A sautoir is a feminine adornment that was very popular during 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 why is it remarkable?
The French expression - "porter en sautoire" means - to wear over the shoulder or wear on the back. Sotuar was worn that way. It consisted of very long strings of necklaces or chains that were either closed or with additional decorations at the ends.
In the 20s, a shirt dress with thin spaghetti straps or a dress with a deep neckline 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 in a pendant, and sometimes there were decorations at both ends. Sotuars often had a very beautiful clasp, which was important, because it could be put on 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 freely hanging ends.
By the way, you can also put on an ordinary necklace, decorating your bare back, that is, as they say, backwards. Similarly, the sautoir can be worn completely in front, without sending it to the back and without throwing it over the shoulder, you can tie it several times around the neck. In any case, the sautoir lies beautifully around the neck if you have a short haircut on your head. It was this hairstyle “under the boy” that the girls of the 20s had. No one forbids wearing a sautoir in front or in several turns around the neck.
More than once sautoir became popular, and more than once left the fashion scene. In the 80s of the 19th century, the sautoir often appeared in the outfits of Queen Alexandra of Denmark, who at that time was the trendsetter of outfits and precious jewelry. The long rope necklaces or sautoirs of Victorian and Edwardian ladies were made of expensive natural pearls. And 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 the coronation in 1902, the outfit of the British consort Queen Alexandra was completely intertwined with pearl threads, necklaces wrapped around her neck, pearls on her chest, shoulders, literally hiding the fabric of the dress.
But by the 20s of the 20th century, sautoirs made of natural pearls and diamonds were a thing of the past. Sotuars appeared from very simple materials, art deco power has comewhen ladies of all classes began to wear simple costume 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 her waist.
Sotuars were worn differently depending on the length. 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 completely careless attitude to the sautoir - they could simply wrap it around their hand or put it on instead of a belt.
Jewelry acquired at that time a multi-purpose character. This was a distinctive feature of the 20-30s. Sotuars did not escape the same fate, they could be both bracelets and necklaces, while using removable tassels and pendants. Having one sautoir, it was possible to diversify your jewelry.
However, despite the simple glass and plastic, there were also ladies who could afford a sautoir with an expensive precious stone. Such sautoirs were made to order in famous jewelry houses. Diamonds, platinum, emeralds and pearls were used in their manufacture.
There were also varieties of sautoirs that had their own names, for example, a bayadère - a sautoir made of small pearls with a tassel at the end. By the way, tassels and fringe are in fashion today.
Sautuar looks great with a cocktail dress, which has a deep neckline. If earlier the ends of the sautoir were fastened with a precious stone, today you can allow it to be fastened with a brush, an inexpensive pendant and even a shell. Sotuars can be made in the form of a beaded cord, and beads and rhinestones can be used as pendants. It all depends on you, on your design abilities. Gorgeous additions to the sautoir can be beaded jewelry.
It remains only to remember the famous Coco Chanel, who was very fond of this jewelry in the form of a long string of artificial pearls. It has become one of the symbols of her style and a cult accessory from Chanel.
And although the fashion for sautoirs again disappeared by the 40s, the ladies of high society did not stop putting them on for dinner parties.
In the summer season of 2012, 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 film adaptation of Fitzgerald's book The Great Gatsby. Among these treasures is a magnificent pearl sautoir. For the American film Anna Karenina, Chanel Haute Joillerie created a luxurious sautoir with a camellia made of diamonds.
Many brands presented sautoirs with tassels and numerous beaded threads. Sotuars are also relevant in the form of multi-tiered chains and beads.
Many decorations are sometimes forgotten, but the time comes, and they return, gaining even more popularity. In modern fashion, we meet sautoir again, and many designers successfully use it in their collections.
