I’m sitting on broadway market, every east-londoners stomping ground the moment there’s a wink of sun.
Sipping a flat white and trying not to stare too hard, enough people watching leads to some clear and obvious patterns.
The cool girl encounter looks a little like this:
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full stack of assorted rings, both hands. (+++pinkies)
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several hair clips, pinned symmetrically. Extra points if paired with a flair out bob.
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chain necklaces (often layered, must be slightly tangled).
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plethora of piercings (i.e. bigger the hoop, the better).
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a worn-in leather jacket (vintage, always).
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low rise baggy jeans, knee-length denim shorts or cargo skirt paired with a chunky buckled belt.
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baby tees/tanks, oversized button-downs or sheer layers.
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zip details (important: hardware = silver).
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beat up trainers or boots with metal detailing.
After enough time, it becomes less coincidence and reads more as a system. Not a trend, exactly, but something more uniform. A movement, perhaps. A shared visual language built on the signal:
Silver is the language of cool.
So, when did silver become the unofficial uniform of the coolest gal you know? And why does metal once associated with everything from punk rebellion to your grandmother’s jewelry box suddenly feel so culturally relevant?
How Silver vs Gold Signals
Silver =
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cool (temperature + attitude)
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detached
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not trying to impress
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slightly androgynous
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anti-traditional femininity
Gold =
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warm
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polished
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aspirational
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traditional femininity
Where gold reads is both symbolically and literally warm, silver reads as, well…cool (in all senses.)
It’s colder. Less concerned with being liked. And it doesn’t ask for attention in quite the same way.
At least, that’s the cultural distinction we’ve started making.
In recent, the metals we choose to adorn ourselves with have become an expression for the kind of person we want to be.
Gold, particularly during the reign of the clean girl aesthetic, became synonymous with a certain kind of aspirational femininity. Think: slicked-back buns, delicate hoops, elevated basics, and an effortless kind of polish that, ironically, does actually require a lot of effort.
Silver communicates in a different language.
It’s intentionally undone. Less refined. And when worn in excess, can feel confrontational.
Of course, there’s a certain irony worth acknowledging that an aesthetic coming across as effortless has become somewhat of a uniform. The rings, the clips, the undone hair, the washed-out denim. It’s a carefully constructed kind of cool.
But maybe what’s more interesting than the performance itself is what we’re trying to communicate through it.
Images Courtesy of Silver by Clara
Silver and the subversion of femininity
The statement of taking up space.
Silver isn’t worn delicately. It’s oversized, occasionally impractical, and when worn in maximalist style, it’s impossible to ignore on someone.
Aka, it refuses to be subtle.
For centuries, certain ideals of Western femininity have celebrated women for being gracefully refined and dainty. There’s an expectation, however subtle, that women should take up as little space as possible.
So what happens when the jewellery we wear challenges that?
I spoke with Clara, the independent jewellery designer behind Silver by Clara, whose gorgeously unconventional pieces feature everything from wild horses to soaring birds to politically charged statements.
Having studied gender studies and criminology, Clara draws inspiration from animals, politics and social justice. Her relationship with jewellery is as much about self-expression as it is about aesthetics.
For her, wearing silver is an almost physical expression of empowerment.
“There’s something so empowering in wearing a full two hands worth of massive silver rings.”
She jokes that it might have something to do with an unconscious association with medieval armour.
And she’s definitely on to something there. While jewellery is often positioned as something ornamental, intended to beautify the wearer, armour on the other hand — (literally) is designed to protect, strengthen and to command space.
“There’s something very removed from the male gaze in wearing LOTS of big silver.”
What if the appeal of chunky silver isn’t simply that it looks cool, but that it allows women to engage with fashion in a way that doesn’t prioritise conventional desirability?
Refusing to appear smaller, softer, more delicate, or attractive to men. It challenges the kind of femininity taught to perform for heterosexual approval. Instead, it represents our desire to feel powerful, intimidating, eccentric, or simply more like ourselves.
And to Clara, wearing bold jewellery can be a small act of resistance.
“It is an act of protest to take up space as a woman, to present yourself in a way that makes you feel confident.”
Of course, it’s worth saying that wearing silver jewellery isn’t inherently a feminist statement. Nor does choosing something delicate (or gold) mean subscribing to traditional expectations of femininity.
But maybe that’s the real appeal of silver. Beneath the carefully constructed cool-girl uniform lies something far more curious: the freedom to decide what femininity looks like on our own terms.
Shop Clara’s jewellery here.
Written By:
Brianna Price is a brand writer and cultural commentator wielding words in London. If you enjoyed this piece, follow her for more cultural deep-dives on fashion.
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