Just when you thought it was safe to let your abs relax.
Following in the wake of equally polarizing early-2000s trends like low-rise jeans and heeled flip-flops, belly chains are poised for a comeback — at least according to stars like Kylie Jenner and Bella Hadid.
Once a favorite of midriff-baring pop stars, the hip-hugging accessory has been primarily reserved for Coachella in recent years — but lately, celebs have been reaching for it once again as a way to add a little extra bling to their beachwear.
Longtime body jewelry advocate Beyoncé was perhaps the first to herald the waist chain’s jingling, jangling return to relevance, wrapping a version by Luv AJ ($150) around her midsection during a trip to Sardinia last September.
But the nostalgic trend really came raring back this summer, when 23-year-old Hadid styled all of her swimwear looks with Jacquie Aiche’s Diamond Shaker Belly Chain — a delicate piece with a not-so-dainty price tag of $11,875 — while vacationing in Mykonos in July.
The model later doubled down on the stomach-circling style by designing her own version for her collaboration with Chrome Hearts: a chunkier gold chain adorned with a cross pendant as well as a “B” initial charm.
Jenner, 22, similarly slung a whisper-thin, diamond-studded style beneath her swimwear during two recent beach vacations. She further tested the waters of the trend during her Kylie Skin girls’ trip to Turks and Caicos in July, buckling a variety of vintage gold Chanel chain belts — each worth four figures — over her bikinis.
And the team at the French fashion house must have taken note of the beauty billionaire’s style move: During Chanel’s Metiers d’Art show in Paris last week, models in cropped tops and jackets sported luxe belly chains made from leather, chains and even strands of pearls, putting high fashion’s stamp of approval on the fad.
In other words? Welcome to the waist land.
