A nameplate necklace [1] (also known as a name necklace) is a type of necklace which displays a name, initials, or other words of choice. [2] Originating among African-American and Latino communities during the 1980s and 1990s, [1] nameplate necklaces have become a popular fashion piece all around the world. [3]
The nameplate necklace originated in African-American and Latino communities in the 1980s and 1990s as a form of cultural expression among wearers. [4] During this time, nameplate necklaces were available from street vendors, with Fulton Street, Brooklyn, becoming a popular destination for buyers. [3]
During the 1980s and 1990s, nameplate necklaces became a staple of hip hop culture, being popularised by artists like Big Daddy Kane and Slick Rick. [5] By the early 2000s nameplate necklaces were mass-produced by large department stores such as Walmart, which mainly catered to those with common English names. [1]
Given that nameplate necklaces are sometimes associated with low-income communities of colour, [3] journalist Collier Meyerson claimed that nameplate necklaces arose as a "flashy and pointed rejection of the banality of white affluence". [6] Rosa Salas described nameplate necklaces as a "political expression of personhood" among people who have been marginalised by "racial, ethnic and class-based hierarchies". [5]
Meyerson generated some controversy in 2016 when she claimed that white people were engaging in cultural appropriation by wearing nameplate necklaces, claiming [7]
"White girls and women have other stories, but they don’t have ours. It never feels like a homage to me when I see a white woman rocking a nameplate".
Katherine Timpf from National Review responded "cultures and trends are shifting all the time, and elements from outside sources are always inspiring mainstream fashion". [6]
Fashion is a term used interchangeably to describe the creation of clothing, footwear, accessories, cosmetics, and jewellery of different cultural aesthetics and their mix and match into outfits that depict distinctive ways of dressing as signifiers of social status, self-expression, and group belonging. As a multifaceted term, fashion describes an industry, styles, aesthetics, and trends.
Sex and the City is an American romantic comedy-drama television series created by Darren Star for HBO. An adaptation of Candace Bushnell's newspaper column and 1996 book anthology of the same name, the series premiered in the United States on June 6, 1998, and concluded on February 22, 2004, with 94 episodes broadcast over six seasons. Throughout its development, the series received contributions from various producers, screenwriters, and directors, principally Michael Patrick King.
Dreadlocks, also known as dreads or locs, are rope-like strands of hair formed by matting which is done by not combing the hair and allowing the hair to mat naturally or by twisting hair and over time the twisted hair will form into matted locs.
A zoot suit is a men's suit with high-waisted, wide-legged, tight-cuffed, pegged trousers, and a long coat with wide lapels and wide padded shoulders. It is most notable for its use as a cultural symbol among the Hepcat and Pachuco subcultures. Originating among African Americans it would later become popular with Mexican, Filipino, Italian, and Japanese Americans in the 1940s.
Hip-hop fashion refers to various styles of dress that originated from Urban Black America and inner-city youth in cities like New York City, Atlanta, and Los Angeles. Being a major part of hip hop culture, it further developed in other cities across the United States, with each contributing different elements to the overall style that is now recognized worldwide.
A choker is a close-fitting necklace worn around the neck, typically 14 inch to 16 inch in length. Chokers can be made of a variety of materials, including velvet, plastic, beads, latex, leather, metal, such as silver, gold, or platinum, etc. They can be adorned in a variety of ways, including with sequins, studs, or a pendant.
Mule is a style of shoe that has no back or constraint around the foot's heel. Mules have a history going as far back as Ancient Rome, even though they were not popularly worn until sixteenth-century Europe. There, mules were bedroom slippers and not worn in public. Through the centuries, mules have changed in style and purpose and are no longer just boudoir shoes but are worn at any time, for any occasion. In addition to Western examples, mules come from cultures such as Turkey and Egypt, and appear in popular culture, from famous paintings to iconic celebrities' shoes.
Cultural appropriation is the inappropriate or unacknowledged adoption of an element or elements of one culture or identity by members of another culture or identity. This can be especially controversial when members of a dominant culture appropriate from minority cultures. According to critics of the practice, cultural appropriation differs from acculturation, assimilation, or equal cultural exchange in that this appropriation is a form of colonialism. When cultural elements are copied from a minority culture by members of a dominant culture, and these elements are used outside of their original cultural context – sometimes even against the expressly stated wishes of members of the originating culture – the practice is often received negatively.
Casual wear is a Western dress code that is relaxed, occasional, spontaneous and suited for everyday use. Casual wear became popular in the Western world following the counterculture of the 1960s. When emphasising casual wear's comfort, it may be referred to as leisurewear or loungewear.
A kebaya is an upper garment traditionally worn by women in Southeast Asia, notably in Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and Southern Thailand. It is also worn in parts of southern Philippines and Cambodia.
Fashion in the 1990s was defined by a return to minimalist fashion, in contrast to the more elaborate and flashy trends of the 1980s. One notable shift was the mainstream adoption of tattoos, body piercings aside from ear piercing and, to a much lesser extent, other forms of body modification such as branding.
Japanese street fashion refers to a number of styles of contemporary modern clothing in Japan. Created from a mix of both local and foreign fashion brands, Japanese street fashions tend to have their own distinctive style, with some considered to be extreme and avant-garde, with similarities to the haute couture styles seen on European catwalks.
Fashion of the 1980s was characterized by a rejection of 1970s fashion. Punk fashion began as a reaction against both the hippie movement of the past decades and the materialist values of the current decade. The first half of the decade was relatively tame in comparison to the second half, which was when apparel became very bright and vivid in appearance.
Slim-fit pants or skinny jeans are tight trousers that have a snug fit through the legs and end in a small leg opening that can be anywhere from 9" to 20" in circumference, depending on size. Other names for this style include drainpipes, stovepipes, tight pants, cigarette pants, pencil pants, skinny pants, gas pipes, skinnies, and tight jeans.
A scrunchie is a fabric-covered elastic hair tie used to fasten medium to long hair types. The elastic hair tie is encased in loose fabric that forms a ruffle when twisted around a ponytail. Large, elaborate styles and diminutive, unassuming forms are available in many different colors, fabrics, and designs.
Fashion and clothing in the Philippines refers to the way the people of the Philippine society generally dress up at home, at work, travelling and during special occasions.
The keffiyeh or kufiyyeh, also known in Arabic as a ghutrah (غُترَة), shemagh, or ḥaṭṭah (حَطَّة), is a traditional headdress worn by men from parts of the Middle East. It is fashioned from a square scarf, and is usually made of cotton. The keffiyeh is commonly found in arid regions, as it provides protection from sunburn, dust and sand. An agal is often used by Arabs to keep it in place.
Yas, sometimes spelt Yass, is a playful or non-serious slang term equivalent to the excited or celebratory use of the interjection "yes!", carrying LGBT cultural associations. Yas was added to the Oxford English Dictionary in 2017 and defined as a form of exclamation "expressing great pleasure or excitement". Yas was defined by Oxygen's Scout Durwood as "a more emphatic 'yes' often paired with 'queen'." Yas can alternatively be spelled with any number of A's and S's in order to increase the grade of excitement or add more emphasis. In other words, the exclamation often appears in the form "Yas, queen!" and sometimes "yaasss!"
The fashions of the 2020s represent a departure from 2010s fashion and feature a nostalgia for older aesthetics. They have been largely inspired by styles of the early-to-mid-2000s, late 1990s, 1980s, 1970s, and 1960s. Early in the decade, several publications noted the shortened trend and nostalgia cycle in 2020s fashion.
Laid edges, also called slayed edges or swooped edges, refers to a style of arranging the fine "baby hairs" at the edge of the hairline into flat, decorative waves or swirls. The style is sometimes referred to as simply baby hairs, and originates with African-American fashions of the 1990s.