This post was produced in partnership with Dunitz & Company.
A choker that doesn’t choke…
I really like that chokers are back in style, except for one thing: they make me feel like I’m choking. But I figured out a way to get the cool Victorian-era meets the ’90s look I’m going for without fear of death. Wear a lariat necklace!
Lariat necklaces allow you to customize the tie, so you can wear them like a long string of pearls or as a choker, and the style means that you get two pretty pendants affixed to the ends of the strand for a unique, asymmetrical look. There are plenty of chokers and lariats offered on the conventional and fine jewelry markets, but I wanted something that was more of an everyday, wear-anywhere piece, and obviously it needed to be ethically sourced. Nancy at Dunitz & Company offered the Leather Spiral Lariat for review and it’s turned out to be exactly what I was looking for.
The Leather Spiral Lariat is made of delicate glass beads and lightweight leather, so it’s not burdensome to wear all day. I can’t overstate the quality of materials; you can tell by the way it feels that it’s high quality. It feels feminine without being saccharine and, when worn like a choker, it transforms into something a little more hardcore. It’s a great accompaniment to this vintage ’90s dress and my secondhand denim jacket.
About Dunitz & Company
Nancy Dunitz founded Dunitz & Company in the late ’80s as a response to a need. While visiting Guatemala, she met many talented artisans who had limited access to a viable marketplace for their goods due to political unrest…
During the early stages of Dunitz & Company, Nancy met two artists who introduced beading techniques to a few Mayan women. She began collaborating with these creative women, and soon a viable and sustaining business was born. “We were on the ground floor,” comments Nancy. “Beading was a new medium in Guatemala and by creating fashion-forward designs, I knew I could also create demand.”
Now, Dunitz & Company provides employment for over 100 women and men, providing fair wages and donating a portion of proceeds to community initiatives that assist with educational development and access to health resources. Dunitz and Company is a member of the Fair Trade Federation, which ensures that ethical standards are met throughout the supply chain, and a Gold Business Certified member of Green America, as well as a founding member of Fair Trade Los Angeles.
Leah Wise is the founder of StyleWise Blog. She has been writing, speaking, and consulting on sustainable fashion, the fair trade and secondhand supply chain, and digital marketing for over ten years. An Episcopal priest, Leah holds a B.A. in Religion from Florida State University and an M.Div. from Yale Divinity School. When not working, you can find her looking for treasures at the thrift store.