Friendship Bracelets

Today is Friendship Day, and while our Summer camp days may be long past, the friendships we've made (and kept) since childhood are going strong. To fete our BFFs in style — and wear our hearts on our wrist — we've culled 15 of the cutest, quirkiest, most camp-inspired friendship bracelets. Consider it a token of our partners-in-crime appreciation. Sure, you can also tap into your creative DIY prowess, but if time doesn't permit a quick crafting session, read our easy styling tips below, then click on for an eclectic spectrum of friends-forever wrist-candy options.

• Just like any wrist-accent party, the more friendship bracelets you stack, the better. Because this particular brand of bracelet is bold and brightly patterned from the outset, you can have fun with mixing and matching color combinations and styles. It's National Friendship Day; have fun with it!
• Punch up a breezy Summer ensemble — and we've got the perfect LWD on our mind — with one multicolored friendship bracelet iteration. Then, add a slouchy shoulder bag and an embellished wedge sandal to complete the bohemian-meets-retro camp look.
• Juxtapose these laid-back accessories against more classic pieces, like a gold menswear watch or chunkier cuffs and bangles.

Photo courtesy of Anthropologie

For the past couple seasons, fashionistas near and far have been jumping on the bold-bracelet-combo bandwagon. But to keep our wrist candy fresh, we're taking cues from the Fall '12 collections — think 10 Crosby by Derek Lam and Prada — which placed a renewed emphasis on mix-and-match prints and bright color patterns. Additionally, we've zoomed in on five ultracool street-styler wrists, straight from Milan and New York, that all show off a similar "anything goes" mantra in terms of mixing and matching. Let's apply this free-for-all rule to your stacking strategy. Pair a studded cuff with Summer camp-inspired friendship bracelets, juxtapose a woven lanyard wrap with gem-encrusted bands, or play tougher spikes against softer jewel-toned bangles — the more creativity you apply to your wrist, the better. Click through now for 45 of our editors' favorite bracelets, conveniently priced under $100.

>> Our new favorite bracelets don't just look chic — they also give something back. Pura Vida was founded by two friends who, while on a postgraduation surf trip in Costa Rica, became enamored with the local artistans' brightly colored bracelets and decided to sell them back home in San Diego. Now, the company is just over a year old and a runaway success; the bracelets (priced $5 to $12 each) sell at over 700 stores across the US — including Nordstrom and American Eagle Outfitters — as well as on the Pura Vida website, and the company currently employs 25 artisans in Costa Rica full-time to create 15,000 bracelets a week. "Now the bracelets are everywhere and we see strangers wearing them — at bars, restaurants. The connection we feel when that happens is so sweet," Pura Vida cofounder Griffin Thall says. In addition to providing work for artisans in Costa Rica, Pura Vida also donates 1 percent of its profits to The Surfrider Foundation. Here, we've rounded up some of our favorite pieces from the collection — click through to shop them all.

At left: Pura Vida bracelets layered with watches and other pieces, as spotted at a recent market appointment in New York City.

It's been hard to find a fashionista who doesn't have a wrist full of bracelets the last few seasons. Part luxury, part junk, part gifts — all sentimental — the stacked wrist has become a style tattoo. It's the place to gleefully combine your mother's hand-me-down baubles with a trio of those friendship bracelets you bought in Costa Rica for 10 cents during Spring break, the love bracelet your best friend gave you, and costume jewelry from J. Crew. We tracked down some stackable bracelets, but keep in mind that you can always get a head start by buying some string and making your own. Lastly, these are truly the best gifts to give your friends, hence the name.

Photo from Where the Sidewalk Begins