By Vivienne Becker Last Updated: 2:21PM GMT 13 Mar 2009  Hard of earring: Louis Vuitton's re-working of the classic creole hoop  Above, Angelia Jolie at this year's Oscars wearing pure, colour-flooded, stunning emerald drops Photo: REUTERS  Just when you thought you were going to have to pare down and sober up on the fashion front, style throws you a lifeline in the shape of sensationally mad and supersized earrings. Is that a sigh of relief I hear, or the rustle and tinkle of jangling, shoulder-grazing born-again chandeliers, as seen, among others, at Zac Posen’s spring/summer 2009 show?  Hyper-feminine and attention-grabbing, the long-drop earring is back, delivering a much-needed element of escapism.  We saw it at the Oscars, where the red carpet was all about earrings. Remember Kate Winslet’s tumbling diamonds and Angelina Jolie’s pure, colour-flooded, stunning emerald drops?  According to Vicky Sarge, of Erickson Beamon, the downturn has not only made the capsule wardrobe work harder than ever and prompted us to recycle our clothes, it has also brought statement jewellery back. Accessories instantly update a look – and can inject a playful element, too. “Women have been wearing little charmy things on a chain for a while. Now jewellery has a sense of humour, it’s fun.” Earrings, she says, are definitely bigger, but they’re also prettier and delicate, evolving from the classic chandelier into new forms, from looped and hooped to draped.  For summer, says Sarge, she’s looking at new opulent colours and the “strong ethnic vibe” that ran through the spring/summer shows. Chanel referenced Mademoiselle’s Bohemian side with a gipsy look. At Dior, Galliano turned tribal, while a new, sophisticated Bauhaus barbarism at Louis Vuitton sent the classic creole hoop spiralling out of control with monumental fans of riveted wooden slices or roller-coasters of huge, colourful beads.  It’s a look that is gathering momentum from an emerging sultry and sensual Eastern influence and which has already shifted on to the high street. Freedom at Topshop hangs hoops with charms, chains, feathers and turquoise drops, juggles magic circles, and works metal into organic openwork Creoles. Accessorize takes a Byzantine route with an artisanal look of pierced, darkened metalwork. Look everywhere for accents of wood and feathers for tribal traditions made modern.  Alice in Wonderland-style super-sizing has pumped up the volume of all catwalk adornments, revitalising the art-and-craft of couture jewellery, exploring the freedom and fantasy that only costume jewellery can offer. It’s a sign that jewellery has become such an integral part of fashion, part of the cut and thrust of couture and, in the case of Lanvin and Prada, literally part of the structure of clothes.  The 80s revival has also fuelled the boom in big earrings. “It’s all about timing,” says Simon Wilson, of Butler & Wilson. “Suddenly big, glamorous earrings look right, making a major statement. The 80s influence is huge.”  The way to interpret the look is through designs that blend volume and drama with a certain lightness and openness. Best to steer away from mixing shoulder-length earrings with one of the massively oversized necklaces. It’s a look that worked on the catwalk, butis hard to pull off in everyday life. Instead, team a pair of long, lusty earrings with a cuff bangle.  Don’t be afraid of size, even if you’re small. It’s force of personality and strong features that count, along with proportions and a harmony with the shape of your face.  Julia Muggenburg, designer behind Belmacz, the contemporary jewellery brand, finds that fine jewellery is also bigger and stronger. “It’s about bringing jewellery down to its very essence. The girlie itsy-bitsy style is over. And hand in hand with the new size, colours are also bolder.”  Exciting, conversation-piece earrings should be the starting point when putting an outfit together. “This new look is an exclamation mark style – proud not vulgar.”  Don’t leave home without them.
Super-sized earrings are part of the 80s revival &ndash; only this time they&rsquo;re    playful and powerful...