{"id":899,"date":"2025-05-30T12:50:45","date_gmt":"2025-05-30T12:50:45","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.machimp.com\/?p=899"},"modified":"2025-05-31T14:52:29","modified_gmt":"2025-05-31T14:52:29","slug":"fashions-piercing-obsession-is-the-antidote-to-the-quiet-luxury-trend","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.machimp.com\/index.php\/2025\/05\/30\/fashions-piercing-obsession-is-the-antidote-to-the-quiet-luxury-trend\/","title":{"rendered":"Fashion\u2019s Piercing Obsession Is The Antidote To The Quiet Luxury Trend"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

I\u2019m exhausted by the \u201cquiet luxury<\/a>\u201d trend. The understated look, popularized by brands like The Row and Tot\u00eame and cultural drivers like Succession<\/em>, has dominated the fashion industry for nearly two years \u2014 causing the market to feel saturated with lackluster, albeit universally appealing, basics. As a result, those with a more alternative sense of style (like me) are left craving something edgier and grittier, like an asymmetrical silhouette, playful textile combinations, or some eye-catching adornments \u2014 something with a more distinctive personality. Thankfully, I\u2019m not the only one looking to disrupt the khaki trench coat<\/a> haze, and designers across the fashion industry are taking cues from the punk movement by refreshing a timeless motif that has also fortified me during trying times: a piercing.\u00a0<\/p>\n

While my early experience with piercings was sneaking off to New York City at the age of 17 to visit a dubious smoke shop-turned-piercing parlor on St. Mark\u2019s, designers are proposing something different \u2014 using piercing-like designs to adorn every garment and accessory imaginable. Versions of metal horseshoes, captured bead hoops, and barbells can now be found on everything from shoes to bags, shirts to skirts, sunglasses to belts, and more. Whether you\u2019re simply a fan of the look or have real piercings of your own, incorporating them into fashion is a way to engage with the trend without committing to the trials and tribulations of body modification, pain, or aftercare. Can\u2019t (or don\u2019t want to) get your nipples pierced? Try the Skims push-up bra<\/a> or the Mugler bodysuit<\/a> with a faux set of embellishments.\u00a0<\/p>\n

<\/figure>\n

The very act of piercing is deliberate, combined with a bit of pain and determination, so using piercings in clothes and accessories creates a sense of impact. Punk subcultures have used piercings as a vehicle of self-expression and rejection of societally-imposed beauty standards since the \u201970s, and the \u201cother-ness\u201d of having piercings created a sense of belonging among people who had them. While piercings today are more widespread and accepted by mainstream society than they used to be, utilizing them as adornments in fashion still seems to be a rebellion of sorts against the\u00a0 \u201cbeige-wash of quiet luxury,\u201d as Ssense womenswear buying director, Isla Lynch<\/a>, puts it. \u201cThe introduction of piercing and hardware to classic silhouettes has offered a subtle edge and individuality to dressing again,\u201d she tells Refinery29.\u00a0<\/p>\n

And while piercings are certainly not new to fashion, Tory Burch\u2019s Pierced Mules<\/a> and Pierced Slingbacks<\/a>, leather flats with metallic hardware at the toe, seemed to kick off the latest wave of embellishments. The designer debuted the styles as part of the brand\u2019s spring\/summer 2023<\/a> collection, and they became so popular that Burch began adding the metal detail to nearly every shoe style \u2014 from sandals<\/a> to slides<\/a>, pumps<\/a>, and wedges<\/a> \u2014 before recently expanding to pierced tote bags<\/a>. Celebs including Elizabeth Olsen, Mindy Kaling, Ella Emhoff, and Joey King have been spotted wearing various versions of the shoe; fashion editors everywhere endorsed the style. The style was a stark, refreshing change of pace for the brand, which was \u2014 until then \u2014 known for preppy, classic designs.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Today, several other luxury labels are leading the charge. Lado Bokuchava<\/a> has designed numerous shoes, bags, and garments adorned with silver hoops and horseshoes in recent seasons. Melitta Baumeister<\/a> incorporated chunky piercings on various tops, boots, and gloves in both spring\/summer and fall\/winter 2025<\/a> collections, while Aknvas showed a pierced dress and matching scarf in its spring\/summer 2025<\/a> collection. Among other accessory iterations, D\u00e9hanche<\/a> designed a belt with dangling hoops, while brands like Dezi<\/a> and Arcus sell sunglasses<\/a> fitted with studs and barbells.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Justine Clenquet<\/a>, founder and designer at her namesake brand, has created a business around necklaces, bracelets, and earrings embellished with piercings of their own. \u201cI think the trend reflects a desire for more personal and expressive fashion,\u201d Clenquet tells Refinery29. \u201cIt\u2019s a way to play with identity,\u201d she explains, but notes that the concept is far from new, given that \u201cbrands like Vivienne Westwood [and] Jean Paul Gaultier have been doing it since the \u201990s.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Indeed, the punk influence has been alive and well in fashion for decades. Gaultier and Westwood were among the first major designers to incorporate body piercings into high fashion, a time when body modification was still considered somewhat subversive. Gaultier and Westwood sent models with facial piercings down the runway at their spring\/summer 1994 and fall\/winter 1993 shows, respectively. Shortly after, piercings became the focal point of John Galliano\u2019s 2004 collection of \u201cHardcore\u201d bags for Dior.<\/p>\n

Today, these vintage pieces are some of the more rare and expensive designs on the resale market. Dior\u2019s coveted Hardcore Pierced Saddle Bag<\/a> is hard to come by and, depending on the condition, can easily cost upwards of $5,000 on resale sites. For comparison, a plain black saddle bag<\/a> of the same calfskin fabrication from the same year can be found for as low as $1,750 on some sites. Even today, the pierced version<\/a> of Balenciaga\u2019s Le Cagole bag is often priced at over $1,000 more than its plain black<\/a> counterpart.\u00a0<\/p>\n

As a perpetually gender-dysphoric nonbinary person, the piercing trend resonates with me in a way many other fashion fads don\u2019t. Throughout my life, piercings have helped me reclaim my body and gender. I had more than 15 by the time I graduated college, and still distinctly remember the euphoria I felt after seeing my eyebrow piercing for the first time \u2014 I felt like I finally recognized the reflection looking back at me in the mirror. While embedding metal into my clothes, shoes, and accessories doesn\u2019t quite achieve the same feeling, in some ways it has a similar effect: imbuing confidence in my self-image and instilling a feeling of protection, almost like armor. Metal is fortifying, and as I still mourn my body\u2019s rejection of some of my piercings over the years (RIP), at least my wardrobe can still bridge the gap and still make me feel at home in my fleeting visage with faux metallic accents. Body piercings are only semi-permanent after all, but a pierced purse is forever.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Though the majority of people shopping this trend might not be in the midst of a lifelong battle against societally-imposed gender norms, the heavy metal look still speaks to its wearer\u2019s desire to subvert prescriptive aesthetics. While the impact of a pierced bag isn\u2019t quite the same as flesh-and-blood modification, they\u2019re both a means of self-expression and, in many cases, self-confidence.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Like what you see? How about some more R29 goodness, right here?<\/strong><\/p>\n

10 Can't-Miss-Out Spring 2025 Fashion Trends<\/a><\/p>\n

How To Style The Fisherman Aesthetic This Spring<\/a><\/p>\n

Nostalgic Plushie Bag Charms & Labubu Are Trending<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I\u2019m exhausted by the \u201cquiet luxury\u201d trend. The understated look, popularized by brands like The Row and Tot\u00eame and cultural drivers like Succession, has dominated the fashion industry for nearly two years \u2014 causing the market to feel saturated with lackluster, albeit universally appealing, basics. As a result, those with a more alternative sense of…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":901,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[13],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.machimp.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/899"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.machimp.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.machimp.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.machimp.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.machimp.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=899"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"http:\/\/www.machimp.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/899\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":904,"href":"http:\/\/www.machimp.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/899\/revisions\/904"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.machimp.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/901"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.machimp.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=899"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.machimp.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=899"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.machimp.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=899"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}