Stacked bangles are back in a big way. From fashion week runways to Instagram reels, wrists layered with glass, metal and lacquered bangles are suddenly everywhere. What was once dismissed as “too much”
is now being called the biggest accessory trend of Spring/Summer 2026.
Fashion, after all, works in cycles. Mom jeans returned. Y2K made a dramatic comeback. Now, the spotlight has turned to stacked bangles, especially the traditional Indian churiya that many grew up watching their mothers and grandmothers wear daily. The colourful trinkets, once reserved for weddings and festivals, are now styled with tank tops, linen shirts and even power suits.
Several fashion magazines and stylists have declared chunky, stacked bangles the defining jewellery statement of the season. Social media has only amplified the moment. One Instagram creator, Pranati Choudhary, recently broke down why the trend feels so sudden yet so familiar.
Indian Bangles Make A comeback
“Why are Indian bangles suddenly all over your feed?” she asked in her now-viral video. She explained that the shift has been brewing for a while. “We are watching a full aesthetic shift happen in real time. From the clean-girl aesthetic and minimal looks to the gold-girl aesthetic – chunky earrings, stacked bangles, heavy bracelets, and ornaments that make noise when you move,” she said.
For years, minimalism dominated fashion. But according to Pranati, that era is fading fast. “The internet is done with minimalism. It’s craving drama, sound, texture, and movement,” she explained.
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This is where the stacked bangles trend fits in. It is not just about wearing one statement piece. It is about layering multiple bangles together, mixing metals with glass, and pairing heirloom pieces with contemporary designs. The look is intentionally maximalist. The more sound and shine, the better.
Pranati also linked the comeback to what many experts call the nostalgia economy. In uncertain times, people turn to symbols of comfort and memory. Jewellery becomes more than decoration.
“Everything you once called old-fashioned is now aesthetic, and about the bangles, they are not just jewellery. They are sound, they are memory, they are weddings, they are mothers getting ready, they are culture you can hear, and the algorithm, of course, didn’t make them trendy, it just finally zoomed in,” she added.
The trend has also found resonance globally. South Asian creators across platforms are styling bangles with contemporary outfits, while international influencers are experimenting with stacked metal cuffs inspired by traditional designs.
In many ways, stacked bangles represent more than a fashion revival. They signal a broader cultural shift. After years of quiet luxury and muted palettes, fashion seems ready to embrace expression again. And sometimes, that expression comes with the unmistakable sound of glass bangles clinking as you move.
