheana, and all their statement necklaces. And there were many statement necklaces! As a new crew of SURvers takes over on a revamped VPR, we thought it would be fun to take a trip down memory lane (or the back alley of SUR) and revisit the statement necklace trend—which may be poised for a comeback sooner than you think.
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Behind the Trend
Just like circle scarves, coral chevron, and mint green skinny jeans, statement necklaces are synonymous with the 2010s. They fit right in with the “more is more” aesthetic of the time period, which encompassed how we dressed (the more patterns, the better), the music we listened to (EDM, power pop), and how we spent our time (working hard and playing harder on the dancefloor).
J. Crew, which was one of the most popular stores of the time period, was a major purveyor of the statement necklace, advising its customers to try layering it with a striped tee, army jacket, and sequin skirt a la Jenna Lyons, but the trend trickled down until it was widely available everywhere, including discount retailers. There were baubles everywhere, from smaller designs with just a few jewels and gems to bib-style bubble necklaces that covered your entire neckline, often accented with pops of neon pink, yellow, and orange. If you were “indie” or “twee,” like Ariana Madix on season two of Vanderpump Rules, maybe you wore an owl instead of a more traditional bauble necklace, but you were still wearing a statement necklace! Even the fashion world got involved, piling on rhinestones, chunky silver designs, and spikes atop their street style outfits.
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Because we’re trapped in a cycle of perma-nostalgia, statement necklaces often surface on those “millennial moments” Instagram accounts and on TikTok, where people who saved their statement necklace stash revisit some of the more ostentatious designs. Statement necklaces were seen as cringe… until suddenly, they weren’t.
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The Modern Statement Necklace
The statement necklace of 2025 is a bit more sleek and sophisticated than its 2010s cousin, but they absolutely share some pivotal DNA—as in, the kind that can take an outfit from “pretty good” to “TV worthy.”
Chunky, colorful, oversized beads that mimic a classic pearl collar necklace are a popular option and so cute—you can absolutely see current-day Stassi Schroeder in one. Minimalists can also participate in the trend; try a bold metallic pendant design or a chic collar necklace instead of bright beads. Charm necklaces, like those by Susan Alexandra and Brinker + Eliza, also feel on-trend but harken back to the statement necklace days. I would even argue that the ’90s cord necklaces that have been ever so popular for the past few years count as a modern statement necklace.
@brookecallahan/@deuxamis.co/Instagram
If you’re ready for a true return to authentic statement necklaces, you’ll be happy to know that J. Crew is still making them for their Factory stores! This gunmetal floral design from Deepa Gurnani also feels like an old-school statement necklace with a little more glam factor thanks to the dark charcoal color palette.
@devonleecarlson/@tarinatarantino/Instagram
The thing about statement necklaces, no matter the time period, is that they’re meant to, well, make a statement. So don’t overthink it, have fun with it! Just maybe don’t style your 2025 statement necklace with a SUR scarf dress or a peplum top, pastel skinny jeans, and platform pumps ensemble this time around.
The Best Statement Necklaces to Shop
Source URL: https://www.byrdie.com/statement-necklace-trend-11859268