Sautoir is a feminine adornment that was very popular in the Art Deco era, sometimes referred to as a foxtrot adornment. If you look further into history, you can find such jewelry much earlier, and even earlier ...

What is this decoration and how is it remarkable?

The French expression - "porter en sautoire" means - to be worn over the shoulder or worn on the back. This is exactly how the sautoir was worn. It consisted of very long strands of necklaces or chains that were either closed or with additional decorations at the ends.



In the 20s shirt dress on thin spaghetti straps or a dress with a deep cut on the chest or back could be decorated with such a sautoir, which was casually thrown over the shoulder or worn on the back, which gave charm and originality.

Sometimes a long chain or string of beads ended with a pendant, and sometimes jewelry was at both ends. Sautoirs often had a very beautiful clasp, which was important, because it could be worn in different ways, and therefore the clasp itself could be an ornament. There were also open sautoirs, which were worn around the neck like a scarf, with loose ends.

By the way, you can also wear an ordinary necklace, decorating the naked back, that is, as they say, backwards. Likewise, the sautoir can be worn completely in front, without sending it on the back and without throwing it over the shoulder, it can be tied several times around the neck. Sautoir, in any case, lies beautifully around the neck, if you have a short haircut on your head. It was this "boy-like" hairstyle that girls of the 20s... Nobody forbids wearing a sautoir in front or in several turns around the neck.

More than once the sautoir became popular, and more than once left the fashion scene. In the 80s of the XIX century, the sautoir often appeared in the outfits of Queen Alexandra of Denmark, who at that time was the trendsetter of dresses and precious jewelry. The long rope necklaces or sautoirs of the Victorian and Edwardian ladies were made from expensive natural pearls. In general, the style of that time was replete with precious stones and expensive precious metals - gold, platinum, diamonds, sapphires, rubies, emeralds.



At the time of her coronation in 1902, the outfit of the British consort-queen Alexandra was completely entwined with pearl threads, necklaces wrapped around the neck, pearls on the chest, shoulders, literally hiding the fabric of the dress.



But by the 20s of the twentieth century, sautoirs made of natural pearls and diamonds had become a thing of the past. Sautoirs appeared from very simple materials, the rule of Art Deco came, when ladies of all classes began to wear simple jewelry. Glass and plastic, non-precious alloys, it was from these materials that sautoirs and other jewelry were made. Long strands of ordinary glass beads hung down to the waist.

Sautoirs, depending on the length, were worn in different ways. Sometimes they were wrapped around the neck several times, fastened with brooches on both sides of the bodice, thrown over the shoulders, or allowed to hang freely up to the waist. But there was also a very negligent attitude towards the sautoir - they could simply wind it around the arm or put it on instead of a belt.

Jewelry acquired a multi-purpose character at that time. This was a distinctive feature of the 20s and 30s. The sautoirs did not escape the same fate, they could be bracelets and necklaces, while using removable tassels and pendants. With one sautoir, you could diversify your jewelry.



However, despite the simple glass and plastic, there were also such ladies who could afford a sautoir with an expensive gem. Such sautoirs were made to order in famous jewelry houses. Diamonds, platinum, emeralds and pearls were used in their manufacture.

There were also sautoir varieties that had their own names, for example, bayadere - a sautoir made of small pearls with a tassel at the end. By the way, tassels and fringes are in vogue today.

Sautoir looks great with a cocktail dress with a deep neckline. If earlier the ends of the sautoir were fastened with a gem, today it is possible to allow it to be fastened with a brush, an inexpensive pendant and even a shell. Sautoirs can be made in the form of a beaded cord, and beads and rhinestones can be used as a pendant. It all depends on you, on your design skills. Beaded jewelry can be a great addition to a sautoir.



It remains only to remember the famous Coco Chanel, who was very fond of this piece of jewelry in the form of a long string of artificial pearls. It has become one of the symbols of her style and an iconic accessory from Chanel.

And although the fashion for the 40s for sautoirs had again departed, the ladies of high society did not stop wearing them to their evenings.

In the 2012 summer season, the sautoir reappeared, now on the catwalk in the Dsquared2 collections, in the form of numerous chains of different colors, lengths and thicknesses.

And the jewelry company Tiffany & Co has created a whole collection of jewelry that took part in the adaptation of Fitzgerald's book The Great Gatsby. Among these treasures is the magnificent pearl sautoir. For the American film Anna Karenina, Chanel Haute Joillerie has created a luxurious sautoir with a camellia made of diamonds.



Sautoir with tassels and numerous beaded threads represented many brands. Sotuars are also relevant in the form of multi-tiered chains and beads.

Many jewelry is sometimes forgotten, but the time comes, and they come back, gaining even more popularity. In modern fashion, we again meet sautoir, and many designers successfully use it in their collections.