Choker Necklace
Choker Necklaces
Choker necklaces are such a great staple piece in fashion. They make great layering pieces, or work as a solo accessory. They can take your look from drab to fab, dress up a casual ensemble, or add a little edge to your everyday look. Chokers come in many varieties, colors, thicknesses, materials and so on... so there's a choker necklace out there for everyone! Here at Sincerely Silver, we're expanding our jewelry collection! Not only can you shop for fabulous pendants and lariat necklaces, but now you can shop our growing line of chokers! What makes chokers so great? Perhaps its their versatility, their variety, or perhaps just how easy it is to transform your average look into something more enticing!
Chokers have been a staple in fashion throughout history and various cultures throughout the world! Historians think the first appearance of the choker style necklace came in 1798 during the French revolution. French women would wear red ribbons around their necks to pay tribute to those that lost their lives to the guillotine. Nowadays, obviously, the wearing of a choker necklace is not so morbid.
Contradicting this piece of history is the imagery of Anne Boleyn (1507-1536), the second wife of Henry VIII, wearing a choker with a personalized "B" hanging from it. Ironically, she also faced a terrible fate at the guillotine. Other historical figures pictured wearing choker style necklaces are Queen Victoria, and Princess Alexandra of Denmark. This royal trademark became very popular throughout Europe and Russia, trickling down to the common folk (though not nearly as glamorous as the jewel encrusted pieces royalty would wear).
Chokers saw a resurgence in the 1920's during the flapper era. Costume jewelry was all the rage at this time. The most popular style of choker seen during the 20's was the ribbon style choker, or a beaded choker. In the 1940's chokers were sometimes referred to as "dog collars" and were evolving from simple ribbon to lace and velvet, and were sometimes accented with pearls, costume jewels or even diamonds.
Chokers weren't nearly as popular in the 1950's as the trend then was pearl necklaces and gaudy statement jewelry. The 1960's mod era would see a renaissance of bulky costume jewelry with large baubles and bracelets to match. The 1970's would bring us a refresher course on art deco themes with large geometric patterns in jewelry and lots of gold. The 1980's found a way to combine the bulky costume jewelry look of the mod era and combine it with the large statement pieces of the 70's to combat the bright colors, big hair, and shoulder pads of the decade. It wouldn't be until the 1990's that chokers would make a big comeback.
The 90's brought us a lot of iconic fashion looks that some would rather forget, but younger crowds such as millennials born after 1995 and Gen Z have brought the 90's grunge look back in style. Chokers were all the rage, and anyone who was anyone was wearing one. 90's style icons like Courtney Love, Drew Barrymore, Alicia Silverstone, Jennifer Anniston...even Princess Diana rocked chokers in the 1990's! Back then you'd see everything from beaded chokers with dangling chains, dog-collar style chokers from the punk scene, gothic velvet chokers with pendants, and the most common of all - the plastic tattoo choker: a true staple of 1990's fashion.
All of these were commonplace at the time and bled a little into the early 2000's. But as the fashion world was evolving post 9/11, we were seeing less velvet and beaded chokers and more of the plastic tattoo chokers in a variety of colors. Then the necklace layering trend became more prevalent and young women and teens opted for long dangling pendants over rainbow tattoo chokers. Funnily enough, while the traditional choker trend was fading out, the casual scarf look was finding its way into the mainstream. It didn't have to be winter to wear a tight scarf around your neck anymore - which in its way - was an evolution of the standard choker.
The time between 2005 to about 2012 can be considered kind of a transitional era for jewelry and day to day fashion as a whole. The bold colors, textures and jean vest/ sequin scarf combos were becoming much more relaxed and teen styles were finding a more softened look from their Y2K predecessor. This meant simpler jewelry, like a single pendant with a small statement on the end (who could forget the obsession we had with owls at the time?), studded earrings rather than bold statement earrings like hoops or dangling ones, and maybe if you were feeling frisky, a simple bangle. Stores like Old Navy, American Eagle and Lucky Brand were the mecca of day to day fashion for adult women, adolescents and young teens.
Now enter the year 2013 (or 2014 depending on your point of view...), suddenly, with the age of the Instagram influencer coming to fruition, Grunge was suddenly back. Who re-lit the fire on this trend, we're not so sure, but suddenly, the American fashion world was back on the high of the 1990's and Grunge was back, baby! Fast Fashion stores like Forever 21, Charlotte Russe, Tilly's and so forth rushed to mass produce the re-emerging trends, and low and behold, the choker was BACK and in high demand. Chokers were back on the shelves and in a variety of styles. We saw the comeback of the simple velvet choker, the o-ring choker, ribbon, and yes... the unforgettable tattoo choker.
Just a little over a decade after the 90's style had gone to bed, it was back again. We saw dark muted colors, ripped tights paired with shredded denim shorts, flannels and crop tops...and of course, your favorite choker to tie it all together. Some might call this the soft grunge era, estimated to rise and fall between 2013-2017, this of course varied based on geographic location. California and New York, always being on top of the trends saw the boom first and so it spread on throughout the states until the soft grunge look became yesterday's news.
Post 2017 and forward, the choker trend hasn't exactly stopped but evolved. Chokers are still certainly on the rise but in a variety of genres. In 2019-now we're seeing a resurgence of Y2K fashion, 90's grunge, 70's style cottage-core, and thrift store fashion mania. Perhaps its a longing for nostalgia of a simpler time, or maybe the increased popularity of wearing sustainable clothing (aka thrifted/recycled). We're seeing recycled styles likened to trend setters such as early 2000's Paris Hilton, 1970's Farrah Fawcett, 1990's Drew Barrymore or Courtney Love, and even the long forgotten trends of the 80's such as sweater tops and polos with high waisted mom jeans. Gen Z and Millennials in particular have scooped up these looks from their local thrift stores to follow the trends. Fast Fashion stores and high fashion stores are at it again mass producing these retro styles to keep up with the demand... and in that demand we see... you guessed it... chokers. Of all varieties! You can't enter a women's clothing store without noticing an entire wall of chokers now.
The chokers of today are commonly velvet, leather, chain, plastic tattoo style, suede, bejeweled, and even lace! This means you can find a choker for whatever style you're going for with your outfit. Particularly, we find that gold, silver, and rose gold chain style chokers are on the top tier list of choker styles as of now because of their versatility and ease! A thick velvet choker or a leather o-ring choker will always make your look more grunge or punk. But a dainty chain choker with simple gems, discs, or a tiny pendant will accent your neck without being too distracting! We recommend everyone have at least one or two of these more versatile choker necklaces in your jewelry box to fit any occasion!