We Dare You To Ditch One Earring

We're all familiar with the Coco Chanel dictum that we should remove one accessory before leaving the house. Typically that means hanging your hat back on the rack (since you're also wearing sunglasses and a scarf), or removing your drop earrings so your necklace can really shine. We're taking her wise words an inch farther, and asking you to dig deeper; instead of taking off both earrings, just remove one.

Championed by Emma Watson who's rocked the single earring in public twice now (one, with that double-ended Dior earring, and another time with a Delfina Delettrez pearl drop rope), this is a style that makes looking cool about subtraction rather than addition. Instead of putting something on to take part in a trend, try taking something off.

The trick works best with big, dazzling, costume-jewelry chandeliers and danglers. But, if you're trying to avoid endless "Oh no! You lost an earring!" greetings, try balancing out the other side with a just-as-brilliant stud. Click through to see how we've shifted the earring equilibrium to prove a little scaling back can add up to a lot.