The ‘90s Choker Is Getting A Y2K Makeover This Spring

Picture this: It’s 2005, and you’re getting ready to head out to a party in an aqua strapless dress with a draped, asymmetrical skirt. Your eyeshadow matches the dress, of course, and you look straight in the mirror to add the final touch: an equally bright blue flower choker necklace. If this scene makes you feel nostalgic for your youth — or times you never even lived through — the upcoming spring flower choker trend is here to help. 

Y2K trends are nothing new in the 2020s — from micro mini skirts to claw clips to low-rise jeans — iconic pieces from the beginning of the century are back in the fashion spotlight. But the flower choker holds a unique place in the macrocosm of the early aughts revival. Unlike its ‘90s precursor, the Y2K flower choker had an ultra-feminine edge thanks to its flamboyant floral detail, while still alluding to the punk nature of a choker. It was a piece you could wear to the mall or the homecoming dance just the same. 

Thanks to runway designers, the flower choker is once again gracing the runways and streets — and maybe the school hallways, too. 

Last year, designer Prabal Gurung unveiled a resort 2022 collection that oozed nostalgic mid-aughts prom night vibes, complete with ruched dresses, floral prints, and flower chokers. While some accessories looked pulled from our high school wardrobes with black velvet ribbon and contrasting red and pink roses, others featured new design flourishes more aligned with the 2020s. Take, for example, the black chokers that featured abstract flowers in cable-like material.

Later, Blumarine, which has grown a reputation as a premiere Y2K-revival brand, released a pre-autumn 2022 collection that included red, pink, and black chokers, thick necklaces, and big flower attachments. A sequined gold flower choker went even further back in sartorial time, embodying the ‘80s-inspired exuberance that’s being embraced in today’s party trends. 

With the resurgence of going-out tops and party dresses, it was only a matter of time before the accessories matched the garments. And while flower chokers do possess the same ultra-feminine and quirky energy that made millennials obsess over Claire’s in their youth, today’s version is not made for a teenage drama. Prabal Gurung’s iterations, for example, are clearly meant to be worn at a 21+ party in New York’s Lower East Side (with a Fendi Baguette bag on your shoulder), while Blumarine’s — paired with its micro-minis and pin tops — are made for a certain kind of grown-up who wants to relive their young adulthood, only sexier. 

If the mini skirts and claw clips are not selling you on the Y2K time machine, perhaps a flower choker might do the trick.