Why does my neckline gape when I bend forward?

A quick way to tell which you have

• It lies flat when you stand and opens only when you lean: mostly physics. A shallower or narrower neck, or something that closes it, is the answer.
• It stands away from your chest even when you are upright: fit. The edge is longer than the body beneath it.
• It was fine when new and has got worse: the edge has stretched.
• It slides to one side or backwards: the shoulders of the kameez are too wide for you, so nothing holds the neckline in the middle.

The fit causes in detail

• Width: the wider a neckline, the less fabric rests on the shoulders near the neck and the more freely the front swings. If the kameez is also too wide at the shoulders, as it often is when the size was chosen by the bust, the whole opening is bigger than intended. See narrow shoulders for that case.
• Depth: a deep neckline has a long unsupported edge, and each extra centimetre of depth adds to the distance that edge can fall forward.
• Chest shape: the area between the collarbones and the bust is hollow on many women, and a fuller bust pushes the kameez forward below it. The fabric bridges from the shoulders to the bust and leaves a gap above. A front with shaping for the bust sits closer to the chest.
• The edge: necklines are curves and slants cut across the weave, where cloth stretches most, and the long sides of a V-neck are especially prone to it. An edge held with a shaped facing, a binding, piping or a lining keeps its length. One that was pulled during sewing or left soft will grow.
• Weight: dense embroidery or a row of heavy buttons at the centre front drags the neckline down and forward.

What to ask for

The necklines guide shows the shapes. Whichever you like, these requests make it sit closer. Ask for them in your quote, and we confirm what is possible on your fabric and design.

• A neck width that suits your frame. Measure straight across the neck opening of a kameez that sits well on you, from shoulder seam to shoulder seam, and give that number.
• A depth you have tested. Hold a tape at the base of your neck, mark the depth you are considering and lean forward in front of a mirror. Our size guide explains how front neck depth is measured.
• A firm edge. Ask for the neckline to be faced or bound so it keeps its shape, particularly on a V-neck and on soft or sheer fabric.
• A closure, if you want certainty. A band collar, a button and loop at the top of a slit, or a small panel behind a deep neck closes the opening altogether.
• Shaping for the bust, if the gap sits above a fuller bust.

In your order

On our own designs, the neckline is one of the things you can change through customise a design, and on any other order the neckline and its depth are agreed in writing before cutting. Custom stitching explains the two service options. If coverage is your main concern, our guide to modest sleeves, necklines and lengths has more ideas, and changing a kameez neckline explains what can and cannot be done to a kameez that is already made.