# Turtlenecks?



## Youthful Repp-robate (Sep 26, 2011)

Land's End is selling cotton turtlenecks for $10 on sale. I could waltz out with a pair for under $30, shipped. I'm tempted, because the wind whips across this campus, and even a scarf isn't quite enough some days.

What are your thoughts? I'd wear one with a tweed jacket, and maybe a crewneck sweater. I'm thinking about the dark brown, and either one of the two greens or the off-white.



There's also a navy & white horizontal stripe (I think they're called Breton stripes), which I'm tempted by, but I'm not sure how it would look under a jacket.

Any advice would be great.

Thanks very much.


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## zzdocxx (Sep 26, 2011)

Interesting, and I believe Lands End are the ones that can be returned to Sears, right?

I'm an in-betweener on sizes, XL vs. XXL. Those look like a good deal, maybe I'll order in both sizes and take back the ones that don't fit.

Do you other guys ever have to do this?


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## Reldresal (Oct 13, 2011)

Yes, usually either a M or L depending on brands and some brands are internally inconsistent as well.


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## Oldsarge (Feb 20, 2011)

I love LE knits. I love their polos and their turtlenecks. Heck, I even like their mock turtles. A dark green turtleneck under a corduroy jacket with either jeans or a contrasting shade of corduroy trousers, outrageous sox and a pair of moccasins . . . ?


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## Trip English (Dec 22, 2008)

I like the idea of turtlenecks, but in practice I've found them to be a lot like Shaggy Dogs. Shaggies are my favorite sweaters, but they almost always wind up getting taken off halfway through the day because once you're indoors and the temperature is somewhat regulated they become far too hot. They're best when I'm walking around a city and popping in and out of places for VERY short periods of time.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but the type you're talking about are generally worn as a layer _under_ something else, right? I see people wearing them under other sweaters or shirt-jackets.


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## Youthful Repp-robate (Sep 26, 2011)

Trip English said:


> I like the idea of turtlenecks, but in practice I've found them to be a lot like Shaggy Dogs. Shaggies are my favorite sweaters, but they almost always wind up getting taken off halfway through the day because once you're indoors and the temperature is somewhat regulated they become far too hot. They're best when I'm walking around a city and popping in and out of places for VERY short periods of time.
> 
> Correct me if I'm wrong, but the type you're talking about are generally worn as a layer _under_ something else, right? I see people wearing them under other sweaters or shirt-jackets.


I'd probably try a few ways of layering. I'm interested in a lighter-weight turtleneck because the buildings here are either too cold or too hot, so I can just shed a sportcoat for the warm classrooms and keep it on for the cool ones. I can do that with a regular shirt, of course, but I want a change of pace, and these seem like a pretty good value.


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## Patrick06790 (Apr 10, 2005)

Great in theory, not so hot in practice for me. If you have any flesh under your chin then avoid the turtleneck or mock. Very unforgiving, makes me look old and fat and weird.

I _am_ old and fat and weird, but there's no need to emphasize it.


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## zightx (Jul 10, 2011)

I would only layer a turtleneck with a sportcoat. Everything else just looks way too outdoorsman.


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## zzdocxx (Sep 26, 2011)

Patrick06790 said:


> Great in theory, not so hot in practice for me. If you have any flesh under your chin then avoid the turtleneck or mock. Very unforgiving, makes me look old and fat and weird.
> 
> I _am_ old and fat and weird, but there's no need to emphasize it.


+1.

:crazy:


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## DG123 (Sep 16, 2011)

Go for it !


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## arkirshner (May 10, 2005)

Just avoid white unless you want to look like a U Boat captain.


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## C. Sharp (Dec 18, 2008)

There was a time when a turtle neck under ocbd with a sweater over the top of that was the default winter college look.


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## Youthful Repp-robate (Sep 26, 2011)

Thanks for all the advice. I'm going for the dark green and the off-white, since those seem like they'd work with my existing clothes and my coloring.


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## Walter Denton (Sep 11, 2011)

^^ Yes! I went through 4 years of college winters in the northeast dressed in a turtleneck and shetland crewneck.


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## CMDC (Jan 31, 2009)

I'm not a big fan of turtlenecks because they feel too constricting. Be a bit careful pairing it with a jacket, though. I'd worry that I'd look too much like...










Not that there's anything wrong with Carl Sagan...just a bit too 70's for me.


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## Oldsarge (Feb 20, 2011)

Personally I fail to see what's wrong with looking like a U-Boat captain. Beats the Hell out looking like a Madison Avenue Ad Man! :icon_smile_big: As to the outdoorsy-ness of the look, to me that's part of the appeal. I live in the suburbs, vacation in the country and avoid cities like the plague. On the other hand, if one were a gentrified sort migrating between cubicle and studio apartment via the subway it might be a concern.


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## zzdocxx (Sep 26, 2011)

Oldsarge said:


> Personally I fail to see what's wrong with looking like a U-Boat captain.


:biggrin2:









Leave us not forget the classic striped sailor shirt:


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## godan (Feb 10, 2010)

C. Sharp said:


> There was a time when a turtle neck under ocbd with a sweater over the top of that was the default winter college look.


For me, that time lasted about thirty years as a university professor. Solid color turtlenecks worked alone, under an ocbd and/or a crew neck sweater or sport coat. A black wool turtleneck under a grey suit is still my default outfit for artistic/cultural openings and similar events. It is a more finished look than a tieless shirt under a suit jacket or sport coat.


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## WouldaShoulda (Aug 5, 2009)

arkirshner said:


> Just avoid white unless you want to look like a U Boat captain.


An old, fat and weird U Boat Captain!!


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## WouldaShoulda (Aug 5, 2009)

Walter Denton said:


> ^^ Yes! I went through 4 years of college winters in the northeast dressed in a turtleneck and shetland crewneck.


A cotton rugby or sweatshirt worked then as well.


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## Flanderian (Apr 30, 2008)

Tutlenecks, not mock turtlenecks, are a traditional classic that can be worn by themselves or with many other items such as a sport jacket. As a young student that's a very attractive price, but don't expect too much for $10.


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## Oldsarge (Feb 20, 2011)

Flanderian said:


> Tutlenecks, not mock turgtlenecks, are a traditional classic that can be worn by themselves or with many other items such as a sport jacket.


But not, we all agree, under a dinner jacket!


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## hardline_42 (Jan 20, 2010)

What you need is a turtleneck dickie. You get all of the neckwarming benefits of the t-neck without the added bulk.


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## WouldaShoulda (Aug 5, 2009)

Oldsarge said:


> But not, we all agree, under a dinner jacket!


Pish Posh!!

It's all a matter of personal taste!!


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## arkirshner (May 10, 2005)

hardline_42 said:


> What you need is a turtleneck dickie. You get all of the neckwarming benefits of the t-neck without the added bulk.


LOL!! Where did you find this one?


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## hardline_42 (Jan 20, 2010)

arkirshner said:


> LOL!! Where did you find this one?


I remember seeing Zach Galifianakis's character wearing an orange version in the movie _Dinner for Schmucks_. I was pretty intrigued by it, I must admit.


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## Oldsarge (Feb 20, 2011)

A dickie in the proper place (i.e. a winter version of a neckerchief) isn't inherently bad but that one? Urkic12337:


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## Epaminondas (Oct 19, 2009)

Used to pretty regularly wear turtlenecks under OCBDs in high school in NJ. The, I went down to VA for undergrad and overheard a woman from a nearby womens' college talking to a friend and saying that only Yankees wore them. I think I pretty much stopped wearing them in college shortly thereafter (though, I did wear them when it snowed). 

Have to say, I don't think I've ever seen a man wearing a turtleneck down here in GA so, she was probably right.


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## WouldaShoulda (Aug 5, 2009)

Epaminondas said:


> Used to pretty regularly wear turtlenecks under OCBDs in high school in NJ. The, I went down to VA for undergrad and overheard a woman from a nearby womens' college talking to a friend and saying that only Yankees wore them.


The turtle neck under the fair isle sweater look was BIG with co-eds up here.

REALLY BIG!!

(Hickey hider) :teacha:


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## Reptilicus (Dec 14, 2004)

https://www.themandonstore.com/product/54/product-details.html


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## jwooten (Dec 19, 2010)

Epaminondas said:


> The, I went down to VA for undergrad and overheard a woman from a nearby womens' college talking to a friend and saying that only Yankees wore them.


As a product of that xenophobia to certain fashions at an early age, I concur to having heard that said about Turtlenecks (on men). But these same women believe that mocknecks are completely acceptable and that seemed a bit odd.


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## Oldsarge (Feb 20, 2011)

Perhaps they liked their men chubby? Mocks look better under jowls. A turtleneck exaggerates them.


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## Flanderian (Apr 30, 2008)

Oldsarge said:


> But not, we all agree, under a dinner jacket!


Of course not, that's what T-shirts are for! :icon_saint7kg:


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## Flanderian (Apr 30, 2008)

Epaminondas said:


> Have to say, I don't think I've ever seen a man wearing a turtleneck down here in GA


Of course not, that's what bib overalls and a feed cap are for! :icon_saint7kg:


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## guymac (Nov 16, 2011)

acceptable only during chilly weather - mostly for tall men


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## filfoster (Aug 23, 2011)

Patrick06790 said:


> Great in theory, not so hot in practice for me. If you have any flesh under your chin then avoid the turtleneck or mock. Very unforgiving, makes me look old and fat and weird.
> 
> I _am_ old and fat and weird, but there's no need to emphasize it.


We share many attributes: I am old, skinny and weird, and still eschew turtlenecks because of the 'pencil neck' epithets that haunt my dreams from young adulthood.


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## Epaminondas (Oct 19, 2009)

Flanderian said:


> Of course not, that's what bib overalls and a feed cap are for! :icon_saint7kg:


Hey now, I lived on Schooley's Mountain over in your neck of the woods in the '80s and back then saw kids dressing more "hick" than anyone I've seen in Georgia so far (no feed caps, but Skoal caps were quite popular).


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## WouldaShoulda (Aug 5, 2009)

filfoster said:


> We share many attributes: I am old, skinny and weird, and still eschew turtlenecks because of the 'pencil neck' epithets that haunt my dreams from young adulthood.


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## Flanderian (Apr 30, 2008)

Epaminondas said:


> Hey now, I lived on Schooley's Mountain over in your neck of the woods in the '80s and back then saw kids dressing more "hick" than anyone I've seen in Georgia so far (no feed caps, but Skoal caps were quite popular).


Yeah, but we never let them off the mountain!

Neck of the woods indeed! Hardly a Black Bear's stroll away. You've discovered some of the secret Appalachian Mountain People of New Jersey. I suspect there may be subterranean passages connecting spots such as Stone Mountain and other points along the Appalachians with the NW New Jersey hill country.


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## WouldaShoulda (Aug 5, 2009)

Flanderian said:


> You've discovered some of the secret Appalachian Mountain People of New Jersey.


And I thought Rodeo in S. Jersey was a hoot!!

https://www.cowtownrodeo.com/

Welcome to *Cowtown Rodeo*, celebrating 57 years of professional rodeo. Located in rural Salem County, NJ, Cowtown is acclaimed for being a highlight in the professional rodeo circuit. Rodeo performances are held every Saturday night at 7:30pm Memorial weekend through the last Saturday in September.

*Cowtown Rodeo* features all seven rodeo events sanctioned by the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association. Come and join hundreds of cowboys and cowgirls as they compete in the traditional sport of the Old West. Refreshments are available at the rodeo and parking is free.


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## SconnieTrad (Mar 16, 2011)

Aargh! I feel the same way about turtlenecks as the late, great, Mitch Hedberg:
*
"Wearing a turtleneck is like being strangled by a really weak guy, all day. 
**Wearing a backpack and a turtleneck is like a weak midget trying to bring you down."*


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## Flanderian (Apr 30, 2008)

WouldaShoulda said:


> And I thought Rodeo in S. Jersey was a hoot!!
> 
> https://www.cowtownrodeo.com/
> 
> ...


Pilesgrove, NJ (Interesting name.) is actually a suburb of Dallas as it falls south of the latitude of the Mason-Dixon Line. But never confuse Pineys with their more northerly brethren as they are hated rivals!


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## filfoster (Aug 23, 2011)

SconnieTrad said:


> Aargh! I feel the same way about turtlenecks as the late, great, Mitch Hedberg:
> *
> "Wearing a turtleneck is like being strangled by a really weak guy, all day.
> **Wearing a backpack and a turtleneck is like a weak midget trying to bring you down."*


My youger daughter put me on to Mr. Hedberg. Thanks for this great excerpt. What a great talent gone and yes, he well describes wearing a turtleneck, doesn't he? Can't vouch for the backpack, after my time, I am afraid, except for a USMC Alice pack and we did not wear turtlenecks.


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## hardline_42 (Jan 20, 2010)

Rodeos are not that uncommon throughout NJ. Growing up in the Princeton area, I remember attending the annual rodeo at Daube Farms in Skillman. I even remember my younger brother doing his share of "mutton busting" (trying to stay on a bucking sheep) at the event. I don't think people realize that there is a deeply-entrenched agrarian culture in NJ, and it's not relegated to the pine barrens.


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## zzdocxx (Sep 26, 2011)

SconnieTrad said:


> Aargh! I feel the same way about turtlenecks as the late, great, Mitch Hedberg:
> *
> "Wearing a turtleneck is like being strangled by a really weak guy, all day.
> **Wearing a backpack and a turtleneck is like a weak midget trying to bring you down."*


Thanks for the laugh.

:icon_jokercolor:


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## Flanderian (Apr 30, 2008)

hardline_42 said:


> Rodeos are not that uncommon throughout NJ. Growing up in the Princeton area, I remember attending the annual rodeo at Daube Farms in Skillman. I even remember my younger brother doing his share of "mutton busting" (trying to stay on a bucking sheep) at the event. I don't think people realize that there is a deeply-entrenched agrarian culture in NJ, and it's not relegated to the pine barrens.


On a serious note, you're entirely correct, IMO. The amount of diversity that has existed in our small and most densely populated state is largely unknown, even by native residents. And while this agrarian culture persists tenaciously, its less formal elements are daily eroded as the few remaining rural areas are consumed by suburban sprawl, and suburban homogeneity. I find this very sad as I greatly prize regional diversity, and abhor the corporately contrived popular culture that has displaced it throughout America.


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## godan (Feb 10, 2010)

filfoster said:


> My youger daughter put me on to Mr. Hedberg. Thanks for this great excerpt. What a great talent gone and yes, he well describes wearing a turtleneck, doesn't he? Can't vouch for the backpack, after my time, I am afraid, except for a USMC Alice pack and we did not wear turtlenecks.


The Alice pack lives! I and some others still use them instead of anything more modern for long summer day hikes to summits in the Rockies. They have just the right capacity and stay far enough away from your back for ventilation. I cannot swear to it, but I almost certainly have carried an Alice when wearing a silk turtleneck (my favorite base layer.) I know about choke holds (strangles) and that does not come close.


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## filfoster (Aug 23, 2011)

Yes, he looks like one of my persecutors! Wonder what ever happened to hiim?


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## Oldsarge (Feb 20, 2011)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freddie_Blassie


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## filfoster (Aug 23, 2011)

Oldsarge said:


> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freddie_Blassie


Wow-a FIFTY-ONE year wrestling career! He'd be a year older than my mom, who's still going at 92. I'll ask her if she ever heard of him. I can guess not.


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## WouldaShoulda (Aug 5, 2009)

filfoster said:


> Wow-a FIFTY-ONE year wrestling career! He'd be a year older than my mom, who's still going at 92. I'll ask her if she ever heard of him. I can guess not.


I'm 49 and can tell you Classy Fred Blassie is a legend!!

If you have not seen The Unreal Story of Professional Wrestling hosted by Steve Allen, you must!!


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## zzdocxx (Sep 26, 2011)

I received my turtleneck shirts in the mail today. Or "cuello de tortuga" as I explained to the cleaning lady.

She commented immediately that the XXL was too large. The XL met with her approval, but I felt like I was being strangled, not by a baby but just strangled! ! !

So she suggested folding the neck down on itself, which made it sort of a low turtleneck. It actually looked better although it still felt somewhat strangley. 

I was surprised by the thickness of the 100% cotton cloth, they feel rather nice. Not sure on what occasions I'll wear them. Almost left the house in one today but it was just making my neck feel weird. The XXL didn't feel too tight around my neck, but was totally baggy everywhere else.

Question is this: At the current size, the XL fits me OK. Will they shrink? Should I take them to the dry-cleaners? Should I try to stretch out the neck on the XL? Or what?


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