The turtleneck sweater got a little love in the Wall Street Journal's style pages recently, which proclaimed that there are "more ways than ever" to wear the knit alternative to a shirt-and-tie.
But there are some pros and cons.
Pro: The high-neck style "elongates you — it makes your chest all the way to your jawline one continuous look. And it slenderizes the face."
Con: Beware letting the sweater encounter a five o'clock shadow. "It'll pick and pill it."
The haberdashers in the luxe confines of Heimie's Haberdashery in downtown St. Paul aren't quite ready to commit to turtlenecks being a hot fashion statement.
"But I can tell you this much, we have quite a few men still looking for the turtle," said Gus Gonzales. "I don't think it's ever gone away. Every gentlemen should probably have a turtleneck in his closet."
Gonzales said turtlenecks are best worn with sports coats and blazers for a casual look, "although I'm also seeing a nice black suit, with a nice heathered gray, lightweight merino turtleneck."
Oh yeah.
For the record, Gonzalez said that a proper turtleneck sweater has a collar that extends all the way up a man's neck and then folds over. A mock turtleneck is a single thickness, lacking the fold.
Is it a fashion faux pas to add that they're also warm?
Kim Ode • 612-673-7185
