Flower Chokers rule the new season from summer through fall and coming winter 2023. The message as always is: do things your own way!

I’ve never been a chocker fan. Nothing empowering in that piece of adornment, I thought at the time. But like everything else, it is a matter of context and how you style it. This summer the flower choker is making a come back seeding new romance and hope in our lives.  

But first let’s have a short look at the past. Thinking of chokers, an image comes to my mind: the naked portrait of Olympia, Manet’s painting from 1863? A glowing nude body of a female, reclining on a bed, wearing only a thin black ribbon around her neck, an orchid in her hair and a black servant bringing her flowers. In my child’s mind this painting felt disturbing with its straightforwardness, but at the same time it was profoundly honest and beautiful. Later I learned the ribbon around the neck, as well as the orchid, were implying that the woman was a courtesan. 

It is wrong though to say that chokers were only worn and favoured by courtesans. In fact their history goes back to the world’s earliest civilizations: Ancient Egypt and Sumerians in Mesopotamia. Golden choker necklaces were made by artisans already 2500 BC. During the Renaissance, queens and royalties like Alexandra of Denmark, who was was quite the trendsetter with her favorite piece of jewelry — the choker, used to wear this piece of jewellery, adorned with pearls and diamonds.

As it turns out chokers were used in different time of history as a symbol of power, grace and wealth. Later flower chokers became a symbol of bohemian culture and freedom, of rebellion and non-conformism.

No matter the different symbolics, the ancient choker became an iconic staple in the roaring 20s and later in the 90s, when it was flaunted by celebrities and rock stars on the red carpet and on TV shows.

This year the rosette choker is making a bold come back and like any statement accessory, it has attracted my attention. The new version is speaking to me through the lens of a new perception of femininity: Soft but powerful, romantic but perceptive and even sharp-witted. When I think of chokers today, I am asking myself: Why Not? The flower choker portraits an artist woman, confident but known for her gentle soul, free to do things her own way.

Flower choker transformation

Black flower choker, handmade, By Adushka

Skirt, Migration Collection My Sleeping Gypsy:

by Adushka

Flower Chocker in dusty pink, available at By Adushka