Turtlenecks back? Or never went away?

If you want to be stylin', make like a rabbit and rush to get a turtle (neck).

November 6, 2013 at 8:24PM
This undated product image provided by Ralph Lauren shows a reindeer turtleneck, part of the official gear of the U.S. Olympic team. Every article of clothing made by Ralph Lauren for the U.S. Olympic athletes in Sochi has been made by domestic craftsman and manufacturers. (AP Photo/Ralph Lauren)
A Ralph Lauren turtleneck is part of the gear of the 2014 U.S. Olympic team. (The Minnesota Star Tribune)

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

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Kim Ode

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