Choosing a Neckline That Truly Suits
Choosing a neckline is not just about fashion, trends, or even body shape alone. It involves how a neckline works with your upper body, your face, and overall proportions.
Necklines and the Face
The shape of a neckline sits directly beneath the face, and I believe the relationship between the two matters the most. There are two opposing schools of thought here. One suggests that a flattering neckline echoes the shapes of your features, while the other argues for contrast, using angular necklines for soft faces and curves for angular ones. In my view, this often comes down to personal style rather than right or wrong.
Start by really looking and, and understanding the shapes of your facial features.
It is easy to let your internal bias colour your thinking - we all carry ideas about our “big nose” or “wide forehead”. Often rubbish, and its hard to see when you are looking at yourself in real time. A better, yet simple way to experiment is to use a camera to be more objective.
Take pictures of your face, straight on, with your hair, makeup and jewellery. Do this each morning in different items of clothing and styles you already use and wear. Build up a bank of photos. Study your face - really study it.
Are the lines of your hairline, jaw, eyebrows, lips and nose predominantly straight or curved?
Is your hair very curved or straight?
Is anything very asymmetrical? maybe lips, hairline, or eyebrow?
Are you rounded or are there any points?
Through this process, I could see that my face is actually oval, long, with a slightly pointed chin.
If you don’t have too many different cuts of clothing, cut different neckline shapes from kitchen paper or scraps of fabric, place them on the chest, and take a picture of head, neck and shoulders. It may sound crude, but it is effective, fast, and revealing.
Personally, I find that necklines which echo the length of my face, and the point of my chin feel more harmonious on me. This often means V-neck or anything that creates a similar “point” as a V-neck; like a collar left unbuttoned, a sweetheart neck, a split neck, a rever collar or a keyhole neckline.
Similarly, necklines that reflect the oval work well - scoops, U-necks.
Owing to the length in my face, and the fact that I wear my hair long, means I also benefit from necklines that create a widening effect: boatneck and off-the-shoulder.
I also am quite asymmetrical - one eyebrow sits higher than the other and my hairline is uneven. I also tend to wear my hair to one side. This means asymmetrical necklines and one-shoulders work very well.
My absolute worst neckline is a jewel or a crew neck. Too round. Jarring against the point and the oval.
Necklines and the Body
If you search for advice on choosing necklines, you will quickly find guidance focused on body shape. This can be genuinely helpful if taken as a guide, not a rulebook.
Different necklines emphasise or soften different aspects of the body, and offer balance to the overall look. The key is not “which neckline is allowed for my shape”, but which shapes support the way your shoulders slope, how your neck sits, and how visual weight or width is distributed across your upper body.
Do your proportions benefit from broadening at the shoulders?
Do you want to shorten the neck?
Do you want to emphasise or minimise the bust?
The answers will be specific to you.
Mine preferences are thus:
I have very sloped shoulders, which are also narrower than my hips and bust; I benefit from widening at the shoulder line for balance
I have a very very short upper chest as compared to a long crotch; lower necklines have a lengthening effect that nicely mirrors my lower torso
my overall profile is all curved lines - no straight lines anywhere. Not at shoulder, not at waist, not at hip, not at leg. “Waved” lines such as draping fabric or scalloping, or simply making a straight line (say at a strap, or across the bust, or at the hemline) a slightly curved one, is more harmonious and in-keeping with my overall frame. Straight lines do absolutely nothing for me.
Neckline details
Collars, bows, ruffles, beading, and draped details should follow the same principles as necklines themselves. They need to relate to your scale, your structure, and the shapes already present in your body and face.
Collars, in particular, I believe need to be in proportion to the whole garment and the wearer. Amazing how much a difference it can make to reduce the depth of a collar by say, 1/4”.