The Jabot RBG Should Wear Next Month

Just one of the many (many) reasons to fall madly in love with her, Ruth Bader Ginsburg has a signature accessory, the jabot, which she wears proudly on the bench of the Supreme Court. But what makes this distinct accoutrement so special is that each one tells a different story. Picking from her vast collection from around the world, Ruth Bader Ginsburg wears a different jabot for different court occasions. There's one in her collection that would be perfect for next month, when the Supreme Court hopefully makes gay marriage a constitutional right in all 50 states.

First of all, what exactly is a jabot? It's a detachable collar, usually made of lace or cloth, that is normally worn on the front of a woman's blouse or dress. It can be as simple as a white cloth bib-like collar or it can be blinged out with jewels and other embellishments. For a Supreme Court justice who is required to wear an austere black robe to work, it's the perfect accessory.

While both Ginsburg and Justice Sonia Sotomayor wear jabots, Ginsburg gets more personal with her signature flair, reserving each one for a specific occasion. Her jabots are one of many facets that set Ginsburg apart from the rest of our judicial system, in addition to her fierce dissents, her steadfast support of social progress, and her "falling asleep in this chair, don't care" attitude at the State of the Union address.

Ginsburg has a vast collection of jabots in her closet, which she showed a mildly interested Katie Couric last July (if it had been me, I would have bowed down to each and every one). She explained to Couric that each one tells a different story and holds a different purpose, but which one would be perfect for SCOTUS's impending gay marriage ruling? Take a look.

Her Favorite One

Even though she didn't mention its specific purpose inside the courtroom, Ginsburg's favorite jabot is a white beaded one from Cape Town, South Africa. It's probably the one she wears to hearings because that beading goes so well with her biting, always-on-point arguments.

The Dissenting Collar

Yes, Ginsburg has a designated dissenting collar, and it's exactly what you'd imagine a dissenting collar would look like: black and studded with heavy gold embellishments. When she's not dissenting, Ginsburg probably wears it to the weekly '80s punk night at her favorite local underground dance club, where she's always first to sign up for the Joan Jett karaoke contest. When Couric asks why it was the "dissenting collar," Ginsburg replies, "It looks fitting." Duh.

The Majority Opinion Jabot

The next jabot Ginsburg shows off is her "majority opinion" jabot, which she wears when she's in agreement with her fellow justices' majority rule. The pale yellow crocheted collar with sequin and chain details is seriously hip. Somewhere, a young Portland artist with an asymmetrical haircut and a tattoo of her pug definitely has the same one.

But more importantly, this jabot arguably holds the most significance. It's the one she wears when she reads the SCOTUS's majority opinions that decide landmark cases. And there are few cases more landmark than the one on gay marriage. Here's hoping Ginsburg will be rocking this yellow number when the Supreme Court (hopefully) reaches a majority opinion that gay marriage is a Constitutional right.

Watch the entire segment below.

Images: Yahoo! News