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The Modern Guide to The Thing Before Preppy

Thursday, January 31, 2019

Question for the Community: Best Brand of Turtlenecks?


A reader question:
About 30 years ago, in upstate New York, it was easy to find high quality and long lasting cotton turtlenecks to wear under sweaters.  The brand that we often purchased was Duofold.  The neck had elastic, fit snugly, and did not lose its shape over time. I can no longer find this brand of turtleneck available.   
What brand of cotton turtleneck (or silk) does the community recommend?  Is there a particular vendor that people prefer? 
I have been disappointed, of late, with turtlenecks from L.L.Bean and Land's End.  I am not looking for a stand alone piece, but one to wear under a sweater.  
Thank you so much.

24 comments:

  1. Good question, and I'll be watching for good responses. I haven't found any in years.

    Jacqueline

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  2. I have two J. Jill turtlenecks, one purchased this year and one a few years back. Happy with both. The neck fits snug, but not too snug, and the fabric is lightweight enough so that it is comfortable under a heavy wool sweater and they are longer than many brands, easy to tuck in. I've had some trouble with J. Jill tees over the past few years, but thrilled with the turtlenecks.

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  3. I look like a bell end when wearing a turtleneck. Would love to single handedly bring back the Oxford button down over a turtleneck look, but I think that day is done for me.

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  4. I swear by my LL Bean turtlenecks. Colors are great. Elastic in collars is great after many years. Wouldn’t buy any others.

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    1. My husband feels the same way. And they still offer a deep green. I have purchased the Men's small for myself, the sleeves are a bit long but otherwise they are fine. They hold up well and retain color. Oddly enough, the women's version do not--and their colors are unpredictable.

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  5. Minus33 -- washable/dryable superfine merino wool. As for cotton, I think Land's End is good and cheap.

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  6. I was just considering buying a few turtlenecks and found the L.L. Bean ones too short for me. I'll check out J.Jill and will be interested in what others have found. Thank you for this informative post.

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  7. Replies
    1. I STILL HAVE SEVERAL!!~ DON'T WEAR THEM THOUGH, FIGURE NOT WHAT IT USED TO BE!!

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  8. Thank you so much for all of these responses. I will try the J.Jill and also Minus33. Thank you and hope everyone is staying warm!

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  9. This is an answer out of left field, and out of sync with the rest of my brand purchases, but Croft and Barrow, the Kohl's house brand, makes a fantastic turtleneck in a wide range of colors. They're a great fit, great quality, durable and wash very well. I can't say enough good things about them.

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    1. Karen: How are the collars over time? Elastic of good quality? I hate a floppy turtleneck collar.

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    2. I have to agree with you on these, and they are inexpensive.

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  10. I currently own Land’s End and J Jill, and am happy with both. The Land’s End are a few years older so the quality may have changed, but the ones I own have held up well. I do think the JJill ones are softer.

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  11. I bought my last turtleneck from the Vermont Country Store. It wasn't as soft as I like, and being white, it has taken on a bluish tinge that none of my other white turtlenecks have done.

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  12. (I think I lost my comment-- apologies for any double-post.) I still buy mine from Bean and LE. Both are not what they used to be, but where I live one doesn't find turtlenecks in the stores so I am happy to have such sources that ship them to me. The Bean ones cannot be dried all of the way due to shrinkage. LE does have some talls in their knit tops-- I know they have them in some mock ts so check the turtlenecks-- if you order a tall it might be proportioned more like the turtlenecks of old.

    --EM

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  13. It's a shame most companies have gone for thinner material with a looser collar that sometimes sits more like a cowlneck rather than a proper snug turtleneck.

    I loved the Lands End ones from a few years ago... They kept their shape and had a bit more substance to the material.

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  14. After buying over-priced turtlenecks from LL Bean's that always shrink even if hung to dry, I've gone low-brow and buy them on line from K-Mart and Sears. They offer a great range of colors, their turtle and mock necks don't shrink and they are very reasonably priced--only six or seven dollars on sale. Brands include Basic Editions, Attention, and Laura Scott. Some retain their neck elasticity better than others but overall I am extremely pleased with them.

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  15. A related question: does anyone still make turtlenecks with repeating cute designs (hearts, turtles, snowflakes, etc)?

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    1. I haven't seen them, except used on Etsy, when I was searching for Duofold brand! I miss those too!

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    2. Only in mock form, not regular turtleneck-- I found some from Lands' End. (LE is still not _as_ good as it used to be but have improved since they fired the Italian luxury goods exec/CEO who wanted to turn them into a fashion brand.

      -EM

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  16. This reminds me of what the late comedian Mitch Hedberg once said about this subject:
    "I can't wear turtlenecks, man. All day long it feels like I'm being strangled by a really weak guy."

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  17. Appleseeds. Turtlenecks, mock turtles, long sleeve crew necks. Start looking early in the fall. Right now they are picked over and you might be left with ones with the sewn on cuffs. They have a lot of colors and are fairly thick. Most everybody else has figured out how to spin short cotton fibers and make very soft shirts but you can also see through them. I hate that,

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