Chain smokin’

Welcome to the waist land: Belly chains are back, and they’re stil l sil l y

JUST when you thought it was safe to let your abs relax.

Following the revival of equally polarizing early 2000s trends, such as low-rise jeans and heeled flip-flops, belly chains are poised for a comeback. The hip-hugging accessory has been popping up on the likes of Bella Hadid and Kylie Jenner, and even made a runway cameo at a recent Chanel show.

Once a favorite of crop-topped pop stars, the midriff bling string has been primarily reserved for Coachella in recent years. But lately, celebs have been reaching for it once again to add a little extra shine to their beachwear.

Longtime body jewelry advocate Beyoncé was perhaps the first to herald the waist chain’s jingling, jangling return to relevance, wrapping a version by Luv AJ ($150) around her midsection during a trip to Sardinia last September.

But the nostalgic trend officially came roaring back this summer, when 23-year-old Hadid styled all of her swimwear looks with Jacquie Aiche’s Diamond Shaker Belly Chain — a delicate piece with a not-so-dainty price tag of $11,875 — while vacationing in Mykonos, Greece, in July.

The model later doubled down on the stomach-circling style by designing her own version for her collaboration with Chrome Hearts: a chunkier gold chain adorned with a cross pendant and a “B” initial charm. Jenner, 22, similarly slung a whisperthin, diamond-studded style beneath her swimwear during two recent beach vacations. She further tested the waters of the trend during a girls’ trip to Turks and Caicos in July, buckling a variety of vintage gold Chanel chain belts — each worth four figures — over her bikinis.

The team at the French fashion house must have taken note of the beauty billionaire’s style move: During Chanel’s Métiers d’Art show in Paris on Dec. 6, models in crop tops and jackets sported luxe belly chains made from leather, chains and even strands of pearls, putting high fashion’s stamp of approval on the fad.