Call it a pearlissance if you must, but one thing’s clear: pearls in 2025 are bigger bolder and more delightfully rebellious than ever before — and the world can’t get enough.

This season, runways from Chanel to Vaquera, Simone Rocha to Givenchy have transformed the once-dainty gemstone into a statement of ironic excess. Think chunky stacks wrapped like leashes, collars encrusted with bulbous baubles, skeleton jackets dripping in tiny pearls — and bags that look like they raided your grandmother’s jewel drawer, then overdosed on steroids.

Humongous, intentionally fake pearls feel so right now,” laughs Lara Violetta, one of Instagram’s new pearls-and-vintage queens. “They’re campy, they’re fun — but they still make you feel a little rich, in the best way.

It’s a sharp turn from the ‘quiet luxury’ mood boards of last year, which dressed socialites and TikTok influencers in discreet cashmere and delicate heirloom strands. Instead, the modern pearl is loud, subverted, and not afraid to play with its stuffy past. After all, this is the same gem that once cost Cartier two million dollars in natural form — literally traded for a Fifth Avenue mansion in 1917. Today, they’re affordable, accessible, and ripe for a punk revival.

No one knows this better than the late Vivienne Westwood, who twisted pearls into punk armor decades ago. Her signature Three-Row Pearl Drop Choker remains a go-to for Gen Z rebels pairing corsets with combat boots. As her creative director Andreas Kronthaler puts it: “Pearls really talk to you… they work on everybody, young or old, women and men. You can even wear them for breakfast!”

It’s no coincidence that pearls are peaking again at a time when femininity itself is being debated and legislated. Backstage at Prada, Miuccia Prada mused, “What is feminine beauty today? Do we need femininity in this difficult moment to lift us up?” In an era of battles over women’s rights and the internet’s “tradwife” obsession, embracing a pearl — but doing it ironically, oversized, and unbothered — feels like a subtle rebellion.

Beyond the runways, TikTok and Instagram are fueling the trend faster than any boutique window. It-girls like Sara Camposarcone are layering vintage costume strands as belts, face decals, even bag charms. “I love that pearls feel less stiff than diamonds but still classy. And chunkier is always better,” Camposarcone says.

Even menswear isn’t safe: pearls are popping up on cuffs, collars, and brooches — a nod to the Renaissance roots of pearl-wearing royals and a reminder that gender rules in fashion were made to be broken.

So whether you’re adding a single baroque pendant to your tee, draping yourself in miles of fake strands for a night out, or daring to wear a pearl leash like Vaquera’s models — just know you’re not being old-fashioned. You’re part of fashion’s favorite paradox: making the oldest gem in the book feel brand new, all over again.