Much like most of the rest of me, my wrists are very petite. They’re great for looking dainty while I’m fanning myself on my fainting couch, but they can make bracelet-wearing a challenge. Bangles slide up, they slide down, they get stuck on my hand…OK that’s pretty much it, but it’s still annoying.
I used to buy bracelets without trying them on, which was a big mistake because I ended up not wearing them once I realized how distractingly large they were. I remember Googling “bracelets for small wrists” at one point and didn’t find anything helpful. Now that I’ve found a few favorite bracelets that work for my small wrists, I thought I’d share my findings and fill that little void on the interwebs.
For reference, my wrists are just slightly over 6″ around.
Madewell
These are the only three bracelets I have from Madewell so far, but I’ve tried on others and they fit very consistently. It’s hard to find cuffs that fit skinny wrists, and I like how Madewell cuffs are simple but unique.
Marc by Marc Jacobs (rubber)
This bracelet is actually more average sized, but since it’s rubber – not metal – it’s light and doesn’t fall down too far even when my arm is dropped. Marc makes a couple different styles and colors of this bracelet (changing each season), and they’re available at various upscale department stores.
Nordstrom Juniors’
I’ve also had good luck with funky, trendy bracelets in the Juniors’ department at Nordstrom. The three in this picture are all stretchy and fit nice and snug!
J. Crew Pavé Link Bracelet (with link removed)
After seeing the popular J. Crew pavé link bracelet a zillion times, I decided I simply had to have my own even though it was way too big. You can’t remove the big pavé links from this bracelet, but there is a little link that connects the last big link to the fastener. My father-in-law removed that piece easily with needle nose pliers and sidecuts.
Voila!
A Note on Watches
I love the look of oversized or men’s style watches, but on me the face alone is wider than my wrist. I realized that a “normal” sized watch has an oversized look when it’s on a small wrist, and a traditional adjustable leather strap makes it easy to adjust. Anne Klein makes some cute and affordable options, like the one I’m wearing here.
Forever 21
The quality can be inconsistent, but Forever 21 has a ton of stretchy bracelet options that almost always fit well on me. Since they’re cheap, I don’t worry too much about how long they’ll last. It’s just fun to mix and match different styles.
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Nail colors: Essie Tart Deco and Penny Talk
New Additions (updated Jan. 2014)…
Since writing this post back in March 2013, I’ve added more bracelets to my collection! I want to keep this post relevant by adding new options for all of you skinny-armed girls, so here are even more petite bracelets to shop! Let me know if you know of other stores/brands that are good for small wrists! If you are a retailer and you want your products featured on this post, please contact me.
ASOS Charm Bracelet
This little bow bracelet is so damn dainty there’s no wrist it could possibly overwhelm! There are quite a few links, so it’s adjustable for a range of sizes. I removed all but the last 3 or so links so there isn’t a long chain hanging down. (This bracelet was provided to me courtesy of ASOS.)
Dainty Wrist Jewelry
Dainty Wrist Jewelry is an online shop that specializes in – you guessed it – bracelets and watches for people with very small wrists. Each product’s description will let you know what size wrist it is made for. (This watch was provided to me courtesy of Dainty Wrist Jewelry.)
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