FASHION: The sliver – why you should bare your ankles this autumn

Not sure what to wear in this changeable weather? Try flexing a sliver – 2cm of ankle skin that breaks up an outfit and lets you work some of autumn’s biggest trends. This is how to do it without getting a chill

You can keep your sideboob, with its tawdry whiff of Victoria’s Secrets. Forget about the bare autumn leg. You can even let your dreams of possessing the alpha toned tricep fall by the wayside. There is a new bit of on-trend flesh to flash this autumn: say hello to the sliver

The sliver is the mere 2cm of ankle skin that you need to bare to prove you are on top of your wardrobe this month. How so? Well, let’s look at the new stuff (and some of the old stuff) that is around this season. The midi skirt – odd with tights and too cold with sandals and bare toes – only really works with some ankle boots and some same colour socks. Then there should be a sliver of skin between the socks and the hem. Ditto this geniusly easy fad for razoring off the bottom of your skinny jeans and wearing with chunky ankle boots. As you walk, a sliver of skin should be visible (mannish overcoat mandatory too). Cropped boyfriend trousers and Stan Smiths is another autumn look that needs a trainer sock and a slither to look right.

What the sliver semaphores is a naturally stylish understanding of proportion. When the Guardian fashion team saw mistress of cool Luella Bartley at a launch this week rocking a long kilt, ankle boots and a sliver, it crystalised the look as A Thing. Then we noticed it cropping up in all the right places, from Martha Lane Fox to the more stylish quarters of Instagram. The best thing about it? It is super low-maintenance. Two seconds with a razor blade and a slick of body moisturiser is all it needs. Let’s get slivering.