Ruth Bader Ginsburg has died of complications from metastatic pancreas cancer at the age of 87. In light of this news, we’re republishing this story about her famous jabots, many of which carried specific meanings.
Read the original article, published on November 30, 2018, below.
Ruth Bader Ginsburg is widely admired as a judicial icon—but let’s not downplay her sartorial accomplishments, either. For as long as she’s been on the Supreme Court, she’s jazzed up her black robes with some truly dazzling neckwear.
What distinguishes Ginsburg’s fashion sense, however, is how she’s attached subtle meaning to her neckpieces. Justices don’t typically express political opinions but we’d like to think that the jurist is nonetheless communicating something with what she wears atop her robes.
Here, we’ve created a loose guide to the meaning of each piece. Consider it your crash course in cryptography, RBG-style.
The “Not a Fan of Him”
Ruth Bader Ginsburg poses for the Supreme Court’s official portrait on November 30, 2018.
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For her first official court portrait with newly-appointed Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh, who was confirmed this fall along party lines after a bruising process in which he defended himself against accusations of rape and heavy drinking, Ginsburg selected a Stella & Dot necklace that looked like a cross between a feathered wing and spiky armor. It was the first time the public had seen her since a fall in her office had left her with several fractured ribs. For those of us inclined to read the hidden messages, it was tempting to conclude that the 83-year-old justice was signaling her toughness—and her prickly disapproval.
According to the Stella and Dot website, the piece has also been worn by Kathie Lee Gifford, Kim and Kourtney Kardashian, and Shay Mitchell. Make of that what you will.
The “Majority Opinion”
Ruth Bader Ginsburg attends President Barack Obama’s State of the Union speech in 2013.
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When Ginsburg wants to channel her approval, she’ll don this yellow jabot. “When I’m announcing the opinion for the court, this is the collar I wear,” she told Katie Couric in a televised interview, during which Couric toured Ginsburg’s jabot collection. She added that the piece was a gift from her law clerks. (Think a “#1 Boss” mug, but Supreme Court style.)
The “Dissenting Opinion”
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RBG: “This is my dissenting collar… It looks fitting for dissents.” pic.twitter.com/luNmrN4BCX
— Irin Carmon (@irin) July 31, 2014
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Ginsburg pulls out her notorious “dissenting collar” whenever she’d like to communicate her condemnation. (The day after Trump’s election, she wore it to sit on the bench, even though the court didn’t issue any decisions that day.) When Couric asked the Justice why she had selecting this particular jabot to express disagreement, she explained that “it looks fitting for dissent.” It’s become so popular among RBG fans that it’s even spawned fan-made merchandise.
The “Favorite”
Ruth Bader Ginsburg wears her favorite jabot to Barack Obama’s first address to a joint session of the U.S. Congress, on December 31, 2005.
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The Justice has a definite favorite in her collection: this simple white jabot from South Africa. She pointed it out to Couric before the rest of her collection, being sure to note that it was from Cape Town. This neckpiece has also inspired some Etsy swag.
The “Original”
Ruth Bader Ginsburg poses for her first official court portrait in 1993.
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When Ginsburg first joined the Supreme Court in 1993, she appeared in her first official portrait with this jabot. Unlike her later collars, which embrace frills and embellishment, this straight-edged garment is more like the traditional ones worn by French justices. She explained to the Washington Post why she chose to wear one in the first place. “You know, the standard robe is made for a man because it has a place for the shirt to show, and the tie,” she said. “So Sandra Day O’Connor and I thought it would be appropriate if we included as part of our robe something typical of a woman. So I have many, many collars.”
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