Three Bad Mice: costume jewellery

I feel a Déjà vu moment coming on… anyone remember the 90s love affair with the ear cuff? Well for those of you who don't (which probably means you're too young, which also means that I sort of hate you...) dressing up your ears with punk attitude was kind of a big deal! As trends tend to, this fashion craze has come back around and in a bigger blingier way than ever which is quite simply music to our ears (see what I did there?!)!

When it comes to the human body, ears are probably one of the weirdest and most alien looking parts of the anatomy so any trend that looks to pimp them up has to be a trend worth embracing!

So who's ear cuffing? Well every man and his dog it would seem! Bloggers, A-listers, socialites, fashionistas and a hell of a lot of the Oscars attendees...

So lets start with the celebs and their bold and brave take on the latest lobe trend. We bought you the Oscars ear cuff adopters on Monday but look who else has been cuffing it...

The fash pack bloggers are also making a serious nod to this edgy ear bling craze...

And last but by no means least street stylers and magazine models...

Inspiration aside, with every fashion fad comes a set of must follow rules. We've collated the below ear cuff etiquette (ECE) which is imperative to consider when selecting your lobe-lustworthy styles to rock and working out exactly how to rock them...

First rule : less is more - yes earrings come in pairs but ear cuffs don't and in this circumstance two is mostly definitely a crowd. Wear one statement piece and wear it with pride... decorate the other lobe with a plain stud so as not to detract from the star of the show.

Second rule : dress for the occasion - opt for embellished over-the-top bejewelled cuffs for red carpet occasions AKA parties or cocktails with the girls but dial down the look for daytime jaunts, think - plain metal and chain styles.

Third rule : give your piece some room to punch. Getting maximum impact means a hair-off-your-face approach preferably rock an up-do so to show off your ear bling in all its glory.

Next, our pick of the best-of-the-best when it comes to ECs. We've pulled some beautiful blow-the-budget options and a handful of affordable, highstreet buys to whet your appetite...

Annelise Michelson Carnivorous Ear Cuff, £270

Zara, £1.99

Repossi, price on request

ASOS, £13.50

Ryan Storer, £260

Another Ryan Storer, £450

Adorning Ava, £8

Last up! We have Mini mouse modelling her take on the trend. Purchased from Baublebar during our weekend trip to NYC, she snapped this little beauty up for a mere £20. Check out the website for more styles here...

If you say costume jewellery, what springs to mind? I'm getting piles of garish, plasticky, gems; the kind of woman who wears too much lipstick and an overpoweringly strong dousing of 'scent'; Joan Collins; the eighties and an ageing drag queen.

Time to draw a thick black cross through that perception, bling is back, and thank the fashion Gods its more awesome than ever.

Our current costume crush is queen of the flashiest baubles, jewellery line, Elizabeth Cole. These are the sort of jewels that have your heart racing and your credit card twitching and we want to get our little Mice mits on every single piece...

Portia Necklace
US$278