I’VE NOTICED A growing number of celebrities choosing unusual statement pieces that adorn their lower face. We’re talking temporary chin pieces, not piercings, suspended from the lip but hanging down several inches. It’s an intriguing look – edgy, but not so shocking that it’s impossible to notice the face beneath.
Is this simply the celebrity flavor of the day, or does it have the potential to be a real jewelry trend? Let’s take a look.
The jewels: Our first chin bling moment is popstar Christina Aguilera, rocking a Keren Wolf piece in the new video for her song Santo. Keren Wolf has a whole section on her website for lip jewelry, but the dramatic piece Xtina’s wearing appears to be custom or at least limited edition.
Next, we have actor Cole Sprouse wearing a diamond and ruby lip piece by Brandon Hurtado Sandler for a photoshoot with photographer Davis Bates. This one is the most overtly luxe – look at the size of that diamond!
Third, we have the one and only Janet Jackson, wearing Gregory Kara lip cuff 005 in an editorial for Allure Magazine. The designer’s website offers quite a few lip/chin styles, but his Instagram post specifies that Ms. Jackson’s was custom.
And finally, we have the first celeb moment that made me wonder if this trend was brewing: Angelia Jolie in a Nina Berenato cuff for the October 2021 LA premiere of Eternals. Click here for our prior coverage of that piece.
The trend: It’s an unspoken rule of fashion that anything practical can also be made into something beautiful. Maybe now that we’ve all had to get used to wearing masks over our chins, we’re ready to accept jewelry there too.
Even if this turns out to be a trend that’s capable of spreading, it’s still in its infancy. I think we’d need several more influential figures to rock it and then we’d need to see some scaled down alternatives come to market before we’re likely to see anyone choosing chin bling for their daily accessories.
What do we think? Chin bling is bold, but so was septum jewelry once, and that’s much more mainstream now.
That said, I do have major questions about the practical applications of a piece of jewelry that hooks over the lip. Does it prevent you from talking? Do you have to sanitize it? Would retailers need to custom fit them, or can they work “off the rack”? Would you have to wrap it up in a napkin while you’re eating, like a middle schooler trying not to lose their retainer?
I think this has the potential to be very interesting, even if it only ever appeals to the boldest customers. I can’t wait to see if this chin bling thing leads to more widely-selling downmarket interpretations.