Why It Feels So Wrong at First
There’s baggage. Jewelry, for a lot of men, brings up a flood of doubts: Is this too much? Too feminine? Too Vegas?
But men have always worn some jewelry. Rings, chains, medals, cufflinks, class rings, ID bracelets; it was part of the uniform. The suspicion toward adornment grew out of the Depression and World War II, when utility took priority and middle-class men pared back to the essentials. That leaner look hardened into habit, and by the early 2000s minimalism made anything beyond a watch feel suspect.
Even then, jewelry never disappeared. Plenty of regular guys wore it without a second thought. My father has approached his appearance with a practical, Primer-like philosophy. In the ’70s he wore his class ring daily, keeping it on for decades. That was common.
F1’s costume designer, Julian Day, echos this when describing the creative direction to WWD, “The people in the movies in the ’70s had an edge, they weren’t as clean cut as people [are today],”…“So I looked at people like Kris Kristofferson, Steve McQueen, Paul Newman, [Clint] Eastwood.” Much of the jewelry was reportedly Pitt’s own collection, brought to set, and selected by him when shooting.
So the hesitation now isn’t timeless, it’s modern. And it isn’t about jewelry. It’s about being caught trying. The clothes keep the beat. The jewelry alters it. Which is exactly why it feels dangerous, the way a beginner drummer panics about hitting the wrong thing and ruining the song for everyone.
What Good Jewelry Actually Does
It adds texture. A gray tee, navy chino, white sneaker outfit is oatmeal. Jewelry is the salt and butter. It also makes you consistent. If someone always wears the same necklace, it stops being “jewelry” and starts being them.
Minimalists should be pleased: it’s the easiest way to add dimension without expanding your closet. You don’t need a whole new wardrobe. Just a chain.
How to Start Without Looking Like You’re Auditioning for a Fragrance Commercial
My curiosity about jewelry started well before Pitt and Apple triple-downed on Formula One. Primer style contributor Daniel Baraka had been including rings, bracelets, and necklaces in his outfits for years. I looked on the way my dog Leela approaches water, fascinated, tail wagging, ready to leap, then recoiling the instant the tide reaches her paws.