The best thing about clothes is that it gives the wearer an opportunity to create an optical illusion with colors, lines, and shapes in order to accentuate her best physical features.
Hence, from legendary fashion designers to crowd-favorite fashion bloggers to newbie fashionistas, everyone knows and talks about the importance of dressing according to one’s body shape.
So, which neckline will be the most flattering to your particular body shape?
We all know that some popular and versatile styles of necklines are:
- V-neck
- Scoop
- Boat neck
- Square
- Turtleneck/High neck
- Halter
- Off-shoulder
- Sweetheart and many such others.
But before finding out which one of these will work for your body shape, first, you need to find out what is your body shape or how it can be determined.
When it comes to the feminine body shape, it can be divided into four basic shapes. These shapes are:
- Hourglass (Characterized by small or defined waistline with same size hips and bust)
- Pear (Characterized by bust smaller than the hips with a waist that happens to slope out gradually to the hips)
- Box/Rectangle (Characterized by shoulders and hip of the same width with small/medium-sized bust)
- Heart/Apple (Characterized by a bust size bigger than hips along with undefined or small waist)
Choosing neckline according to body shape types
Hourglass shape
For hourglass body shape, neckline styles like Sweetheart, V-neck, Boatneck, and Scooped necklines work the best. This is because it focuses on your bust and décolletage. You need to choose deep and narrow necklines for this body shape. In order to highlight your defined waist, the dress or top should be form-fitting.
Pear shape
As the pear-shaped body will have a small or undefined bust and shoulders, you need to go for wide necklines. Wide necklines like Sweetheart, Scoop, and Boat Neck can broaden the shoulder and emphasize the bust making the body look proportioned well with wide hips.
Box / Rectangular shape
For this type of body shape, you need to go for necklines that can draw attention to your shoulders, collarbone, and bust while providing a curvier appearance. Thus, halter tops, turtleneck or high neck, peter-pan collar, and scoop necklines are the best options here.
It will be best to avoid square and straight necklines as they will make your body look one-dimensional or unflattering.
Apple / Heart shape
The goal for anyone with an apple or heart-shaped body should be to elongate the torso in order to give off the impression that the waist and hip are wider than it actually.
To make the body look balanced, you need to choose low and wide necklines that can break up your frame vertically, in order to create a separation between the fuller midsection and bust. V-necks are a popular choice for this reason. Narrow, off-shoulder and high necklines should be avoided for this particular body shape.
Here it is crucial to mention that these are just some basic or common body shapes. Every woman has a different body frame/structure and cannot be only defined by only these common body shapes. Thus, choosing a neckline according to your unique body shape is also necessary.
Types of necklines to choose as per your body shape
V-neck neckline
Women with short necks, board shoulders, and thick torsos can go with this one. In fact, it is flattering on most types of body frames.
V-neck diverts the focus from the board shoulder, and in the process makes your frame look more balanced. If you have a heavy bust, then it is advisable to avoid this kind of neckline.
Scoop neckline
This type of neckline is also forgiving towards many different body shapes and frames. This neckline is characterized by a wide and deep style that can elongate your neckline and highlight the collarbones and bust.
Besides this, it is also flattering for anyone with a small bust and hourglass body shape. This is because it can create a more balanced looked between the lower and upper parts of the body.
Boat neck neckline
This style is also known as princess and bateau neckline, and it goes well with a body frame with wide hips as it can create the needed balance.
It also compliments anyone with a small bust, narrow shoulder, long neck, and prominent collarbones. This neckline is perfect for Box/Rectangular-shaped body types.
However, anyone will a wide face shape and broad shoulders should avoid this neckline.
Square neckline
Without revealing your large bust, it can effectively provide focus on your firm neck and collarbones while elongating your frame (upper body mainly).
The purpose of this neckline is to provide the illusion of broader shoulders; making it perfect for pear body shape. It can balance out wider hips which are seen in pear-shaped body types as well.
Turtleneck / High neck neckline
Turtleneck or high neck will be covering the full neck area or up to a portion of your neck only; meaning they will work well for anyone with a long and/or thin neck.
Anyone with a box-shaped body type, narrow shoulders, and small bust can go for this neckline because it can effectively draw attention to the collarbone area. However, anyone with an apple-shaped body and short neck should avoid this style.
Halter neckline
This type of neckline can draw attention to the center of your body frame by adding curves and cutting broad shoulders. Thus, it is perfect for anyone with broad shoulders.
Even though it compliments almost all body shapes, halter necklines are perfect for the hourglass shape. If you have bulky arms or a heavy bust, then it will be best to avoid this style to make sure more volume is not added to that area of the body.
Off-shoulder / Sabrina neckline
Off-shoulders are very trendy; however, it only works best for the pear-shaped body type, large bust, and narrow shoulders. The job of this neckline is to highlight the neck and face.
They are highly recommended for anyone who wants to create a broader frame. Thus, anyone with bulky arms and board shoulders should avoid an off-shoulder neckline. They come in different styles as well making it a versatile choice for many.
Sweetheart neckline
The sweetheart neckline was initially seen in wedding dresses and gowns. However, this neckline is now exclusively used for different kinds of clothing items.
The heart-shaped design can aesthetically highlight your bust and/or cleavage; making it perfect for anyone with a large bust, short neck. This style is mainly strapless which further accentuates the shoulder and collarbones.
This is the reason why it is recommended for a petite body frame. They come in different designs as well, capable of elongating the face and providing the much-needed overall balance of your frame.
Hopefully, now, you can properly identify your body shape correctly and choose a flattering neckline accordingly!