Pearls have spent most of the last century carrying a lot of baggage: weddings, office dress codes, a certain kind of propriety. That baggage is finally being unpacked. Pearls now appear on men and women, on T-shirts and knits, in irregular baroque shapes and in sizes that would have been considered costume a generation ago.
Imperfect is better
Irregular freshwater and baroque pearls are what make the new pearl feel modern. Their uneven shapes catch light differently, and they look less like an heirloom and more like a choice.
How to wear them
With something plain. A pearl strand against a grey sweatshirt or a white tee is more interesting than one against a silk blouse, precisely because nobody expects it.
