It’s no secret that styles come and go, but when it comes to anklets or ankle bracelets, 2020 is definitely the year when this dainty little designer item has returned with a vengeance. In fact, anyone looking for a way to spice up their look should definitely consider the anklet to do the trick. Anklets have become the go-to thing for those who are obsessed with jewelry as well as forward fashion characters wherever they can be found. Anklets are the latest clarion call for any woman who wants to risk her fashion neck and put their best foot forward. For those hearty souls who want to venture deeper into the ankle bracelet, this article will provide a deeper insight into them, their origins, and show how to wear them right and to give anyone the way to get them now.
What is an Ankle Bracelet?
For any woman who is tired of wearing Prada, considers hoop earrings hopelessly out of date, dared to bear puka shells, ankle bracelets are the next new thing. And a woman can learn plenty about them by checking out adinasjewels.com. Don’t worry about what else might breakthrough from the old 90s (although everyone should hope that those butterfly clips and stick-on earrings won’t sneak through), and let’s not forget some of those things from earlier years such as chokers. All of those nostalgic symbols of the past should be gone and forgotten in light of these headier times of the 2000s that are upon us.
Today’s looks in ankle bracelets have even evolved beyond that plastic second-skin seeming anklets sporting poppy colors and tinkling charms that hit the streets one summer not long ago. Today, there’s a much more sophisticated look with anklets—the grownup jewelry that is worn around the ankle and made of precious metals such as gold and silver, and sometimes even rocking charms and fun beads.
Anklets Rise and Thrive
It might be worth noting that somewhere along the line of 2011, anklets made their move to sneak up on everyone who might be daring enough to start wearing one. That’s about the same time that Ashley Olsen decided to fall head over heels in love with foot candy and boldly lead the way as the new anklet queen. Her delightfully feminine choices of anklet bracelets and their enhancements worked like a—well, a charm—and ended up being worn with nearly anything and everything that sported a bare ankle, whether it be flats, heels, or even sneakers.
For the record, the rise in the wearing of anklets hit its apogee when Olsen started working with jewelry designer Ileana Makri, which took the popularity of the humble anklet into the stratosphere with some retailing for as much as $4,000 each.
Since that time, other fashion trendsetters have declared their love of anklets, including the French photographer as well as fashion blogger Garance Dore, who wrote in a recent blog, “So there you go. I confess to loving ankle bracelets. I know what you are about to say: With stilettos? Really? And in shiny red? It could send the wrong message, but I think that since summer is here, along with some flats, an anklet is not only sensual but beautiful as well.”
Dore should know. After all, when it comes to sparkling tootsies, she’s the one who can find a challenge and usually cut it off at the knees.
Then again, even if you look at anklets in a more conventional manner, say when worn with sandals in a more bohemian, free-spirited environment, in Coachella, anklets are still considered flirty even for non-celebrities.
Perhaps the best thing about anklets is that they have emerged as the thing to be caught wearing even if it isn’t summer. The contemporary anklet has emerged from previous fashion boundaries unscathed and will probably continue for God knows how long. In fact, the newest fashion catalogs are sporting the most updated of these outdated accessories, with some being called “chocklets” as a belated celebration of a somehow contrived choker/anklet hybrid. Fortunately, this should do nothing but to encourage more anklets being worn not only on the trails but on the runways of Paris and New York City.
Are you still skeptical about the reemergence of the anklet? Have no fear. This foot candy will be bursting at the seams in the newest fashion collections along with the hottest in Haute styles. In the past few years who could have imagined that golden anklets would emerge again at a couture show? Yep. Fashion can be unpredictable.
Another Look at Anklets
When it comes to jewelry, very few items can work so well to add a dressy impact to a look than an anklet. Let’s face it, it can beat a bauble bracelet, an elegant choker, or an earring. An anklet is almost never overlooked, even for those who aren’t looking for one.
Strangely, for all of their popularity, anklets are often considered to be jewelry’s “fish out of the water,” since those who might catch the sight of one might consider it not only ultra-feminine but something flashy and powerful. Even the wearer who is the only one who really feels its touch really feels that is it there despite the fact that so many people might catch sight of it.
This is the same effect for anyone who happened to have caught the 1944 psychological thriller Double Indemnity when the alluring Phyllis Dietrichson poses at the top of a spiral staircase covered with nothing but a bath towel while looking down on the bedazzled Walter Neff. And we will give you one guess as to what adorns her left ankle: a shiny anklet.
Anklets: The Symbol of Status
Ancient Sumerian tombs revealed the first known anklets worn by women in Mesopotamia, more than 4,500 years ago. Today, it only takes a stroll through the Victoria and Albert Museum in London to see the Female Attendant sculpture dating back to the 4th – 5th century BC to find another anklet. Another sight of ancient anklets can be found on statues in the same location wearing diaphanous robes with both ankles with ankle bands.
Egyptian women of all social classes wore ankle bracelets, although it would be a stretch to call them anklets in the modern sense of the word. Their primary purpose was to display the social level of the wearer, with gold belonging to the highest class and iron to the lowest.
Egyptians called both bracelets and anklets men fret, meaning “for arms” and “for feet” to explain their differences. Menefrets were usually massive affairs with small collections of amulets dangling from them. There was also the kholkhal, which was a rigidly cut anklet that was usually a bright gold that was worn by women of Alexandria until the early 20th century.
Today, however, most Egyptian women avoid wearing any sort of ankle jewelry, due mainly to Islamic conservatism. Some dancers in these areas of the world still wear anklets as part of their costumes.
Anklets in Other Parts of the World
Indian culture has long had an affair with anklets, due primarily to the symbolism involved. Ankle bracelets, often called payals, are worn in India and very frequently make appearances in traditional weddings. These are part of an overall look in India, with bare feet sporting toe rings and intricate chains of charms. Today, anklets are a part of any bridal wear, right along with sarees. Anklets can also indicate the marital status of some women. In fact, some women in India wear anklets that are made to jingle in an effort to let men know they are there, hopefully causing them to stop course talk. Women in more rural areas of India often wear heavier, more rigid anklets as a symbol of fortitude and endurance.
If you think the wearing of anklets are limited to humans, show up in India every year in March for the annual Elephant Festival, which features elephants embellished with huge jewelry and bright colors. The female elephants can be picked from the males since they are wearing anklets, many with gold bells, charms, and brightly colored trinkets.
Anklets in Southeast Asia
Anklets were used in Southeast Asia to train women for a more feminine, short walk by using a chain attached to both ankles.
Anklets Come to America
Anklets first came to America in the 1940s, although it is difficult to determine how they got here. That sociological group is known as “bobbysoxers,” fans of Frank Sinatra, made anklets part of their signature look, also including sandals, short white socks, poodle skirts, and anklets that shone a highlight on the socks.
Throughout it all, anklets reached the pinnacle of popularity in America in the 1960s, when the hippie culture peaked. The hip spirit broke out all over the globe, spreading everything that was bohemian with it, including anything Eastern. As a result, anklets, inspired by everything Indian became part of the so-called hip generation.
Today, anklets are worn by nearly everyone in the U.S. despite the clichés or stereotypes. They’re just another touch added for beauty and fashion regardless of the intended meaning of the wearer. Anklets are here to stay.
