The Anklet Is Back, And We’re Here For It

The year was 1999, we weren’t sure we’d survive Y2K but we knew anklets were the sex symbol of sex symbols. After hitting fever pitch nearly two decades ago when worn around the dainty lower calves J Lo, Geri Halliwell, Naomi Campbell and (unsurprisingly) Mariah Carey, ankle jewellery has spent time gathering dust. Maybe it’s because its label as a fashion faux pas was written in permanent marker, but much like the humble Croc and a pair of Tevas with socks, the fashion set is currently flirting with putting this piece of jewellery back on the agenda.

The 90s - the decade which refuses to die - gave us a host of questionable trends (lower back tats, stretch choker necklaces, I can go on) but its the dainty, clasp of the anklet that’s staging a comeback. And, most importantly, not just for summer.

It was at the Victoria Beckham show in New York that models we first noticed this accessory switch gears. Like, pukka shell jewellery, its stylistic integrity was being repositioned. Outside its recent habitat - yuppie hippies having a drum circle in a £2000-per-week yoga yurt in India - its taken on an unruly and unexpected appeal, otherwise known as coolness. Then it popped up again at Peter Pillotto and Anna Sui and made its way onto the ankles of Leandra Medine, Pernille Tiesbaek and even (albeit hidden under a sock) Grazia’s own Fashion and News Editor, Laura Jordan.

What’s changed? Not much, actually. Still, the braided, bohemian bands exist, as do the delicate diamante equivalent. But, celebrity stylist Avigail Collins who intergrated the anklet into a collection of shoes she designed for Luidmila, believes, 'In the 90’s they were very grungy and made of string or silver. Where as this year they are more gold and bling, it’s all about the ankle sparkle.'

Nearly twenty years later we’re still reliving the mistakes of our youth - drinking with friends in the park, guilty (although now we call it a picnic) and wearing silk scarves as tops (now sanctioned by Diane Von Furstenberg), guilty again - with the requisite anklet back in place. Fancy growing up? Try it with a maxi dress and a pair of dad sneakers, or give a clumpy clog a little sass with a slinky chain band. As Collins says, 'I love wearing a super glam anklet with something as casual as trainers and a slip dress.' Get on board as this is the subtle accessory that adds instant lustre to outfits that lack it.