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Y2K Redux: Ankle Bracelets Are Back | January 12, 2022 (0 comments)
New York, NY—Despite being more than two decades ago, for some of us Y2K feels like just yesterday. But proof that it really was 22 years ago comes in the form of fashion, which is enjoying a revival of late-90s/early-aughts looks. Image: Anklets with diamond clusters in 14k gold or sterling silver, Adina Reyter.
Yes, it’s a thing. Y2K fashion is enjoying a renaissance among those who were too young to wear it the first time. While nobody objected to claw clips and hair scrunchies, parental decree made the era's ultra-low rise jeans, bare midriffs and visible “whale tail” thongs off-limits to most teens and tweens. Those Millennial women, now in their 30s, are reveling in things they couldn’t wear the first time around, while their twentysomething Gen-Z sisters are discovering it for the first time.
This means it’s time to put ankle bracelets, another key trend of the time, on your radar. They’re baa-ack!
Remember the three-times-is-a-trend rule? Anklets are being featured in WhoWhatWear, in Cosmopolitan, on Editorialist.com, to name just a few trendy publications. Editorialist in particular is emphasizing fine jewelry ones—gotta love that—with pearls, diamonds, or other gems, from the likes of Marla Aaron, EF Collection, and other brands you know.
The big difference between now and the Y2K iteration of the trend is that it’s not limited to dainty little chains. You can go delicate or you can go bold or anywhere in between, and you can layer on a couple (keep it at two!) or even wear a diamond tennis bracelet or a strand of pearls on your ankle for glamming it up. And, finally, if you’re wearing socks or black evening hose, put the bracelet over, not under. The anklet-under-nude pantyhose is passé. (So, for that matter, are nude pantyhose altogether unless you’re Duchess Kate, banned by royal decree from showing bare legs in public.)
Jewelers can stock up on any number of anklet designs, from delicate station styles to paperclip chains to heavy curb or cable links. Aim for 8.5” to 10” lengths as a general range, but all the better if you can offer adjustable length pieces. Best of all, if the trend fizzles out quickly, jewelers don’t have to be stuck with inventory they can’t sell: cut an inch off to convert to a regular bracelet or, depending on style and size, convert two of the same style into a necklace.