Men's Turtlenecks & Polo necks

Enjoy the warm sensation on your skin given by the soft touch of a wool turtleneck, one of the basic models of male wardrobe. A real passe-partout garment to combine with every outfit, both for the casual style and for the most refined and elegant daywear.

Choose the preciousness of wool for the most beautiful high-neck pulls and refined turtlenecks

Among the knitwear items you cannot do without, there’s certainly the turtleneck sweater, a garment that easily matches any outfit and could be used both in place of the jacket and the shirt. The high collar sweater is a simple garment that owes its refinement to its clean lines and to the beauty of the finest yarns, such as wool, cashmere and silk.

The classic turtleneck features a long neck that is turned-up. Being a basic item it’s always present in the collections of many prestigious brands in the most traditional colors. Grey often has a mélange effect and is used in shades ranging from pearl to London smoke by brands like Pringle of Scotland, Chalayan and Dolce & Gabbana.

Black, made iconic by many famous people, dyes the Prada, Burberry, Joseph and Brioni’s turtlenecks, while navy blue, used by Corneliani, Salvatore Ferragamo and RRD, returns in vogue following the marine-style trend.

The turtleneck could also have a simple high neck or just closed by a zip, as in the case of Ermenegildo Zegna and Brunello Cucinelli, or by buttons, like those by Fay and Polo Ralph Lauren. Usually this model has rather slim lines, but now it also becomes oversize in the Rick Owens' long models and in the jacquard ones by Raf Simons.

Merino wool, the designers’ favorite material for creating turtleneck sweaters, this year has small cable knit decorations as proposed by Fay, Balenciaga and Drumohr, ribbed textures like those by Neil Barrett and contrasting edges like in the Dondup’s sweaters.

Among the most innovative and fashionable models, there are the textured or faded-effect cashmere pullovers by Avant Toi and those inspired by mountains, proposed by Givenchy, Loewe, Dsquared2 and Woolrich.

The latest trend is that the turtlenecks have short sleeves and should be worn directly under the blazer or tailored coats, as seen in the Prada and Calvin Klein’s fashion shows.

Add a touch of color to your style with the most fancy turtlenecks

If, on one side, the most classic colors like black, grey and blue are widely used in all men's collections, one of the major trends of this year is the use of color to brighten-up the wardrobe of men even more attentive to latest trends. There are lots of brand-new colors and prints:

• White, in various shades ranging from ice to cream, is chosen for the cutting-edge sweaters by Maison Margiela and Avant Toi
• Corneliani proposes many shades of blue and light blue for its refined and classic turtleneck sweaters
• If you love shocking colors, there are neon tones proposed by Calvin Klein and Raf Simons
• Givenchy and Burberry focus on color-block effect for their super-trendy high neck sweaters
• Logomania for the slim-fit turtlenecks by Balenciaga, Gucci and Alexander McQueen
• The checked print becomes almost optical in the Jil Sander's white and black cashmere sweaters
• 70s-style jacquard effects for Prada and Valentino’s buttoned pullovers
• Black and white stripes for Saint Laurent, Dolce & Gabbana, Balmain and Armani Collezioni
• Moncler and Tommy Hilfiger opt instead for multicolored stripes

Vintage look and colorful details for knit polo shirts

If the traditional polo shirts are made of cotton and are often worn with casual clothing, knitted polos become more elegant precisely because made of wool, which could be merino, alpaca, lambswool or cashmere, often mixed with silk to create even softer and luxurious effects.

The long-sleeved wool polo shirt, designed for example by Corneliani and Aspesi in neutral tones, is perfect to replace the shirt in combination with the classic blazer, to wear for a refined and aristocratic look during the day and even for business occasions.

If you love the vintage look so popular this year, there are the sailor-style navy blue models by Fedeli and the striped ones reminiscing the 50s proposed by Burberry. Stripes, this time in a multicolored version, also decorate the short-sleeved polo shirts by Missoni and Polo Ralph Lauren, while Valentino prefers jacquard patterns.

If you want a touch of modernity, you could focus on effects like the color-block proposed by J.W. Anderson and Kenzo or the contrasting chromatic details used by Gucci, Marni and Woolrich. Even white, loved by brands like Ermenegildo Zegna and Emporio Armani and usually considered as one of the most classic shades, becomes special thanks to soft yarns and unusual details, like in the 50s-style ribbed polo shirts seen on Tom Ford’s catwalk.