olivia rodrigo's grammy outfit is a harbinger of a bean shaped jewelry revival

hearts to beans

When I saw Grammy fashion content trickle on my IG feed last night, Olivia Rodrigo’s outfit immediately stopped me mid-scroll. I’m not an avid follower of red carpet event, but I have to hand it to her stylist—this whole look is zeitgeisty yet understated. I loved it.

Everyone was focused on her Miu Miu dress, but what caught my magpie eye was the shiny black kidney bean pendant around her neck. I zoomed in. I thought it’s gotta be an Elsa Peretti. I googled “olivia rodrigo grammy bean necklace” to validate my hunch.

To me this necklace was the perfect stylistic choice. It adds a vintage “if you know if you” element. The choker length is a nod to Y2K which suits Olivia’s pop star branding. The lacquered finish gave the look textural tension against the sheer fabric, which is a must for a monochromatic strategy. Balance is achieved through the juxtaposition of the amoeboid shape against the geometric lines in the sheer slip. The pendant is heavy where the dress is light. Earth and Air.

A few months ago, I’d gone down an Elsa Peretti bean rabbit hole of my own. There’s loads of Elsa Peretti for Tiffany bean jewelry, which tends to run dainty. I was looking for a statement bean. Finally, I found my vintage sterling silver Elsa bean locket on Ruby Lane (a resale site). If you’ve watched the Halston series on Netflix, you’ll know that Elsa Peretti was one of his dearest friends and collaborators. She designed several “vessel” pieces of jewelry that were also intended to hold Halston’s perfume—vials, lockets, and the like. It’s one of my favorite necklaces.

I believe the bean shape is the natural metamorphosis of the heart shape. Kristen Bateman reported on how heart shaped accessories rose in popularity as we emerged from the pandemic. While the heart is a timeless motif, the current iteration of hearts in jewelry is tied to Y2K aesthetics. Specifically, I’m referring to the ubiquity of puffy heart necklaces on velvet, suede, or ribbon choker cords. Eventually the hearts will deflate to make way for the bean.

The appeal of the bean shape is that it’s a heart that lost its rigid structure. A collapsed heart. A melted heart. A mangled heart. It’s melodramatic.

Beans were also the hero food of the pandemic. It’s a long-lasting essential, a safe bet in our uncertain times. It represents comfort and stability. It also happens to mimic the shape of a womb, and I think there’s some deep association there with our innate desire for protection from the world. If you wear jewelry as a talisman, may the bean around your neck bring you abundant sustenance.

The bean is less overtly feminine than the heart, a fluid shape all around. What could be a better symbol to celebrate cultural values of fluid creative expression?

My edit of bean shaped finds below:

• “Elsa Peretti Bean” results on TRR - plenty of product

• For $450, you can get the exact necklace Olivia wore on eBay

• AGMES makes a beautiful pendant that is somewhere between a heart and a bean

• A rope necklace with interlocking kidney bean shapes

• If you’re not a necklace person, here’s a vintage Dior belt featuring a beaded red kidney bean

• A $40 red suede kidney bean crossbody bag - so charming