’Tis the Season of the Skimpy Accessory

It started with my feet. A feeling I hadn't felt in years: an anklet clasped just above the grosgrain edge of my ballet flat. It made me think of the last time I’d worn one (the early 2000s), a tangle of threads braided together in a way that more closely resembled a knot. But the one on me now, in 2026, was decidedly an upgrade: beautiful, glamorous, adult with two metal links joined together by a magnetic heart, draped just over the bone of my ankle. I was immediately hooked.I love the feeling of embellishing my legs. It makes me feel elevated, fabulous, and unexpected, my otherwise simple outfits garnished with a little metallic fanfare smirking from above my kitten heel. Since rediscovering a love for anklets, this impulse has spread to my back, my neck, and my arms. I’ve spent the season in search of what I’m calling the “skimpy accessory,” pieces that drip off the body, swinging in the breeze; embellishments and trimmings that feel sexy and shimmery and sheer, barely there. Something beyond traditional necklaces and bracelets, pieces in places that feel novel and unexpected. Anklets, toe rings, skinny little beaded scarves.The best skimpy accessories unearth a sensual feeling. They have a way of making you feel totally in your body by highlighting parts of it—the crossed ankles, the outstretched arms, the arches of your feet—that can easily go overlooked when unadorned. They can emulate the same feeling as a high hemline, a low-rise miniskirt, or a plunging neckline. They’re sexy but chill, a wink more than a full-blown wave to a hot stranger across the bar.Here is a little cocktail list of skimpy accessories you can incorporate into your own wardrobe to give your looks a similar sense of pared-back sexiness.DOWN LOW I was not blessed with beautiful feet, but if I was, I would be blinging out my toes in Simuero’s sterling silver gemstone rings. The colors are so juicy and the size of the gemstone dazzling.And hey, if you’re brave enough to allow your toes within mere centimeters of the New York City pavement, you may as well go big. I love this toe-ring-ankle-bangle combo meal too, with the custom Havaianas piercings really adding an extra level of spice.Speaking of anklets…AnkletsIt’s the year the Knicks won the NBA Finals, and the only person more concerned with ankles than Jalen Brunson is me on my hunt for the perfect anklet to adorn my own. There are a few anklet avenues you can venture down.Metal ankletsIf eyes are the windows to the soul, then the ankles are the delicate lattice the rom-com lover must scale to climb into them...preferably on something sturdy, like a metal anklet in silver or gold. Nothing says you’re having a sexy year like long, florid, oiled legs and a bare ankle drizzled in silver.Shell anklets​Shell anklets exude a tropical sensibility: beachy, hair salted and wavy from the sea, the sheen of sweat, a glossy tan of dancing from sunset to sunrise at the beach club. Go for a plain puka shell or, if you’re feeling extremely fancy, the silver cowrie anklet from Emily Dawn Long.Lace ankletsI saw a girl in a pizza parlor who took my breath away. She was wearing these elastic lace anklets, little black trim accentuating the airspace above her black heeled flip-flops. I would've stopped her to take a pic but she was flirting with the host, which was delaying him from fetching my fountain soda.Slip socksObviously, thigh-high socks have the reputation as the most sensual sock or sock-related garment, but the slip sock (which feels more eloquent than its proper title, the “sock band,” which radiates sportiness) makes its case for an understated, quirkier sensuality. Adorning the arch of your foot: it’s sultry! It’s fun! Sue me!UP HIGHArm cuffWrists get all the attention. Consider an arm cuff clutching to your biceps, wrapped around your upper arm in slivers of dainty gold, or flex both your muscles and vibrant pops of color with bold enamel baubles.Bitchy little scarf There are few things that light me up like a bitchy little scarf. Swinging it over my shoulder evokes the same feeling as slamming shut a pink Motorola Razr flip phone. My personal go-to has been a pearlescent embellished scarf from Zara—it was billed as a blindfold in the bedroom, which makes it feel like a sexy little secret. For optimal results, drape it like a cape and let it drip down your back, beads blowing gently in the fall breeze.Ali Royals loves true stories and hates writing in the third person, even though she’s doing it right now. Ali is a poet, writer, and the deputy editor of Byline living New York by way of her beloved Baltimore. Follow her on Instagram and Substack for her daily Outfit Prompts, where she tells herself stories in order to get dressed.