Carrie and Hannah dolled up for a Galentine’s brunch by wearing dangling earrings.

Over Valentine’s weekend, I went to Mission Hills to put the bottomless mimosas at Harley Gray Kitchen & Bar to the test. Waiting for my veggie omelet to arrive, I noticed two ladies who had both picked dangling earrings to doll up their comfy-casual brunch outfits. I strolled over to pay my compliments to 31-year-olds Carrie and Hannah, long-time friends who were out celebrating “Galentine’s Day.”

The black triple-chain dangling earrings that Carrie added to her cozy sweater-and-leggings look were a gift from her mother. “Moms maybe do have better taste, because they see their daughters in the most beautiful light. And they’re like, ‘This would look great on my daughter.’”

I learned that Carrie was herself mother to a newborn. “I have a minimalist mentality, I don’t want to have a lot of different things. Just a few things that really work for me. As a new mom, I want to make the decision simple.”

She tries to strike a balance between cute and practical, “Dangly (earrings) I do like best. They feels worth the effort. Might as well have fun with it!”

She looked over to her friend and joked, “My husband always says I dress up more for my girlfriends than I do for him.”

Hannah paired white marble and gold geometric chandelier earrings ($26) with her pink tee and black leggings. She told me how they were made by a high school friend. “She’s always been crafty, and I started following her jewelry shop on Instagram (the_studio_coop) and I saw a really cute pair she posted, so I sent her a DM.”

Hannah explained what drew her to this set, “They looked like a very pretty statement piece and something unlike anything I had ever purchased.” She cupped her left lobe, saying “I also love how lightweight they are. I have some very cute bold earrings that I have purchased from say, Target, and they are adorable, but they are way too heavy and my ears start to hurt. And then I hate wearing them, so I never wear them.”

If she hadn’t chosen the statement pair, Hannah’s go-to earring would be a basic, round diamond stud. “Very simple, goes with everything I have to wear at work, and it’s less effort to put in during the weekdays, mainly.”

She paused to clink glasses with Carrie and added, “These earrings are for the fun weekend, going out with my girlfriends.”