# How to wear a turtleneck



## Matcha (Aug 25, 2004)

If I fold down the neck halfway when I wear it it rolls over. If I fold the neck in thirds it looks a bit too short. How should the neck of a turtleneck sweater be worn?


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## Dhaller (Jan 20, 2008)

Matcha said:


> If I fold down the neck halfway when I wear it it rolls over. If I fold the neck in thirds it looks a bit too short. How should the neck of a turtleneck sweater be worn?


Folded in half so that the top of the neck in tangent to the seam at the bottom is the usual style, though some wear it entirely unfolded (this requires a long neck!)

If yours is rolling over, possibly your turtleneck is too long for your neck? Possibly a mock turtleneck will solve the problem.

DH


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## Pentheos (Jun 30, 2008)

For me, wearing a turtleneck would require a time machine.


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## Dhaller (Jan 20, 2008)

Pentheos said:


> For me, wearing a turtleneck would require a time machine.


They are certainly hard to come by nowadays.

I like them because (i) I have a rather long neck and (ii) I am constantly freezing. It's sort of an ideal layer for me 

DH


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## chatsworth osborne jr. (Feb 2, 2008)

I actually just wear them unfolded and let it bunch/ripple. But I also pull them up over my chin a bit, so I don't take them seriously.
Girls in high school would fold the excess length to the _inside _to hide excess length.
Ignoring the fact that a t-neck may not be flattering to a short neck, roll the thing in thirds and tweak so the top roll is at top of neck, bottom is at neck seam, and excess should be rolled inwards so as not to show.


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## knezz (Nov 28, 2009)

+1 on the bunched and rinkled.

They are excellent in the colder East Coast US weather. As in keeping my neck warm and head covered seem to allow me to evade illnesses I wear them during the winter season.


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## Gromson (Oct 11, 2009)

+1 on the bunch and ripple. It's a turtle neck so it's supposed to have the long neck look. To roll it or fold it is going against the nature of the shirt. For cold weather casual, 

I like wearing them under sweaters, flannels or OCBDs. It just seems "right" to me under an LL Bean Scotch Plaid Flannel.


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## Alexander Kabbaz (Jan 9, 2003)

Pentheos said:


> For me, wearing a turtleneck would require a time machine.


 A couple of years ago I might have said the same thing, but there has been a strong resurgence. Both roll turtlenecks, to some degree, and mock collars, at a much higher rate, are just walking out the door.

How one wears them has no rules; it is a matter of personal preference. Neck height and how the collar falls will pretty much determine that after a few minutes of wearing.

The full turtleneck, if the cotton has sufficient weight, is easier to adjust and keep in place:

​
Whereas the mock collar will tend to fall where it wants:

​
And the variety, even at the upper end of the quality spectrum, is quite significant:




As a matter of fact, the demand has been so strong even on the distaff side that we have designed a line of these for women to debut this fall, both in standard shirt styles as well as in a new bodysuit turtleneck.​


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## beherethen (Jun 6, 2009)

*from "A Gentleman's Wardrobe"*

Up until the age of 30, I had a size 28 waist and a long neck and loved turtle necks because they made me look less geeky. Well, I no longer have a 28 waist, but I still love turtle necks.

The guy who made them popular was Noel Coward.

"_Noel Coward admits that it was he who "took to wearing colored turtle-neck jerseys, actually more for comfort than effect, and soon I was informed by my evening paper that I had started a fashion"._

So if the English theaters had had central heating, during rehearsals, we might never have had them as a popular item. :icon_smile:


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## Alexander Kabbaz (Jan 9, 2003)

*Turtlenecks for Women to Debut Fall 2010*

The call for high-quality turtlenecks and mock turtlenecks from the distaff has been on the increase. In the center, the full turtleneck bodysuit and on the right the mock with sheer shoulders and half bodice. These Zimmerli Women's items will be released during the Fall 2010 season.

​


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## Avers (Feb 28, 2006)

I have turtleneck cashmere sweater which is my favorite. 

It's very comfortable during cold weather.


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## Dhaller (Jan 20, 2008)

Avers said:


> I have turtleneck cashmere sweater which is my favorite.
> 
> It's very comfortable during cold weather.


A black cashmere turtleneck is one of my must-haves.

Actually my current one is about due for replacement...

DH


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## Avers (Feb 28, 2006)

Dhaller said:


> A black cashmere turtleneck is one of my must-haves.
> 
> Actually my current one is about due for replacement...
> 
> DH


Mine is dark gray


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## Dhaller (Jan 20, 2008)

Avers said:


> Mine is dark gray


Charcoal is probably the most versatile, but I can't resist the classic "Bond villain" look of a black turtleneck 

DH


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## jayteecee (Nov 23, 2009)

Alexander Kabbaz said:


> ​


While the full body shots were unnecessary, they are nonetheless appreciated. :icon_smile:


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## beherethen (Jun 6, 2009)

Alexander,
If Steve McQueen & Noel Coward were still alive then I could join them and the three ladies for a manage a trois * deux in our respective turtle necks. Given that the other two gentlemen have passed, feel free to give my email address to the middle girl, providing she's not too clingy.:icon_smile_big:


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## DorianGrey (Jul 6, 2007)

I always liked the Devo method! :aportnoy:


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## beherethen (Jun 6, 2009)

I was watching a documentary on Andy Warhol yesterday, actually was working on my computer and was too lazy to change the channel. Anyway it turns out that Andy also was a wearer of turtleneck sweaters. 
So we've got Noel Coward-Steve McQueen-that Irish Poet/playwright-Andy Warhol and Beherethen.

This sounds like a trend.:icon_smile:


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## Alexander Kabbaz (Jan 9, 2003)

jayteecee said:


> While the full body shots were unnecessary, they are nonetheless appreciated. :icon_smile:





beherethen said:


> Alexander,
> If Steve McQueen & Noel Coward were still alive then I could join them and the three ladies for a manage a trois * deux in our respective turtle necks. Given that the other two gentlemen have passed, feel free to give my email address to the middle girl, providing she's not too clingy.:icon_smile_big:


Hey! I have to suffer through the job of taking the photos. Taking the photos is _very hard_ work ... and we get _really, really hot_ under our bank of 1000 watt studio lights.

While your flights of fancy, gentlemen, are the stuff of dreams, a little sympathy for this photographer might be in order. :devil:

_Know that no puns were intended in the writing of this post.

For an up-close view of the trials and tribulations, click .
_


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## beherethen (Jun 6, 2009)

Alexander Kabbaz said:


> Hey! I have to suffer through the job of taking the photos. Taking the photos is _very hard_ work ... and we get _really, really hot_ under our bank of 1000 watt studio lights.


And here I was feeling sorry for myself for standing 6 hours in <=30 degree weather volunteering my services to help the homeless. I was even mentally complaining that this young woman withdrawing from methadone had vomited on my AEs.

Alex, I stand humbled in your presence.


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## Chief (Jan 21, 2009)

It's interesting reading a number of blogs and magazine's, and being able to spot a new "fashion trend". And trust me, that is exactly what this is. I suspect the real kick start for this one came for The Sartorialist. Having a massive following I know people try to emulate things they see on his site.

I was in C&J the other day and a Japanese guy asked if they could make this shoe "look like the one on the Sartorialist". The shop assistant and a brief flash of confusion across his face then politely said, when can make it however you wish sir!

While I'm sure some people on this forum have always worn then, lets not kid ourselves, they went out of style a while back. Personally I think they look horrible, and certainly would not want to emulate Andy Warhol.

Please people, can we get back to STYLE, not fashion.


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## Dhaller (Jan 20, 2008)

Chief said:


> It's interesting reading a number of blogs and magazine's, and being able to spot a new "fashion trend". And trust me, that is exactly what this is. I suspect the real kick start for this one came for The Sartorialist. Having a massive following I know people try to emulate things they see on his site.
> 
> I was in C&J the other day and a Japanese guy asked if they could make this shoe "look like the one on the Sartorialist". The shop assistant and a brief flash of confusion across his face then politely said, when can make it however you wish sir!
> 
> ...


What a muddled argument - you declare turtlenecks to be simultaneously a "new fashion trend" and "out of style", and then invoke a Japanese shoe request as an example? I just don't see how this addresses the OP's query on how to wear one?

DH


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## DCLawyer68 (Jun 1, 2009)

Chief said:


> It's interesting reading a number of blogs and magazine's, and being able to spot a new "fashion trend". And trust me, that is exactly what this is. I suspect the real kick start for this one came for The Sartorialist. Having a massive following I know people try to emulate things they see on his site.
> 
> ...
> 
> Please people, can we get back to STYLE, not fashion.


Our resident expert (or one of them) in classic STYLE seems to think otherwise:

https://asuitablewardrobe.dynend.com/2010/01/consider-roll-neck.html


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## beherethen (Jun 6, 2009)

It's 9am in Chicago and I'm watching Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers on the palladia channel. Why I'm not doing something more productive is none of your business. In fact I try to schedule any Existentialism questions of that nature until at least noon. 
Guess what Tom Petty is wearing---*A BLACK TURTLENECK*---:icon_smile:


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## Chief (Jan 21, 2009)

Dhaller, when I said "out of style" I meant out of fashion, my fault.

I thought the point about the Japanese guy asking about shoes was pretty obvious; things featured on The Sartorialist and similar websites are directing fashion, just like this sudden turtleneck craze.

DCLawyer68, maybe this could be a US/UK difference but I disagree. I'd already read that article on ASW and remember thinking at the time how it was no coincidence that this article pops up very shortly after I've read quite a few other sites suddenly talking about turtlenecks. ASW has a lot of sound advice but we are all welcome to our opinions, and in this case I disagree with ASW.


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