I've Worn This Trend Every Summer Since I Was 7

Once upon a time, many, many summers ago, I was a kid running around suburban Ohio, riding my bike everywhere and jumping into the questionable waters of Lake Erie. No matter what I do or where I go in my adult life, there's still a part of me that wants to channel those carefree days of my youth. And yes, it does frighten me that I'm even using phrases now like "in my youth", and yet here we are.

While I can't actually go back in time and relive those days, I try to capture that same summer mood every year by wearing an ankle bracelet. It's such a simple nod to the summer days I spent as a kid, but the jewelry actually holds nostalgic meaning that I don't plan on letting go of anytime soon. It's because anklets are just like friendship bracelets—they're purely for fun. So what if I'm a full-fledged adult now? I still want to have as much fun as my 7-year-old self. Sure, anklets totally made sense when I was running around in my rubber flip-flops as a kid, whereas now I'm more likely to be wearing one underneath jeans or obscured among ankle-tie sandals. Still, just the act of wearing a piece of jewelry that's mainly for kids makes me feel, well, like a kid again.

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(Image credit: Anna LaPlaca)

If you look closely, you can tell that I'm enthusiastically wearing an anklet on each of my ankles (I'm on the left). And I'll forever be trying to get back on this level of trendsetting.

Back in the day, mine was either strung with multicolored plastic beads or woven from a colorful assortment of string. Who knows when exactly I started wearing them, but what really solidified my love for anklets were the years I spent at sleepaway camp learning how to make every kind of friendship bracelet under the sun. I remember proudly arriving home with pouches full of bracelets after weeks away at camp. I'd stack the bracelets up both wrists until I needed more body parts to adorn. Naturally, I took to tying them around my ankles and have never looked back.

Sadly, I always manage to lose my anklet by the end of each summer for whatever reason. I kind of don't mind it, though, because it allows me to shop for another brand-new piece every year. Now the jewelry tradition has taken on more meaning than simply being a decorative bauble. For me, tying up yet another bracelet on my ankle marks the beginning of summer—not the mid-June solstice dictated by the calendar, but the moment when I actually start getting into that carefree mood again simply because of the warmer weather that awaits.

Since anklets are a yearly indulgence of mine, I've come to discover the most stylish ones out there. Shop my picks of the anklet trend and see how fashion girls are also wearing theirs well into adulthood.

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(Image credit: @styleheroine)

Rest assured that the simple gold anklet will never go out of style.

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(Image credit: @gildaambrosio)

Wearing an anklet adds a kitschy element to more elevated date-night, dinner, or wedding attire.

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(Image credit: @katcollings)

After many summers of wearing ankle jewelry, I've come to the conclusion that mules are the shoes to best show off the jewels.

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(Image credit: @alwaysjudging)

This has me inspired to make my summer anklet last into fall by wearing it over my socks.

For even more consistent summer style, see the shoes one editor has worn for five summers straight.

Editor

Anna is an editor on the fashion team at Who What Wear and has been at the company for over five years, having begun her career in the Los Angeles office before relocating to New York, where she's currently based. Having always been passionate about pursuing a career in fashion, she built up her experience interning at the likes of Michael Kors, A.L.C., and College Fashionista before joining the team as a post-graduate assistant editor. Anna has penned a number of interviews with Who What Wear's cover stars over the years, including A-listers Megan Fox, Issa Rae, and Emma Chamberlain. She's earned a reputation for scouting new and emerging brands from across the globe and championing them to our audience of millions. While fashion is her main wheelhouse, Anna led the launch of WWW Travels last year, a new lifestyle vertical that highlights all things travel through a fashion-person lens. She is passionate about shopping vintage, whether it be at a favorite local outpost or an on-the-road discovery, and has amassed a wardrobe full of unique finds. When she's not writing, you can find her shooting street imagery on her film camera, attempting to learn a fourth or fifth language, or planning her next trip across the globe.