There seems to be something in the air at the moment, enticing people towards punching tiny holes into their various corporeal nooks and crannies in pursuit of endless twinkling embellishments. Long gone are the days where piercings were confined to the rebellious/outcast/'I don't care what Mum says' attitudes of a select few subversive groups - you only have to catch a glimpse amongst the pages of any benchmark publication over the last couple of years to see that a gilded perforation of the ears and/or nose has become a key player in reviving the arena of accessorising.
Since Vogue Paris, British Vogue and Vogue Russia featured silver nose rings as focal points on the faces of Daria Werbowy and Candice Swanepoel, the trend is garnering more and more disciples. Both on and off the catwalks, models and fashionistas alike are opting for a fresh approach to facial adornment, amassing an ever-growing collection of gold and silver bars, rings, hooks and chains in varying graceful iterations. Scarlett Johansson (do not call her Scarjo, if her recent interview with Glamour is anything to go by) and FKA twigs are personal favourites of mine, while other partakers include Zoë Kravitz, Anja Konstantinova, and even Gaga herself.
It's not just the girls either: Korea's Sang Woo Kim, of Burberry and Kenzo prestige, also sports a silver septum barbell as the centrepiece to his razor-sharp cheekbones. Jealous, me?
Who can forget Givenchy's Spring 2012 beautiful couture contraptions? As seen on Grimes below for Dazed and Confused, these theatrical yet intricate adornments serve as a predecessor to the current trend of a less-is-more aesthetic re: nose holes, by bringing to light the possibilities of moving beyond simply one ring in each ear.
My advice would be to tidy away the multicoloured statement costume jewellery that appears so enthusiastically along the accessory aisles of every Topshop in the land, and opt for something more subtle, delicate and understated. Think along the lines of rings as thin as silk; gold or silver threads appearing to weave themselves around your skin like gossamer.
On that note: in my wildest dreams (i.e. if I was a resident of NYC) I would turn my ears and nostrils towards J. Colby Smith for any and all of my piercing requirements. As New York Adorned's resident genius with a needle he has an impeccable eye for placement and an invariably meticulous selection of jewellery in terms of both size and material. Take a gander at his Instagram below for a gallery of gorgeously curated ears and beautifully elegant septum chains.
As for me, I'm currently enjoying channelling Janet Jackson circa '97.
