Back bling wasn’t on our bingo card for 2025 fashion trends, but the recent awards season showed us anything it’s that reversed luxury regalia is fast becoming a red carpet regular.
Fewer starlets are donning their décolletages with priceless gems. Rather, it-girls like Sabrina Carpenter at the Grammys and Taylor Russell at the Venice Film Festival, are putting a spin on classic necklaces as we know them…literally.
What is Back Bling?
Back bling is the simple act of wearing a necklace backwards so that the pendant sits against the back, instead of the chest.
The classic style with a twist draws attention to the shoulders, spine, and neckline and breaks traditional fashion conventions in a fun and alluring way.
Draping a necklace down the spine also adds visual interest to a look, offering some much-needed drama to what otherwise may be a plain, backless dress.
Where Did the Backward Necklace Trend Come From?
Despite the sudden popularity of back bling with Gen Z and Millennial stars, the trend isn’t exactly new.
The trend’s first emergence in pop culture was thanks to Princess Diana, who was spotted sporting backwards facing bling at the premiere of Back To The Future in 1985. Princess Di wore a burgundy velvet evening dress designed by Catherine Walker with her pearls twisted to cascade down her back.
After the Princess of Wales, Cate Blanchett was one of the first celebrities to sport this look at a high-class event. Arriving at the 2000 Oscar Awards ceremony in Los Angeles, Cate paired a golden backwards necklace with an elegant black backless dress. Through the 2000s and 2010s, the trend was taken on by countless dream girls like Nicole Kidman, Kate Hudson, Anne Hathaway, Ashley Olsen and Jennifer Lawrence.
Today, A-listers have again been seen stepping out with their necklaces backwards, giving their back a bit of the spotlight. Some notable names participating in the trend include Sabrina Carpenter, Margaret Qually, Taylor Russell, Cara Delevigne, Brie Larson, and Lashana Lynch; just to name a few!
To try it for yourself, all you need is a necklace with a long chain and large pendant, paired with a backless number.
