When a male celebrity famed for "see(ing) both sides like Chanel" creates his jewellery brand, boasting brightly coloured accessories, genderless lab-grown diamonds, and a campaign primarily featuring male models - one would know that the men's jewellery market has seen a big cultural shift, in which guys are pretty like girls.
Men's jewellery has historically and unsurprisingly been "masculine" like most menswear. They are practically devoid of colour, while the design is simple and unadorned. Materials are restricted to the tried and tested classics gold and silver; finishings are inoffensive - blackened silver, brushed steel, or reworked machine parts. In fact, men's jewellery has long been gemless because jewels have been reserved for women for their notion of femininity. How, then, has the coloured gem become the choice accessory for a Gen-Z man steeped enough in TikTok and Pinterest fashion? How has a string of pearls and a multi-coloured gem choker become the defacto "f-boy" necklace, while costume jewellery from the likes of Vivienne Westwood found an unprecedented resurgence? The trend certainly begets many questions. Has the modern version of the urban metrosexual man adopted polychromatic jewellery as their new pointer to cultural prowess? Or has the youth's growing distaste for the colourless for the overwhelming palettes of millennial grey and eggshell white seeped their way into our choice for accessories? Perhaps its motivation is more pragmatic, an economical and accessible maxim for flair and eccentricity that is low-cost compared to traditional luxury jewellery brands. For the chronically online, as an appeal to the dating pool, to the "female gaze", to serve as an antithesis to the trope of the "manly man" and to break down ideas of the hyper-masculine. The reasons need not be mutually exclusive; in fact, it is likely a mix of all.
Denne historien er fra February 2024-utgaven av MEN'S FOLIO Malaysia.
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Denne historien er fra February 2024-utgaven av MEN'S FOLIO Malaysia.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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Forged in Steel
Franck Muller celebrates Sincere Fine Watches’ 7Oth anniversary with avery special Vanguard.
Made For Modern Life
The Volvo EX30 is the much-needed vehicle for a joyful and fuss-free ride.
Eastern Charm
With a blazing display of KARLS Group's culinary bravura, the Upper House KL gives classic Asian flavours a modern twist.
When Worlds Collide
Where revered tradition meets unceasing imagination, Hennessy has teamed up with French artist Jean-Michel Othoniel for its latest collaboration.
Business Means Business: Cathay Pacific
With the return of flights, and the additional of new ones, there is little reason to doubt that doing a stopover in Hong Kong with Cathay Pacific to any destination in the world from ASEAN is the best decision one might make in their lifetime. Plus, its concrete Business and Premium Economy Class offerings, and world-renowned lounges in HKIA make travelling on the Hong Kong-based airline an experience via a stopover, rather than a chore.
Malaysia's New Zenith
Celebrating the first Malaysian Zenith boutique in The Exchange TRX.
Two-Timing
Cartier's timekeeping greats for 2024 range from the classic to the experimental.
Racing Through Time
Celebrating Rolex’s timeless relationship with motor racing.
A Man And His Watch
Men's Folio Malaysia speaks to watch collectors about the first watch that drew them into the hobby.
A Cartoon's Charm
Cartoon watches might seem childish but there are reasons to feel otherwise, especially if the nostalgia transports one back to childhood days.
