The long necklace changes the silhouette, not the outfit
There are mornings when the outfit is decided, correct, and completely flat. That is when a long necklace makes the difference: it draws a vertical line down a plain knit, opens up a shirt collar and lengthens the upper body. Nothing else has moved, and yet everything comes together.
It is the least discreet piece in the house, and it should be taken that way. A long necklace is seen from a distance, before the face. Some days that is exactly what you want: to arrive somewhere with nothing left to add.
Long necklace or sautoir: is there a difference?
Almost none, and the nuance is worth knowing before you choose.
Long necklaces for women cover any piece that falls below the collarbone, down to the upper chest. The very longest, which the French call a sautoir, go further: they fall over the chest, sometimes down to the solar plexus, and their length means they can be doubled.
Both live on this page, because that is how people look for them and because they are worn in the same way. The exact length of each piece is given in its specifications: it is the only number that matters when you decide, and it is written in black and white on every product page.
Three ways to wear it, and a fourth nobody mentions
Alone, over a plain fabric. It is the obvious use and the safest. A fine jumper, a shift dress, a white T-shirt: the long necklace becomes the only focus, and it holds it.
Doubled into two loops. The same piece then comes back up to collarbone height and forms two strands of different lengths. You get two necklaces for the price of one, and a volume no short chain can give.
Over an open shirt. The necklace follows the opening of the collar and extends it. The vertical line continues, the eye travels down with it, and a shirt worn against the skin becomes a deliberate outfit.
Layered with a short chain. This is the fourth way, and the most interesting. A long necklace with a choker or a fine chain creates two lengths, and so depth. It is the simplest way out of a flat outfit without buying anything else. A long chain necklace under a short one is the easiest place to start.
Long gold or silver: what changes
The long gold necklace warms. It works on beige, off-white, camel and every warm colour. It is the colour that gives a long vertical line the most presence.
The silver long necklace looks crisper, cooler and more graphic. It blends into greys, blues and black, and suits an outfit already full of contrast.
The simplest guide is still your watch or the ring you never take off: match the necklace to it, and the question is settled.
A long necklace in stainless steel, and why it is the right choice here
A long necklace lives a harder life than a short chain. It swings against the chest with every step, slides under bag straps, tangles at the bottom of a pocket and catches on scarves. So the material matters more here than anywhere else.
Our long necklaces in stainless steel have what it takes for daily wear: the metal won't tarnish on skin and won't leave a green mark. The exact material of each piece is listed in the specifications on its product page.
Whether it is a plain chain or a long pendant necklace with a heart, a shell or a star, the clasp matters as much as the chain. With a length like this, you often fasten it blind, in the hallway, one hand at the back of your neck: a clasp that resists is a necklace you eventually stop wearing.
The other lengths
If a long necklace feels like too much, there are two neighbours: chain necklaces fall just below the collarbone and go with everything, and faux pearl and beaded necklaces add volume without dropping as low. For the opposite height, choker necklaces sit against the skin at the base of the neck.
Care
Take it off before the shower, the pool and the gym. Put on your perfume before your necklace, never after: alcohol attacks the finish. Store it somewhere dry in its box, flat rather than in a heap, which prevents knots on a long chain. A soft, dry cloth is all it needs to get its shine back.
Every necklace is sent in its gift box, ready to give just as it is.
