Marie Claire spotlights easy summer necklace stacking at the collarbone

Why the collarbone is the summer sweet spot

The easiest summer necklace stack is the one that feels almost weightless against the skin. Marie Claire’s Larissa Mills favors tiny delicate chains layered tightly at the collarbone or longer strands worn loosely over warm-weather necklines, a formula that keeps jewelry relaxed, collected, and lightly polished rather than overdone.

That restraint is what makes the look work in heat. When a stack sits neatly at the collarbone and drops only where it needs to, it avoids the fussy overlap that can make necklaces twist, tangle, or feel visually heavy against bare shoulders and lighter fabrics. Adina Reyter has highlighted Mills as an AR Friend with an ever-evolving AR stack, and that phrasing captures the current mood perfectly: this is jewelry that looks edited, not assembled by force.

The modern necklace stack is smaller, smarter, and less literal

Layered necklaces are not a new invention, but the way they are being worn now is different from the early wave. PORTER has said necklace-layering has been back in the zeitgeist for more than a decade, and its current direction is more creative, mixing textures, metals, colors, and materials instead of relying on strict chain graduation. Libby Page, NET-A-PORTER’s market director, described that shift as a move in a “more creative direction,” which is exactly why the best summer stacks feel more personal than formulaic.

The Atlantic-Pacific traced the trend back to 2010, when layered necklaces were everywhere, then noted how they had faded by 2014 before coming back in 2024. The newer version is distinctly dainty and minimalist, far removed from the old J.Crew bubble-necklace era. That change matters because the stack now reads as a style choice, not a maximalist statement. It is lighter, more editorial, and much easier to wear with the bare necklines that define summer dressing.

The easiest rule: start close, then build out

Every strong summer stack follows the same architecture. Begin with one necklace that sits close to the collarbone, then add a second strand below it so each piece has breathing room. Multiple jewelry guides reinforce that length variation is what keeps the stack from tangling and lets each chain register clearly against the skin.

A useful way to think about the formula is in layers of proximity:

• The top piece should be the shortest, hugging the collarbone or resting just beneath it.
• The second piece should fall lower, creating a clean gap rather than crowding the neckline.
• If you want a third strand, let it be the longest and thinnest, so it extends the line without stealing focus.

That spacing is what gives the stack its summer ease. It also makes the look read as intentional from a distance, because the eye can follow each chain without losing it in a tangle of metal.

Tank top

A tank top asks for the simplest stack of all: one fine chain close to the neck, plus one longer strand that sits neatly over the center of the chest. Because the neckline is open and uncomplicated, the jewelry should be equally clean, with the shortest chain doing the framing and the longer one providing movement.

This is the moment for a tiny pendant, a slim medallion, or a barely-there charm to act as the anchor. Rosanne Karmes of Sydney Evan has said a medallion necklace works well as a focal point in a layered stack, and on a tank that single center piece keeps the whole look from drifting into visual clutter. If everything is delicate, the medallion gives the eye something to land on.

Strapless

Strapless dressing leaves the collarbone completely exposed, which makes it the best setting for a tight, polished stack. Keep the top chain short and close to the neck, then choose a second piece that drops just enough to create separation. The effect should feel composed, not busy, like a measured line of sparkle skimming bare skin.

This neckline benefits from restraint because the dress or top is already doing the work of creating a strong horizontal frame. A strand of pearls, a thin coin necklace, or a single fine chain with a small medallion is enough. If you add more than one focal point, the look can lose the clean architecture that makes collarbone styling so elegant.

Open button-down

An open button-down offers the most room to play, but it also tempts the wearer to over-layer. The most polished answer is a short chain that peeks just above or at the first open button, then a longer strand that falls into the V of the shirt. That creates depth without overcrowding the space between the collar and the chest.

Here, texture matters as much as length. PORTER’s emphasis on mixing metals, textures, colors, and materials gives this neckline its modern edge, so a whisper-thin gold chain can sit beside a slightly heavier link or a strand with a small charm. The key is to keep the stack airy enough that the shirt still feels relaxed and the jewelry simply sharpens the line of the opening.

Choose one focal piece and let everything else support it

The most polished summer stacks usually have one clear anchor. That can be a medallion, a charm, a pearl, or a coin, but it should be the piece that gives the composition its center of gravity. Without that anchor, multiple delicate chains can blur together, especially in bright daylight or against white cotton.

The point is not to build volume for its own sake. It is to create a stack that feels collected over time, as if each piece has its place and nothing is competing for attention. That is what makes Larissa Mills’s approach so compelling: the jewelry looks easy, but the ease is edited.

Why this version of layering feels right now

Layered necklaces have returned, but not in the heavy, overbuilt way many people remember. The current version is lighter, more irregular, and more responsive to the neckline itself. That is why summer is the best season for it. Heat demands comfort, but good jewelry still deserves structure, and the most successful stacks now manage both with a few thin chains, a measured gap, and one focal piece that quietly pulls everything together.