Apparently, everything looks better covered in rhinestones. At least, that seems to be the collective consensus lately. The trend has been taking over my feed, to the point where I am beginning to wonder if anything is safe from being bedazzled—coffee cups, face masks, laptop cases, and even the most ordinary household objects are getting the crystal treatment.
The internet has a name for the phenomenon: whimsymaxxing, the pursuit of making everyday life a little more playful by adding as much sparkle, charm and general embellishment as physically possible. And honestly, the impulse is understandable. After several years of quiet luxury, clean lines and an obsession with pared-back everything, there is a growing appetite for things that are deliberately decorative, even when they serve no practical purpose. Why have a plain tube of lip gloss when you could have one covered in rhinestones?
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The trend arguably reached a new level of visibility with Kylie Jenner’s birthday earlier this year, when she appeared surrounded by an elaborate rhinestone-studded celebration: crystals on the cake, crystals on the set-up, crystals seemingly everywhere, and posted it to her 381 million followers. The internet spiralled and DIY tutorials followed. Before long, bedazzling had moved from the craft cupboard to the everyday object, with the humble Stanley tumbler becoming one of its most recognisable canvases.
But the thing is, fashion got here first. Long before rhinestone-covered objects became a TikTok craft project, crystals were a serious design language. Dolce & Gabbana has built entire runway collections around crystal embellishment, while Versace has long subscribed to the idea that more is, quite simply, more. Clio Peppiatt has likewise turned these colourful gems into something far more substantial than a finishing touch. In fashion, crystals can become texture, structure and even the focal point of a look—less decoration than design in their own right.
It is this history that makes the current rhinestone obsession particularly interesting. Embellishment has long been used in fashion to signal occasion, excess and spectacle; what feels new is its migration into the mundane. A material once reserved for eveningwear, performance and the runway is now being applied to objects designed for everyday use, transforming the unremarkable into something deliberately extravagant.
Which brings us to the more interesting question behind the trend: how long can all that sparkle last? There is something slightly melancholy about a rhinestone-covered takeaway cup, destined for the bin after a single use, all that glitter sacrificed to something disposable. The impulse to embellish is not inherently at odds with sustainability, but applying it indiscriminately to objects with short lifespans raises an obvious contradiction.
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Fashion offers a more lasting answer. A rhinestone-encrusted bag, a crystal-studded heel or a sequin-heavy evening top carries the same joyful, maximalist spirit of the trend, but in a form designed to stay in rotation. Rather than bedazzling something simply because it can be, the more considered approach is to choose pieces where the embellishment is part of their identity. They are unapologetically decorative, occasionally impractical and, above all, meant to be enjoyed. So if everything else is getting the rhinestone treatment, perhaps it is time the wardrobe did, too.
Below, scroll on for the bejewelled pieces proving that there’s no such thing as too much sparkle.
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Lirika Matoshi Gemstone Bow corset, $748
Available at Lirika Matoshi.
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Lirika Matoshi Cream Gemstone jeans, $332
Available at Lirika Matoshi.
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Aquazzura Mystic Stone 75 crystal-embellished Leather sandals, $1,032
Available at Net-a-Porter.
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Judith Leiber Butterfly Fireclipper clutch, $7,594
Available at Judith Leiber.
