If these necks could talk…
The choker necklace has a long and storied history. You'll find examples of it centuries ago in Chinese, Native American, Indian, and Egyptian cultures. Let's take a look at some of the choker's historic highlights...
1798: Political dress during the French Revolution.
During the French Revolution, women took to wearing red ribbons around their necks to pay homage to those who met their death at the guillotine. The ribbon could be worn around the neck, or another fashion came in the form of an X around the shoulders and back. (via)
Source: blastmilk.com
1860s: The uniform of prostitutes.
Manet's famous painting, "Olympia," (1863) depicted a prostitute wearing a black ribbon around her neck. During this era, a ribbon around the neck could mean a woman was a prostitute.
Source: en.wikipedia.org
1874: But Ballerinas and fashionable ladies wore them, too.
Some of history's most famous chokers can be found in Degas' ballerina paintings, of which he did many in the 1870s and 1880s.
Source: en.wikipedia.org
