Choker Necklaces

14 to 16 inches for most necks — it should sit on the neck itself, not at the collarbone. This is the one necklace length worth measuring for rather than guessing: wrap a tape around the base of your neck and add about half an inch. A 16 inch chain is a choker on some people and a short necklace on others.

Snug, not tight. You should fit a finger comfortably underneath. A choker that presses is uncomfortable within an hour and marks the skin; one that's too loose slides to the collarbone and stops being a choker at all.

The thin metal chain version has settled into being a staple, having outlasted the velvet and tattoo-band revivals of the mid-2010s. What's current is fine and understated rather than wide — closer to a collar than a band.

It's the natural top layer. A choker at 14 inches with a pendant at 16 and a longer chain at 20 is the classic three-tier stack, and the spacing means nothing tangles. What doesn't work is two chokers — they sit at the same height and fight.

They draw a horizontal line at the narrowest part of the neck, which most people find flattering. The one honest caveat is that a tight band shortens the look of a short neck — if that's a concern, wear it looser at 16 rather than 14, or layer it with something longer to break the line.

Better not. A chain sitting against the neck all night twists and the clasp works round to the front. Fine chokers are also among the easiest necklaces to snap by rolling on them.