Anklets emerge as summer's subtle minimalist jewelry trend

Alexander McQueen’s Spring Summer 2026 runway put charms at the ankle. Worn with sandals, mules, or a bare ankle, a slim anklet adds polish without interrupting a clean silhouette.

Runway proof, then celebrity pull

Styled with mules and sandals, the detail landed as an IYKYK finish rather than a loud statement. The house’s current campaign rollout under Seán McGirr places the show squarely inside McQueen’s present direction, styling the accessory as part of a sharper, more contemporary wardrobe language.

Hailey Bieber’s nameplate anklet and Rihanna’s layered anklet look have pushed the idea further into everyday visibility. One piece is personal and direct, the other leans into a slightly more editorial stack, but both keep the proportions light.

Why the search spike matters

The anklet’s return is not just a runway mood. In 2025, stylists and jewelry experts were seeing a major increase in anklet searches. Anklets first came into fashion in the United States in the 1970s and then again in the 1990s, when bohemian dressing gave them a looser, beachier identity.

This time, the interest is more specific. Searches for anklet-related terms including “initial anklet,” “evil eye anklet,” and “birthstone anklet” rose 5,000% over the past 30 days in 2025. People are looking for pieces with a small personal marker attached, whether that is a letter, a protective symbol, or a birthstone.

The wider accessory field helps explain the timing. Anklets have resurfaced alongside charm necklaces and jelly sandals, two other nostalgic summer pieces that trade in memory but feel newly styled. By 2026, anklets were among the stronger accessory trends for Spring Summer 2026, especially when paired with ballet flats and a more individual, less rigid way of dressing. Jenny Bird described the look as fitting the mood of dopamine dressing, but the current version is quieter than pure maximalism: one small flourish, placed exactly where the eye lands last.

What makes the minimalist version work

The strongest anklet now is not heavy, jangling, or overloaded with charms. It is a slim chain with delicate proportions, the kind of piece that catches light only when you move. A nameplate version like Bieber’s, or a single-charm version like the McQueen runway looks, keeps the line clean and allows the piece to register as jewelry rather than embellishment.

A few design cues define the mood:

• Thin chain, never bulky
• One focal element, such as a nameplate, initial, or small charm
• Close fit at the ankle so the piece sits neatly with sandals
• Styling that leaves plenty of skin visible, which keeps the look airy

Modern anklets do not compete with the shoe. A slim chain can disappear and reappear as you walk, which gives it a more polished effect than a bracelet worn on the wrist, where it can get lost among sleeves and cuffs. At the ankle, the jewelry reads instantly.

How to wear it now

The easiest way to make an anklet feel expensive is to keep everything around it simple. Flat sandals, refined mules, or ballet flats let the line of the jewelry stay clean, while bare ankles keep the proportion elegant. The look does not need a full stacked-jewelry moment to feel styled; in fact, the most convincing versions often rely on restraint.

That restraint is what separates the 2025 to 2026 comeback from earlier cycles. In the 1970s and 1990s, anklets leaned bohemian. In the Y2K and resort-style cycles that followed, they often skewed playful or beachy. Now the accessory is being recast as more refined and more personal, which is why it fits so neatly into minimalist wardrobes built around a few well-chosen pieces rather than layers of decoration.