The Best Neckline For Your Face and Body Shape

Finding the right neckline can make all the difference in how your clothes flatter your figure and highlight your best features. While necklines come and go in popularity—one year it’s all about cowl necks, the next it’s boat necks—what never changes is how certain shapes can enhance your silhouette. As Coco Chanel wisely said, “Fashion is architecture: it is a matter of proportions.” In this updated post, I’m sharing fresh tips and links to help you choose the best neckline for your face and body shape, so you can feel confident and look your best.

The Best Neckline For Your Face and Body Shape

Why Necklines Matter More Than You Think

We often pay attention to the fit, color, and fabric of our clothes, but have you realized that the necklines are equally as important? They frame your face, draw attention to your upper body, and can even change the entire vibe of an outfit. A well-chosen neckline can elongate your neck, enhance your shoulders, and create visual balance, while the wrong one can throw off your proportions or highlight areas you’d rather not emphasize.

I’ve spent years figuring out what works best for different shapes, and today, I’m excited to share these insights with you. Let’s start by identifying your face shape because that’s the first step in finding a neckline that complements your features.

Identifying Your Face Shape

Your face shape plays a big role in determining which necklines will be most flattering. There are five primary face shapes: oval, round, heart, square, and long. While I’m a firm believer in wearing what makes you feel great, there’s no denying that embracing and working with your features can truly enhance your overall look.

Oval Face

If you have an oval face, consider yourself fortunate. This shape is longer than it is wide, with a softly rounded jawline and forehead. This means you are one of the lucky ones who can wear nearly any neckline.

Best Necklines for Oval Faces:

• Scoop Neck: This neckline mirrors the gentle curves of your face and adds a touch of elegance.
• V-Neck: This draws the eye downward, which elongates the neck.
• Boat Neck: This wide, shallow neckline highlights your collarbones and adds a bit of width to balance out your longer face length.

Round Face Shape

A round face has soft, full cheeks and a rounded chin. The goal here is to add length and structure, creating a more balanced look.

Best Necklines for Round Faces:

• V-Neck: This is your best friend. It elongates the neck and creates a flattering vertical line, making your face appear longer and slimmer.
• Square Neck: This adds structure and angles, which can be a great way to balance out the roundness of your face.
• Sweetheart Neckline: The gentle dip draws the eye to your décolletage, lengthening your neck and adding a feminine touch.

Heart Face Shape

Heart-shaped faces are wider at the forehead and taper down to a narrower chin. You’ll want to soften the angles of your face and balance the proportions.

Best Necklines for Heart Faces:

• Scoop Neck: This softens the sharpness of your chin and adds a touch of femininity.
• V-Neck: It’s all about balance. A medium V-neck will elongate your chin and draw attention away from a broader forehead.
• Halter Neck: This style draws the eye to your shoulders, balancing out a narrower jawline.

Square Face Shape

Many people with a square face have a strong jawline with more angular features. The goal is to choose a neckline that’s going to soften these.

Best Necklines for Square Faces:

• Crew Neck: This neckline softens your angular features and adds harmony to your look.
• Scoop Neck: It has a similar effect as the round neck but is slightly deeper, which can be even more flattering.
• Sweetheart Neckline: The curves of this neckline add softness to your jawline, creating a more balanced appearance.

Long Face Shape

Long faces are, well, longer than they are wide, with a high forehead and sometimes a more pointed chin. Here, you’ll want to create width and break up the vertical length.

Best Necklines for Long Faces:

• Boat Neck: This wide neckline adds horizontal balance and draws attention to your collarbones.
• Crew Neck: A high crew neck brings the focus upward, shortening the appearance of your face.
• Square Neck: It adds structure and width, helping to balance out the length of your face.

Identifying Your Body Type

Now that you know which necklines flatter your face shape, let’s dive into body shapes. Just like necklines can enhance or soften facial features, they can also help balance your body proportions. Understanding your body shape can make shopping so much easier, allowing you to pick tops or dresses with necklines that work with your silhouette.

Round or Apple-shaped Figure

If you have a round or apple-shaped figure, your top and bottom are narrower, with more fullness around your tummy. Your shoulders can be wide, narrow, or rounded, and your backside tends to be flat. The aim for this shape is to elongate your torso and shift focus away from your midsection. Scoop and deep V-necklines work well because they create a longer look and draw attention to your face. Be mindful of turtlenecks, which can make your bust line look larger.

Triangle Body Shape

If you have a triangle or pear-shaped figure, your shoulders are narrower than your hips. The goal is to draw attention upward and give the illusion of broader shoulders. Necklines like bateau, square, cowl, and jewel are great for adding width and balancing out your hips. V-necks are also a flattering choice, especially the higher and wider ones, as they help draw the eye out toward your shoulders.

Inverted Triangle

If you’ve got an inverted triangle shape, your shoulders are probably broader than your hips, and you might notice a flatter backside with little waist definition. The key here is to soften your shoulders and add a bit of volume around your hips to balance things out. Necklines like cowl, halter, deep scoop, and V-necks are great options as they can flatter your shape and create a more balanced look.

Rectangle body shape

If you have a rectangular body shape, your figure is straighter up and down, with minimal waist definition. To create the illusion of curves, opt for necklines like halter, deep scoop, and deeper V-neck. Asymmetrical necklines and shawl collars can also add a touch of softness, helping to balance out your straight silhouette.

Hourglass

An hourglass silhouette is balanced through the shoulders and hips with a well-defined waistline. The goal here is to maintain that balance and highlight your curves. Necklines like crew, scoop, boat, and V-necks are all super flattering for you. Just steer clear of boxy tops since they can hide your shape and make you look larger than you are.

Other Considerations for Choosing the Best Neckline

Neck Length

If you have a shorter neck, go for necklines that create the illusion of length, such as V-necks or scoop necks. For those with a longer neck, higher necklines like turtlenecks or crew necks will balance things out.

Bust Size

Women with a larger bust should avoid high necklines, which can add bulk. V-necks or scoop necks will open up the chest area and create balance. If you have a smaller bust, you can experiment with boat necks or high necklines, which can add volume and structure.

Examples of the Best Neckline for Your Face and Body Shape

Boat or Bateau Neckline

These look great on women with long necks and faces because they draw the eye horizontally. They help widen the look of narrow shoulders and balance wide hips. Boat necks look great with oval and round faces. They are less flattering on wide shoulders.

V-Neckline

These are universally flattering. They’re especially helpful for women with broad shoulders and short necks because they expose more of your dé·colle·tage, which helps draw the eye up toward your face. This neckline helps petite women look taller and adds visual balance to a pear figure.

Sweetheart Neckline

This is almost universally flattering because it lengthens a short neck and provides balance for a square jaw. It creates the illusion of curves and accentuates the bustline in a modest way. The wide neckline helps balance the hips in the hourglass, rectangle, and pear-shaped figures.

Crewneck

Crewnecks draw attention to your face and neck. They can accentuate a large bustline, make your neck look shorter, and make your face appear rounder. The crewneck looks great on a narrow or angular face. They’re less flattering with broad shoulders.

Scoop Neckline

A looser, more relaxed version of the crewneck. These elongate a short neck and help balance a long face. A large and long scoop flatters the small bust and short neck. A deeper scoop accentuates a large chest and makes your neck appear longer. Angular faces look great with scoop necklines.

Cowlnecks

Cowlnecks flatter both large and small bustlines and work with most face shapes. Lighter-weight cowlnecks are the easiest to wear because bulky fabrics make your neck look shorter.

Turtleneck

These look great with a long neck and face. They accentuate the bust line. Be sure there is space between the top of the neckline and your chin. Double chins are seldom flattered by these:) Turtlenecks can make wide shoulders look wider.

Finding your personal style is often a journey of trial and error. Knowing the most flattering proportions to help balance your silhouette can be a great tool while shopping and save you a lot of time.

Do you have a favorite neckline? I’d love to hear which one and why in the comments.

Thanks for reading, and remember to wear what makes you feel confident!