--- title: Top Fashion Accessories of 2016 description: The top fashion items of 2016 include oversized earrings, Vans Old Skool sneakers and Aquazzura "Wild Thing" fringed sandals. canonical: https://time.com/4618626/most-popular-fashion-items-2016/ author: TIME article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2016-12-30T16:00:00.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-05-11T04:39:12.587Z og:title: The Most Popular Fashion Accessories of 2016 og:description: From oversized earrings to old-school sneakers og:url: https://time.com/4618626/most-popular-fashion-items-2016/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt7e9b699ae53cb12e/6988b40d656a3f5c54bce404/top-fashion-items-2016.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 5568 og:image:height: 3132 og:image:alt: Street Style : Day Six - Paris Fashion Week Spring/Summer 2017 og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: The Most Popular Fashion Accessories of 2016 twitter:description: From oversized earrings to old-school sneakers twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt7e9b699ae53cb12e/6988b40d656a3f5c54bce404/top-fashion-items-2016.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # The Most Popular Fashion Accessories of 2016 by [Andrea Cheng / InStyle](https://time.com/author/instyle/) ## Andrea Cheng / InStyle Contributor Dec 30, 2016 4:00 PM UTC  PARIS, FRANCE - OCTOBER 02: A guest is wearing a Balenciaga bag seen in the streets in Paris during the Paris Fashion Week Spring/Summer 2017 on October 2, 2016 in Paris, France. (Photo by Timur Emek/Getty Images) PARIS, FRANCE - OCTOBER 02: A guest is wearing a Balenciaga bag seen in the streets in Paris during the Paris Fashion Week Spring/Summer 2017 on October 2, 2016 in Paris, France. (Photo by Timur Emek/Getty Images)Timur Emek—Getty Images by [Andrea Cheng / InStyle](https://time.com/author/instyle/) ## Andrea Cheng / InStyle Contributor Dec 30, 2016 4:00 PM UTC Blame it on fashion for delivering coveted items that we, irrationally, _have to have,_ year after year. In 2016, these “It” must-haves arrived in the form of Gucci fur-lined loafer slides (a design so good that [not even celebrities could resist wearing them over and over again](http://www.instyle.com/celebrity/stars-love-gucci-mules-loafers)), vintage Levi’s jeans (specifically, the 501s and 505s; [here’s how you can shop for the perfect pair](http://www.instyle.com/fashion/how-to-shop-vintage-levis-jeans-size-guide)), Cult Gaia bamboo clutches (that became [a viral hit through Instagram](http://www.instyle.com/fashion/accessories/bags/cult-gaia-ark-bag-trend)), and Vans Old Skools (interestingly, the most [snapped sneaker to come out of Fashion Month](http://www.instyle.com/awards-events/fashion-week/new-york-fashion-week/vans-sneakers-street-style-nyfw) ever since the Stan Smith’s claim to fame). And since 2016 will forever be known as The Year of The Choker, there’s, of course, one on this It List: [Roxanne Assoulin’s rainbow-happy spectrum tiles](http://www.instyle.com/fashion/accessories/jewelry/roxanne-assoulin-jewelry-brand), a design that’s found a home on the necks of A-listers and street-style stars alike. There was a big demand for tour merch (Bieber and Saint Pablo, specifically), along with street-chic hoodies — and coming in from the opposite end, incredibly ladylike Chanel cap-toe mules (the latest iteration of the cap-toe slingbacks that [made it on our list in 2015](http://www.instyle.com/fashion/top-fashion-trends-hits-2015)). Scroll through to see the 12 buzziest fashion items of 2016. 1**. Giant super-sized earrings**  PARIS, FRANCE - JUNE 23: Esther Quek wearing a black Louis Vuitton bag outside Louis Vuitton during the Paris Fashion Week Menswear Spring/Summer 2017 on June 23, 2016 in Paris, France. (Photo by Christian Vierig/Getty Images) Christian Vierig—Getty Images So long, teeny-tiny studs. [Incredible over-the-top earrings](http://www.instyle.com/fashion/accessories/jewelry/super-sized-earrings-under-200) dominated the spring 2017 runways, and in turn, the street-style scene. A favorite? These sculptural creations by designer [Annie Costello Brown](http://www.anniecostellobrown.com/category/earrings). Annie Costello Brown available at [anniecostellobrown.com](http://www.anniecostellobrown.com/product/pom-pom-chandelier-earrings-silver) | $219 2\. **The Cult Gaia Ark Bag** The [bamboo clutch that dominated our Instagram feed ](http://www.instyle.com/fashion/accessories/bags/cult-gaia-ark-bag-trend)for the better half of the year. Actually, make that [all straw bags](http://www.instyle.com/fashion/accessories/bags/how-to-carry-summer-straw-bags-in-fall). Cult Gaia available at [cultgaia.com](https://cultgaia.com/products/gaia-s-ark) | $88 **3\. Vans Old Skool Sneakers**  BERLIN, GERMANY - NOVEMBER 04: Storm Westphal (@theadorabletwo) wearing black Vans Sneaker Old Skool on November 4, 2016 in Berlin, Germany. (Photo by Christian Vierig/Getty Images) Christian Vierig—Getty Images It looks like Adidas Stan Smiths finally have a rival. The most snapped sneaker of Fashion Month were the black-and-white Vans Old Skools (even Kendall Jenner is a fan). Vans available at [vans.com](http://www.vans.com/shop/womens-shoes-classics/suede-canvas-old-skool-black-white) | $60 **4\. Aquazzura’s “Wild Things” Sandals** Fringed, tasseled, _fun_—these were the sandals of the summer. And [once Rihanna wore them](http://www.instyle.com/fashion/celebrity-fashion-trend-oversize-shirts-pantsless-no-pants), their fate was sealed. Aquazzura available at [barneys.com](http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/click?id=93xLBvPhAeE&subid=0&offerid=293189.1&type=10&tmpid=12370&RD%5FPARM1=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.barneys.com%2Fproduct%2Faquazzura-wild-thing-sandals-503789337.html%3FranMID%3D38359%2526ranEAID%3D93xLBvPhAeE%2526ranSiteID%3D93xLBvPhAeE-N4KVaAsymlir%5FJt71n5o.Q%2526utm%5Fsource%3D93xLBvPhAeE%2526utm%5Fmedium%3Daffiliate%2526siteID%3D93xLBvPhAeE-N4KVaAsymlir%5FJt71n5o.Q&u1=TimeMottoFashionTrends) | $785 **5\. The Loewe Puzzle Bag**  Irina Lakicevic wearing a Loewe bag outside Loewe on September 30, 2016 in Paris, France. (Photo by Christian Vierig/Getty Images) Christian Vierig—Getty Images Sculptural, deconstructed, geometric—there’s a reason why the Puzzle bag (one of designer Jonathan Anderson’s first designs for the Spanish label) was such a hit. Loewe available at [nordstrom.com](http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/click?id=93xLBvPhAeE&subid=0&offerid=463275.1&type=10&tmpid=8156&RD%5FPARM1=http%253A%252F%252Fshop.nordstrom.com%252Fs%252Floewe-puzzle-leather-bag%252F4005037%253Fcm%5Fmmc%253DLinkshare-%5F-partner-%5F-10-%5F-1%2526siteId%253D93xLBvPhAeE-cQMncS45%5FNsSe94ZGco4Sg&u1=TimeMottoFashionTrends) | $2,350 Read about the rest of the [top fashion items of the year on InStyle.com](http://www.instyle.com/fashion/most-popular-fashion-it-items-2016#1620363). _This_ [_article_](http://www.instyle.com/fashion/most-popular-fashion-it-items-2016#1620363) _originally appeared on_ [_InStyle.com_](http://instyle.com) _We’ve included affiliate links in this article._ [_Click here_](http://time.com/4605406/time-affiliate-link-policy/) _to learn what those are._ ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4618626/most-popular-fashion-items-2016/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4618626/most-popular-fashion-items-2016/"},"headline":"The Most Popular Fashion Accessories of 2016","datePublished":"2016-12-30T16:00:00.000Z","dateModified":"2026-05-11T04:39:12.587Z","description":"From oversized earrings to old-school sneakers","url":"https://time.com/4618626/most-popular-fashion-items-2016/","keywords":["motto","onetime"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt7e9b699ae53cb12e/6988b40d656a3f5c54bce404/top-fashion-items-2016.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Andrea Cheng / InStyle"}],"articleSection":"","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt7e9b699ae53cb12e/6988b40d656a3f5c54bce404/top-fashion-items-2016.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Street Style : Day Six - Paris Fashion Week Spring/Summer 2017","caption":"Street Style : Day Six - Paris Fashion Week Spring/Summer 2017","creditText":"Timur Emek—Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/tag/motto/","name":"motto"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4618626/most-popular-fashion-items-2016/","name":"The Most Popular Fashion Accessories of 2016"}}]}] ```