I am totally obsessed with bangles. Why? Well, I love how a bangle stack can transform a look. Metallic bangles can add sparkle; colorful ones can add pop and flavor to a neutral outfit; while wooden, lacquer, metallic and plastic ones worn together can add texture. For me there is nothing like a fabulous bangle stack.
Pictured top left Nancy Cunard, others unknown.
And I'm not the only one who digs them. We can look to vintage photographs and see that our sisters of the past, across many lands and seas, adapted the layered arm look into their styles. From gypsy ladies to Indian princesses they wore bangles and sometimes the more they wore the better.
Businesswoman, fashion connoisseur and socialite, Iris Apfel, is the queen of the stack. I love how you can't really tell where her stack ends and her sleeves begin.
I have a ton in my collection mainly because it's just fun (and sometimes inexpensive) to collect them. I bought over a dozen in Spain and try to find some at every fleamarket and thrift store I visit. I love wooden ones that are hand-painted, detailed gold bangles, and glass ones from India that cling and clang when you move.
But I'm no snob. They don't all have to be handcrafted or purchased in some far away land. I've found some great bangles at Forever21 (like my hot pink threaded versions) and a great woven one from Mango.
They're great to wear monochromatic-ly both in color or in texture (pink on pink or wood on wood for example); a whole bunch or a few at a time. But I personally have a passion for mixing so I wear as many as I can get away with at one time. I always like to where them with a pop of color as you can see below in my favorite go-to stack.
What about you? Do you wear bangles? Do you stack them high or keep them cool and low? Is there another accessory you like to collect? Do share!
