Embracing the train-tracks trend

TIME was when it was seriously uncool to be seen wearing braces when social etiquette dictated that they, like pregnant bellies and bra straps, should be kept out of sight.

But those days are gone and now teens are hitting back, with fake train-tracks being the accessory of choice among those who believe they scream affluence, style and status.

These are three traits Niall Horan of boyband One Direction has in bucket-loads, so it was only fitting that his choice of braces was discreet, but not so discreet that they didn’t have their own Twitter account, or that their removal in recent weeks did not go unnoticed in destinations as far-flung as Sydney and Dubai.