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Jewellery

1980s Inspired Chunky Gold Jewellery – How To Style This Summer

Chunky gold jewellery the 1980s way: chains, big earrings, stacked bangles and rings, with 1980s Yves Saint Laurent earrings, and how to wear it in summer.

By Gracie Opulanza2 min read

Gold-tone Yves Saint Laurent jewellery with blue enamel discs and pearls, laid out on a lace cushion

The 1980s wore their gold big. Chains, hoops, bangles, a ring on every finger. More was more, and nobody apologised for it. This summer it is worth wearing that way again.

Gracie Opulanza in khaki overalls with a gold chain belt, brooches and sunglasses, in a workshop with a vintage motorbike

For me, Yves Saint Laurent is one of the houses I know best, and it is such a 1980s brand. The gold chain belt and the brooches I am wearing with the khaki overalls are Yves Saint Laurent, and all mine. The earrings in these photographs are Yves Saint Laurent, 1980s, and chunky. They are mine too, and so are the rose earrings and the oval brooch. I bought them all in Andorra, from a lady at a market who used to sell pieces like these.

Gold Yves Saint Laurent logo earrings, gold rose earrings and an oval embossed brooch on white lace

Chunky gold doesn’t need an occasion.

Gracie Opulanza in black and a red hat beside a white Ferrari GTC4Lusso T outside a stone house

As a car lifestyle journalist I wore it on the drives too: in the Ferrari, in the Aston Martin, and in a Bentley as well.

Gracie Opulanza crouching by the wheel of a white Aston Martin DB11 in a leather jacket and red buckled boots
Gold square Yves Saint Laurent earrings on lace, captioned "Yves Saint Laurent - 1980s Chunky Jewellery"

The video is about my Salvatore Ferragamo pieces: the 1980s jewellery and a pair of 1994 silk heels. The gold-plated charm bracelet came from the Fiera, the antique market in Arezzo.

Neck Accessories

Start with the neck. A chunky gold chain over a plain white T-shirt or a little black dress changes the whole look. And it is never out of place, at a bar or at a family barbecue.

Then the ears. The 1980s loved an earring that stopped the show. Go for oversized gold hoops or chunky geometric shapes that frame the face. They move when you talk, and they catch the light.

Bracelets are for stacking. Layer thick gold bangles with slimmer, finer ones.

Look at how a piece is made, too. The 1980s were known for strong designs, so look for texture: hammered finishes, twisted rope, and coloured enamel for something newer.

And rings? There are no rules. Wear a chunky gold ring on every finger if it pleases you, and mix the styles.

Chunky Gold Jewellery

Chunky gold is not for the shy. It goes with vintage pieces and with strong prints. For how to put it together I look at television, at series like Miami Vice: pastel linen, a jacket with the sleeves pushed up, and the gold doing the talking.

You can go full 1980s, layer on layer, or pick one piece. Go through your jewellery box first. Don’t bury your gold: wear it.

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