Where Did Your Choker Come From?

Fashion / October 07, 2016

The ’90s comeback is real.

Everywhere I look, youngsters are sporting blunt bangs and dark lipsticks. But what really stood out from their ’90s uniform are their chokers.

Black choker. White choker. Silver choker. (Throw in an off-shoulder top and let’s call it grunge.) They just never run out!

Everyone’s sporting this suffocating neckpiece—and they’re doing it pretty well to be fair. Designers have been modernizing the accessory, but let’s take a step back and see where it all started.

You see, chokers had always been a statement piece. For Native Americans, the choker signified they were warriors. In East Africa, it showed you were in a relationship. In France, chokers were a form of homage to those who died by the guillotine. Back in the late 1700s, this was a commemorative accessory.

Fast forward to the 1860s, the choker then became both the prostitute’s necklace and the neckpiece of the cultured. Although later on, it looks like the latter enjoyed it more. Meticulous, luxurious styles and designs abound; one can choose from simple black ones to fully adorned pieces. I mean, that time, you could’ve asked makers to incorporate velvet, lace, pearls, and diamonds all in one piece, and you would have gotten it!

The trend laid low in the coming decades until Western elites—and their pups—in the ’40s brought it back again.

And then the ’90s happened. Buffy and her pack of goths wore it left and right, till the mainstream celebrities caught on. Then there was Gwyneth Paltrow rocking that tattoo choker and Barbie doll dress.

Today in 2016, designers have resurrected the choker and restored its former glory. Chanel has it. Chopard has it. Jean Paul Gaultier has it. Your 14-year-old daughter even has it.

Everyone’s got one, and it looks like it’s here to stay. For now, at least.


Accessories, Chokers, Comeback, Fashion, Gwyneth Paltrow

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