Vibrant beaded jewellery is the joy-giving boost your WFH wardrobe needs

Just when you thought fashion had reached peak nostalgia, with dad sandals and bumbags and scrunchies and hair claws all over the high street (I just bought a tortoiseshell hair claw identical to one my mother had in the 90s), in comes plastic fantastic whimsical beaded jewellery.

It’s there, all over your Instagram, brightening up selfies. Mismatched, multi-coloured, beaded charm jewellery, that you once owned when you were about nine years old, as bright and cartoonish as you can find it, is giving us all colour therapy.

The idea is to find something that looks like a teenage friendship bracelet or like you bought it for €2 in a stall by the beach. Layering is key, especially when it comes to bracelets, and if you can get a few pearls or smiley faces or seashells in there, all the better.

The most accessible way to try out this trend is to get down to your local toy shop and visit the aisle for preteens, where among sets for making your own lipglosses and kits for gluing diamond stickers in your hair (who made us think these were sets only teenagers would want?), you’ll hopefully find a ‘make your own jewellery starter kit’ to fill your long lockdown evenings. If not, there are tons of sellers on Etsy creating beautiful, electric bright beaded jewellery.

Don’t think you have the skills for a DIY kit? High street and high end jewellery brands have entered the chat, with Roxanne Assoulin and Lauren Rubenski creating the beads of your teenage fantasies. Luxury brands like Balenciaga too, with building block logo bracelets that look like something your toddler would chew on, or try Éliou, the brand of choice of Harry Styles, a key instigator of this, and many other fashion trends. 

Shop the most joyful of colourful beaded jewellery below, sure to put a bounce back in your wardrobe, a smile on your face and a spring in your step as you head out for a walk around the park, once again.