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By Chrisanthi Kaliviotis

Connell Waldron’s Chain Is The Silver Lining We Need – And Want

"Not the hero we asked for but the hero we deserve," how an Instagram fan page for a fictional necklace has us all hot-under-the-collar for a humble silver chain

Last week we brought you a thorough style dissection of ‘Normal People‘, the most talked about book-to-television-series adaptation that ostensibly ever existed. Through the lens of fashion, Sally Rooney’s richly nuanced yet very “normal” characters were explored; Marianne’s sartorial coming-of-age – from rigid school yard garb to vintage-esque faded gingham minis and sun-soaked tea dresses – to Connell’s single, slinky, silver chain, which brings us to the point of this fashion tale.

Like a character unto itself, Connell Waldron’s chain has become the unexpected star of the show, garnering its own Instagram page aptly entitled, @connellschain. The fan page’s first post was a very wet Connell in repose in the pool with said chain especially shiny. It read this:

“We stan Connell’s chain, the light in these dark times. Thirsty for more? 💦”

Indeed, they were. A slew of thirsty comments followed, including but not limited to: “THANK YOU for the gift of this account 🙌”, “this is a PORN account I am going to REPORT” and our personal fave, “Not the hero we asked for but the hero we deserve.” With 83.1 thousand followers (and growing), how did a humble silver chain become the fixation of so many “thirsty” fans?

Of course, it goes far beyond the silver links of a simple chain and comes down to the sweaty, thickset, blue-eyed Irishman wearing it, that subtle glint of silver that sends women into a proverbial panty-drop merely a metaphor for the man himself. But with fashion’s current fixation on the gold chain – both great and small, robust and delicate – how does the silver fare in a post-Connell world?

Excellently, of course.

According to eBay, the silver chain search is up 200%, another example of TV’s great stranglehold on the current state of fashion. Just last week we reported that since ‘The Last Dance’ aired, searches for Nike’s Jordan 1 have been increasing – up 23% week-on-week. Inspired by the Neflix / ESPN Chicago Bulls docuseries, shoppers were also looking for basketball shorts (+12%) and tank tops (+20%), indicative of the power the silver screen beholds on shopping trends.

As for Connell’s chain, every time he takes his shirt off, or lays in bed, or reads a book, or does anything “normal”; it’s there, delicately strewn across his neck asking us to love it. And that we do. Perhaps @connellschain put it best: “Love will tear us apart… but the chain will keep us together.” Amen to that.

So in honour of Connell’s chain, we’ve decided to forgo fashion’s favourite golden hue and give silver a go. Consider this edit of slinky silver chains below and pretend you’re about to gently clasp it around Connell’s sweaty neck. Swoon.