I Like Big Hoops And I Cannot Lie…

Style blogger Susan B. wears Roberto Coin hoop earrings. Details at une femme d'un certain age.

Of all the cockamamie age-related style advice I’ve stumbled across recently, the one nugget that most elicited a snort of derision was, “women over 40 shouldn’t wear hoop earrings.” Are you kidding me? Hoop earrings are not only classic, but larger hoops are a great way to wear a bolder style of earring without a lot of weight. Above, I’m wearing Roberto Coin oval hoops, which I’ve had for several years. (And haven’t lost one earring of the pair yet, a miracle in itself!)

I also really love Amy Holton’s hoops (I have 3 pairs now, each with different colored stones).

Here are a few more styles of hoops on my radar…

Do you like to wear hoop earrings? Or do you prefer another style?

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66 Comments

  1. Sue, this is the second blog in two days featuring hoops! Vicki Archer featured them yesterday. Wow, I never heard that women over 40 shouldn’t wear them–like so much other nonsense about we (us?) dames d’un certain age! My current facebook pic shows a different take on hoops (a vintage pair of gunmetal Ben Amuns). They’re quite a statement. Check it out!

  2. Love my hoops – recently dug out some tortoiseshell hoops from the 1990s and, at aged 59, enjoying all over again!

  3. Oh gosh, what a silly rule! I LOVE my hoops, the bigger the better! And nothing looks chicer on my 75-year-old mom than her beloved sterling hoops! You’ve picked some beautiful options!

  4. I have smaller gold hoops I wear much of the time. The last time I bought them, I bought two (identical) pair. This gives me the equivalent of 3 pair: wear one, lose one, replace with one of the second pair. Rinse and repeat. It’s an expense at the beginning, but money-saving in the long run.

  5. I am in my 70’s and still wear hoops and will until the day I die. Phewy with what others think. They are so classic

  6. I have two pairs of hoops from high school – 1969, to be precise, that I still wear proudly! The people who write “age related” nonsense really irk me! Dress well for your age and have fun! More people should take tips from you!!

  7. Love the hoops!

    Can we talk about hair? I like the peek at your “transition” hair. A few years ago we were visiting friends in Florida and were enjoying a poolside lunch at their club. As I looked around the pool I became aware that many women shares the same hair color and cut! And we all needed to lose a few pounds.

    I felt like I was in a bad Steford Wives kind of film. It was the seminal moment for me to lose weight and let my hair grow.

    I feel great!

  8. Love the hoops!

    Can we talk about hair? I like the peek at your “transition” hair. A few years ago we were visiting friends in Florida and were enjoying a poolside lunch at their club. As I looked around the pool I became aware that many women shared the same hair color and cut! And we all needed to lose a few pounds.

    I felt like I was in a bad Stepford Wives kind of film. It was the seminal moment for me to lose weight and let my hair grow.

    I feel great!

    1. Oh I couldn’t agree more! We have a 2nd home in Fla and a standard chin length bob is the typical hairstyle of choice. There is also a similarity in the color. Please, let me clarify before people take offense… many look amazing sporting that style, but many don’t. Skin tone plays such an important role in choosing a hair color. The same applies to facial bone structure and haircuts. It’s often difficult to make the decision to break the current trend and be ourselves.

  9. Not a hoop wearer.
    It doesn’t have anything to do with my age, it’s how they work with the shape of my face.
    There isn’t anything wrong with my face, that less sun exposure couldn’t have avoided, but the combination of a round face and round hoops is, in my opinion, too much of a good thing.
    I go with drops.

  10. My favourite hoops are ovals! I purchased a simple design in sterling several years ago and really liked how they looked on my roundish heart shaped face. My husband gifted me a fabulous gold oval hoop pair as a fortieth anniversary gift and I wear them all the time. I agree that sometimes the usual round can accentuate a round face but there are many, many styles of hoops that flatter. My 92 yr old Mom exclusively wears her collection of silver hoops ranging from thick to thin widths and looks wonderful. Ugh who writes this ‘age appropriate’ nonsense…and who follows it?
    Your hair is cute, love the extra length!

  11. I wear small hoops every day but have been considering buying some medium sized hoops (can’t quite get the comment out of my head that my kids made while in high school “the bigger the hoop, the bigger the whore!”). It’s always a weight issue for me. I do especially love to see larger earrings with shorter hair. Now that I have a shorter wavy bob I think it’s time to go bigger!

  12. Hoops rule! I think we’re all done with those “Women Over 40 Should Not ______” – fill in the blank. THIS woman WAY over 40 is going to do whatever the heck she wants. We earn that right by just enduring this long!

  13. I’m still wearing hoops at age 65 (and also growing out my hair ). However, for me, hoops (or any earrings for that matter) that are super long don’t work well with my not-so-long neck. Proportion is definitely a consideration for earrings – and for clothing!

  14. What!? I’ve never heard the “woman over 40 should not wear hoops”. I’ve had my ears pierced since I was 11 years old. I still wear hoops. And I have 7 pierces in my ears, I’ll wear hoops in all 7 if I want to!
    Keep wearing your hoops!

  15. I was in Italy recently and noticed that the women there who were my age almost all wore a beautiful gold hoop earring. Very classy and elegant. Wear what you want as long as you feel good about it!

  16. I love big hoops. I go through cycles, when I wear them all the time and then I swear off them totally. But I never get rid of them because I know I’ll cycle back through a hoop phase some day soon. Love yours. And I’ve also read those “cockamamie” articles and have read the same “advice” about hoop earrings. Sigh. Eye-roll.
    P.S. I laughed out loud at “cockamamie” … haven’t heard that expression in a while.

  17. I’m on the hoop bandwagon as well, in fact I’ve always been! I have 3 sizes; tiny, 1-inch, and big, in both gold & silver. The one inch gold are my daily go-to earrings. I also have a lovely pair of thick twisted gold hoops my husband brought back for me from Italy. I will never give up my hoops!

  18. I recently got “thumbs down” on another site because I dress classic. I love black, gray, white and indigo, sometimes with a pop of color. I love my hoops and my pearls. The comment was “boring and matronly”. Well, to each his own I say. I wear what I like and I’m happy. I’m 70 and my hoops will always be a part of my style. As will my butter yellow Brahmin tote for a pop of color!!!

    1. Suzanne, I can’t believe that anyone who has a butter yellow Brahmin tote is boring and matronly! I’m a bit older than you (I was 71 at the beginning of September) and I also believe in wearing what I like. Like you, I love a pop of colour. I don’t have hoops at the moment but have been inspired to order some by this post!

      1. I have a butter yellow Brahmin tote and never considered myself matronly. I’m 71 and also wear hoop earrings. I am happy being me.

  19. Hmm, I suspect the person who wrote “no hoops” was an under-40 yr old, living either in NYC or LA. What the heck do they know?!!!

    1. Unfortunately style police are not all younger women. When I let my hair, once very dark brown, almost black, grow out grey (from silver to almost black), the nastiest comments were from women older than I am. I’m still seething about the racist comment about hoop (Créole) earrings a poster here got.

      But these are best ignored, and derive from the frustrations of many women’s lives.

  20. I, too, am a hoop lover from the early days, 1970, and now to infinity! Half inch to 2inches is my comfort zone. My current most favorite pair are my 2” Ippolita sterling with just a dusting of diamond on the front of the hoop. Hair length and earring size is not that important to me. My hair is mid neck length. I can’t wait till some of these fashion writer/bloggers who make silly pronouncements like you mentioned hit 50! LOL

  21. I wonder how old those “Women over 40” writers are? I would guess that they were not “Women over 40.” That “hoops” rule is new to me. I’d only rule them out for anyone who holds a small child on a regular basis.

  22. “Someone” always thinks “they” know better…evidently “they” never plan on being older….ha! We wear what we love..I’m short, I’m old, and I’m wearing hoop earrings!

  23. Any suggestions for quality clip earrings? Unfortunately my ears can’t be pierced for medical reasons.

  24. I love your silver hair, tortoise-shell eyeglasses, and gold hoops! I’ve been limiting myself to silver earrings to go with my hair, and because, aside from my wedding band, I mostly only wear silver jewelry. I don’t know why I do that because I love mixing warm and cool tones, silver and gold, together.

    I’d love it if you could do a series on choosing eyeglass frames. I need to get a new pair and am having trouble settling on what’s a good look for me. Since I quit coloring my hair a decade ago I’ve mostly only worn silver frames, but I’m feeling the need for more color or definition or something on my face now that I’m past fifty, but my features and coloring are so easily overwhelmed.

  25. Ha-ha, I never really wore hoops but bought some recently & I’m in my 70’s! I think they just make this stuff up… mb

      1. Susan, did you know that one of the French terms for hoop earrings is “Créoles”? They are very much associated with lovely ladies in the Antilles – Caribbean, whatever their age. Part of my family is from that part of the world.

        I consider them a particularly ageless and timeless style, whether for more bohemian or classic style profiles.

  26. I love hoop earrings, both on myself and others. Some of this age appropriate advice is just stupid!
    Thanks for posting – Suz from Vancouver

  27. I’m glad that women of “un certan áge” don’t listen to hogwash. Choosing earrings is about face shape and hairstyle mostly. I don’t wear long earrings. That is because of my face shape and hairstyle.

    Eyeglasses also play a role. I’m not going subtle about those. When I realized that I’d hit that magical age when age makes us invisible, I rejected that paradigm. I’mnot about to wrar sn old lady costume. There is no way I will blend in to the walls with my specs. Agism can go straight to you-know-where.

  28. I recently had one of my mother’s friends (a very stylish woman, and also someone who should have nicer manners) reach over to me at a dinner, flick my rather large hoop earrings and pronounce, “Didn’t you know that only *insert racial description* girls wear hoops like that? I was so stunned, but proud of myself for pronouncing that in that case it was a very good thing I’m not a girl. That shut her up. People have such silly and invasive opinions sometimes. MYOB and I’ll mind mine. I love those hoops and your longer hair looks awesome. Love the color, too.

  29. Sitting at dinner with good friends in Europe recently, the husband commented on the amount of hair that I have and that it was “long” ((chin length bob) and the wife then said at some point it would have to be cut. I am 75 and enjoy longer hair that I can put up in the heat.

    1. Those are good friends? I have a close friend of about your vintage who has hair longer than yours. And know many European women who do as well. Though of course short cuts are fine for those who prefer them.

  30. I’ve never owned a pair of hoops (no idea why) but on the back of this truly ageist claptrap I’m going to check out some ovals and I bet they’ll be terrific. 🙂

  31. I love my hoops! But I’ve noticed as I’ve gotten older, my face has gotten wider. Thin hoops are not as flattering now. I look for wider styles that give a better balance to my face. If you find some of those, please post! I’m always on the lookout for more silver hoops.

  32. Interestingly, Americans have a lot of “Fashion Rules” that are puzzling if not downright funny. No white after Labor Day, no hoops after 40, no vulgar anything, (remember Diana Vreeland’s “Better Vulgar Taste than No Taste”) etc.,etc., etc…….! Please, ignore all the fashion dictates, and wear anything and everything that you like!! But remember, being “ chic” is the challenge! and try not turning into a fashion victim!!!

  33. People that write those “Women over Forty Should or Shouldn’t books” are probably thirty-seven.

    I read also in one of my style/fashion advice books that women over forty should neve wear hoops.

    Six years ago I bought a rather large pair of gold hoops–thicker.
    I figured I’d wear them a lot and retire them.

    Nope.

    I’m just careful not to wear other jewelry except a watch and keep everything simple and classic–white shirts, black or brown cashmere, jeans, and I never wear them with my leather pieces.

    Wear those hoops!

  34. Going on 70. Wear hoops most days. Lost one of my favorites just today. Headed for replacement first thing tomorrow!

  35. Please do a hoop series. For some reason as I’ve aged one of my ear holes is longer. So I can wear light weight hoops and preferably oblong. The circle ones which I like stand out like two mickey mouse ears below my ears. But longer hoops do not.
    Thank you for talking about hoops. I love them and posts. This hogwash about old fashioned is for the birds. ( I think the birds would even fly away)

  36. If you like them, wear them! They look cute on you. I never got my ears pierced. I’m in my 30s… Been thinking about it, even drove to a piercing studio but on the way there I got too nervous and turned back around!

  37. Lol! Bless their hearts.

    Trolls, even fashion blogger trolls, no longer bother me. They’re just hoping for outrage links and clicks.

    Ann in Missouri

  38. I guess the best way to combat ageism is for all ladies over 40 to wear hoop earrings! LOL I see that pair of peridot Amy Holton earrings in my future!

  39. hi Susan ….

    i’m over 60 & ‘loops’ have been my mainstay earring since forever …
    (can’t carry dramatic over the top earrings )..
    i have every size for every occasion in white & yellow gold …

    & yes , i’ve also been hearing the over 40 no-no ….
    & worse , that they are low class & trashy ….

    thank you so much Susan ,
    for speaking out for us low class trashy ‘ladies’ ….
    lmao ..love you !

  40. Hoops are classics! I have small, medium, and larger ones in silver that are my go-to earrings. They look great with your current hair length, Susan. Love your side swept bangs!

  41. Let them talk. You wear what makes you happy and confident. As Susan Street from “Susanafter60.com” said recently: “We’ve not come all this way to let others dictate what we should or shouldn’t wear!” I whole-heartedly agree with her.!

  42. I’m so happy to see you wearing hoops! I saw that moronic article and almost needed a Depends from laughing at the ignorant fool who wrote it! I’ll never give up my hoops and the bigger the better. I wear them just about every day!

    PS. I like your hair like this!!!!

  43. Oh boy this made me laugh. I’m 72 and have a lovely pair of twisted gold NaHoku hoops I wear when I’m trying to be more “classic”. Lots of curly hair tends to hide anything that doesn’t dangle so my go to daily wear are very lightweight silver drop trio 1/2” hoops. Love my hoops!

  44. I don’t like those really large, oversized hoops on anyone of any age to be honest. My personal limit is about one and a half inches, which I consider more of a medium size. It seems that smaller hoops are more popular again, too. I own and love the oval Roberto Coin earrings you are wearing in this post thanks to your recommendation!

  45. I love this post! I’m almost 43 and have a pair of 14K gold hoops and a pair of hammered sterling silver hoop earrings. I’m petite and max 2″ is my favorite size. They’re my favorite style!! I get compliments when I wear hoops, & they look great with my black eyeglasses. I’ve finally figured out my personal style after experimenting for the last few decades with color & proportions 🙂
    Hoop earrings, especially the size you can see (not tiny) are elegant & classic. There is no age limit. This style looks beautiful on females of ages.
    I love your Roberto Coin gold hoops. That is my jewelry goal for a few years now! ❤

  46. Aside from my love affair with turquoise American Indian jewelry, I have been stuck on hoops…silver or gold.
    I’ve branched out from hoops a bit more in my 60’s (67 now) but they are and will likely always remain my standard.
    The hoops you’re wearing in the photo are the perfect size. Classy.