You've hit the stores with the girls, searched through mountains of
occasions dresses and got home with a dress that you love. Much to your horror though it doesn't look as good as it seemed to in the store!
One problem could be the neckline, as this often-ignored feature of dresses is actually critical to the overall 'look' of the dress.
Don't despair, here are 4 handy tips to help you choose the right neckline and walk away with an amazing dress:
There are 4 things to consider when choosing a neckline. These are jewelry, your body shape, bust size and the shape of your face. Let's look at each of these in order now.
Jewelry
Jewelry is an excellent complement to your outfit and you want people to see as it's beautiful after all! A very common jewelry faux pas is that many girls often wear a long necklace that will hang down and go between their cleavages. This is a pity as firstly people won't see the nice necklace and secondly it'll mean that your bust is just too 'busy.'
It's also a good idea to avoid v-shaped pendants with V-neck necklines, as you'll have identical shapes filling up your neckline which looks odd.
If you're going to accessorize with a necklace (and why not?) then make sure that it finishes a little higher than your neckline, perhaps 2 inches or so, then you'll avoid any problems.
Body Shape
As with many elements of dresses, your neckline can help flatter your body shape. Knowing whether you're pear, hourglass or one of the other common shapes will help you to select a flattering neckline.
For instance, if you're a bigger girl then you should choose a neckline that plunges vertically (by plunges I mean is more vertically shaped, but I don't mean something like that famous Elizabeth Hurley on the red carpet dress that was ALL neckline!).
This will add an extra vertical line to your silhouette which will be slimming as it 'elongates' your body and can no doubt show off your bust!
Shorter girls will benefit from necklines that can make them look a bit wider as they are so petite. Necklines such as crewneck, jewel and bateau will be just perfect for this.
Bust Size
If you have an average sized bust then pretty much any type of neckline should be OK.
Smaller busts will benefit from necklines that are a little higher cut as low cut necklines aren't so flattering, whereas the opposite is true for larger busts (although you don't want them falling out of course!).
Face Shape
If you have a face which is well-proportioned then most necklines will work well. For girls with rounder faces which are perhaps wider then a vertical neckline will be better as this will balance the width of your face. Once again the opposite is true for girls with longer, slimmer faces.
So these tips can give you some good indications of which neckline will enable you to get a dress that looks fantastic! Think about where you fit into these descriptions and then you'll be able to narrow down whether you're going to need a higher or lower cut neckline.
Finally the best place for occasions dresses with any neckline is most probably the internet, as online stores have low prices and a lot of choice.
