How a simple strap turned our phones into a fashion accessory

In this week's newsletter: Fashion loves a kooky accessory, but it is the sensible phone strap that is trending - and leaving hands free up and down the country

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Fashion is not averse to a ridiculous accessory. See, recently, a tiny Fendi lollipop holder, specifically tailored to the measurements of a Chupa Chups and yours for 440, or a Gucci canvas pet carrier for 2,290. But, sometimes, a trend emerges that is - whisper it - practical and affordable. Enter, this summer, the jazzy phone strap - freeing the palms of everyone from parents and pub-goers to Hollywood stars.

Look around at rush hour, and commuters and tourists alike have their phones hooked on to corded straps and slung across sweaty torsos. Meanwhile, the finishing touch to gen Z's OOTD videos on TikTok is to clip their phone on to a beaded strap and toss it around a wrist or shoulder.