Fashion Tips for a "Less Than Perfect" Neck

I'm a HUGE Nora Ephron fan ("When Harry Met Sally") so when her book, "I Feel Bad About My Neck" came out, of course I belly-laughed my way through it. I highly recommend this book if you missed it. However, for many of my clients, necks are no laughing matter. Almost every client over fifty says to me, "I hate my neck" during our style consultation. I've heard women describe their necks as "chicken neck," "blotchy neck," wrinkled neck," and "turkey neck." YIKES! My response is always the same. I say to her, "Oh, you have a lovely neck. Here, wrap this scarf around your neck. Look how beautiful that looks..."

If you think you have an imperfect neck (who doesn't?) you can use one of these 5 style techniques to help you get over feeling badly about your neck. I call these techniques "The Art of Distraction," which is using clothing and accessories to draw attention away from your flaws and towards your assets:

Style Tip #1 
The most obvious solution to disguise your neck is to wrap a SCARF around your neck. Pictured below is a simply polished woman from Advanced Style. To the right, Judi Kadden looking lovely in a green scarf!

Style Tip #2 
Wear a collared blouse and pull the collar up, ala Diane Sawyer. Add a multi-strand necklace and you're all set! Here is Diane Sawyer looking lovely in her classic, crisp white blouse, and Susan Peters (Stylist Over 50 from Pinterest).

Style Tip #3
Layer, layer, layer! Layering a blouse under a sweater, or a light turtleneck under a sweater, adds interesting texture and "distraction" effect. Pictured below is a confident woman in black layers from AdvancedStyle and a more conservative, casual layered look.

Style Tip #4 
Another obvious style choice is a turtleneck sweater or a coat, which covers every inch of your neck and keeps you warm. Make sure the color is flattering against your skin tone, as that's a lot of fabric right up against your face. Also, if you have a large bodice, stay away from thick, cable knit fabric.

Style Tip #5
A cowl neckline doesn't actually cover your neck, but it takes attention away from your neck with the soft folds. Add a beautiful necklace and you're looking golden!

If you have an issue with your neck, ya gotta get over it and learn to love every part of your beautiful body. But, ya gotta love the cold weather for some of these Art of Distraction techniques! Do you have another style technique that works for you? Please share in the Comments below. I'd love to hear from you!