The beginnings were, admittedly, a bit grisly. In 16th-century England, Anne Boleyn, the second wife of Henry VIII, always wore a pearl one with a B hanging from it (before her husband took off her head). In post-revolutionary France, people tied a red ribbon around their neck to honour those who had fallen to the guillotine. In the late 18th-early 19th century, chokers were everywhere, as black ribbons on the necks of ladies of pleasure (as evident from Manet’s painting, Olympia) and jewelled bands on the ladies of leisure (ref Klimt’s Woman of Gold). Then they disappeared till the 1940s, when they popped up as dog collars. In the Nineties, they surfaced again, this time as Gothic neckbands and faux tattoos.
The big fashion houses have brought chokers back in a big way over the last few years. Chanel sent out a line of ginormous pearls on a loop in its Spring 2014 collection. Earlier this year, Dior created a distinct combination of palladium-finished metal and resin on tight scarves that were layered underneath. Last year, Balmain paired its crisp white neck ring choker with gold-plated rims. If Scarlett Johansson took over the red carpet in a emerald-beaded crochet necklace choker last year, Olivia Wilde’s Edwardian-era pearl choker turned heads this year.
At Coachella, the music and arts festival held over two weekends every April in Palm Springs (a two-hour drive from Los Angeles), where the world’s beautiful people gather to pose for Instagram, the choker has one of the biggest acts this year. Singer Taylor Smith made it official with a caption to an Instagram picture of her posse, declaring the choker the ‘it’ accessory of the festival. The choker takes myriad forms. Some are ornament-less ribbons, just giving an edge to a casual outfit, others work like exotic extravaganzas, plying emeralds onto black velvet, white diamond and gothic lace.
Fast fashion was quick to ape the trend and, as prices came down and collars went up, the whimsical neckties choked the life out of the competition. It started with youngsters but has now become a celebrity style staple.
In India, chokers are old hat. From time immemorial, women have been getting them custom-made to fit the neck perfectly, pearls and precious stones layered on gold. Check out stills of Deepika Padukone in Bajirao Mastani. Everyone talked about her hair piece and nose ring, but it’s her chokers that’s the real beauty there.
Some points to keep in mind. It looks tres elegant and dramatic and shows off the clavicles to great advantage. But the choker is not for everyone. Give it a skip if your neck is too short. You don’t want to draw attention to your, er, drawback. You should also stay away from the trend if your neck is too thick. But if you can’t bear to give the style a total go-by, choose a piece that sits low, almost on the collarbone. Those with lines showing on their neck, should just turn the page. Don’t be the choker in the pack and get one.