Hoop Earrings: Dinny Hall | ‘M’ Necklace: Missoma

Fang Necklace: Lucy Williams x Missoma | ‘O’ Necklace: Astrid & Miyu

Denim Shirt: Vintage | Paint-splattered Fingers c/o Menorcan walls . . . !

Hoop earrings are my most-worn item of jewellery, alongside my stack of personalised necklaces (I even got an ‘O’ for Ols) and bracelets I am developing in to a ‘stack’.

I recall when I first bought a pair of hoops, and thus fell in love with the style forever, it was for my secondary school Prom. Naturally my friends and I had discussed our outfits since we were fourteen (we left school at sixteen) so that’s a lot of thinking. I even designed my dress! I searched for jewellery long and hard to go with my floor-length coral silk dress, I opted for a feather-light long gold necklace (remember when everyone was wearing the David Yurman barely-there necklaces?) and during my shift at Miss Selfridge, where I worked at the weekends, I discovered a pair of gold hoop earrings with little coral and orange beads dropping from them.

It felt like a bold choice at the time to go for hoops, most of my friends were wearing more traditional ‘evening’ earrings, but I loved the way these hung, and how they played off of the bohemian look I loved.

And that was it – I fell hard for hoops and haven’t looked back.

Today I am sharing my definitive guide to wearing hoop earrings, for those of you that may still be nervous about adopting the style, or who are just curious about which hoop earrings suit which occasion. I had the pleasure of popping in to store with the ‘Queen of hoops’ – Dinny Hall – at her eponymous, newly-opened, Kings Rd location in London. I have met Dinny before around a year ago, Dinny’s love of jewellery and life is totally infectious and makes her one of my very favourite designers to spend time with. Ella and I both went to meet Dinny on this occasion and we did not stop laughing the whole time we were in store.

Dinny traded tales with us of the perception of hoops through the years, and Ella shared a theory she read in a dating guide about how hoops attract men. Cue – many dates of hoop-wearing for Ella.

I had intended to quiz Dinny as to which face shape suits which hoop style – I had thought that this would be the key to discovering a style for everyone. What Dinny shared with us surprised me – it is not so much the shape of your face, as it is the way the earrings hang on you, your haircut, your overall style . . . it turns out that trying on is your best bet for discovering the hoop style which works for you. For me, I am now the proud owner of two beautiful pairs of Dinny Hall hoops I have collected over a few years, if you are just starting out and are not ready to commit to an investment piece, there are so many great packs of costume jewellery hoops out there – often they come with a variety of styles and sizes so you can get a feel for which one is perfect for you.

Large Gold Hoops: Dinny Hall | Top: SEA (Old – Similar)

Bamboo Hoops: Dinny Hall

Gold ‘Lotus’ Hoops: Available in store (Similar)

Gold Planished Hoops | Dinny Hall

What do you guys think? Are you a hoop earrings fan? If so, which size and style do you go for? 

A huge thank you to Ella, my fellow hoop fan, for featuring in our definitive hoop guide! And to Dinny Hall and her team for sharing their hoop earrings knowledge and passion with us! If you guys have any questions about hoops, and how to wear them, leave me a comment below and I’ll get right back to you.

Love, Monica x