I have always loved knitwear, and especially sweaters .
To have variety, you can play on the color, the texture, the thickness... and the collar.
In this regard, there is one sweater collar that I find underrated and that has caught my attention lately: the funnel neck.
It sits higher than a classic crew neck, but lower than a turtleneck.
A late discovery
For a long time, I wore the crew neck almost exclusively. A sure bet in any wardrobe, it has never let me down.
Then around 2019 I started to get tired of it.
This is when I started wearing the turtleneck .
And it was at this same time that I discovered the chimney collar, with the release of ours:
Our first turtleneck sweaters: three elegant wild cards for your wardrobe
This type of collar was not really offered by brands a few years ago.
Yet, we've all seen it before. Indeed, the black sweater that Steve Jobs wore all the time was not a turtleneck as we sometimes think. It was a funnel neck :
Steve Jobs in 2009. Ron Galella Collection/Getty Images
Try it, you'll love it
My first turtleneck sweater was acquired in 2020. It is a sweatshirt from the ABCL Garments brand.
Lightweight, in Japanese fleece and with a high collar, I found it to have a certain charm, a certain uniqueness compared to other sweatshirts on the market, which are sometimes in Japanese knit but never have such a collar.
It's original while being discreet. It fits well with my vision of style.
A few months later, I let myself be tempted by a second chimney collar from the NN07 brand. I like the combination of this collar with a very warm fawn color.
When wearing it, I liked the soft feeling around the neck, which is slightly caught but not too much.
I was convinced.
From there, you could say I went into a bit of a tailspin. I had a bit of an obsessive period where I started hunting down funnel necks everywhere.
This period results in the obtaining of five pieces:
- A well-made long-sleeved t-shirt
- A well-made cotton/linen sweater. Very light and with a beautiful mottled look, the sweater collar does not squeeze the neck.
Yes, there is a small hole to be mended on the top of the collar.
- Our turtleneck sweater in green and ecru. It's a really beautiful piece!
The ecru model worn here simply with gray pants ( Oliver Spencer ) and burgundy loafers ( GH Bass )
- Another thick ecru NN07 sweater, with a bit of synthetic admittedly (22% polyamide) but a great color, a great look
A fairly thick chimney collar. You don't see them everywhere.
The brown sweater NN07 having been sold in the meantime , I currently have six turtleneck sweaters in my closet.
Just that!
I really liked this little original detail , which stands out because you hardly see it. It is also not at all difficult to wear: a funnel neck is worn like a round neck.
Its intermediate protection is very useful in mid-season . Being quite sensitive in the neck, this additional fabric is very useful to me.
I also find that like the turtleneck, the funnel neck has a chic, elegant side , which fits well into more formal outfits.
Of course, it is made for layering . The collar stands out well under an overshirt, jacket, coat or windbreaker.
In short, the funnel neck is, in my eyes, an “augmented” round neck.
My list of brands to find turtleneck sweaters
Chimney necks come and go among brands.
Not being an essential collection, they do not explore it all, or not permanently.
Here are the brands I have to suggest for you to find some.
Entry level
- Uniqlo : This is new for the 2021 collection. I had never seen a high collar from them before. Avoid the models from the Uniqlo U range, visually interesting but full of synthetics
Uniqlo Sweater
Mid-range
- Paris Yorker : good value for money, many colors available
- Paname Collections : another good value for money
- Mr.P : always on the right track when it comes to style, the brand is offering a funnel neck sweatshirt this season.
- Hartford offers a beautiful donegal funnel neck on their fall/winter 2021 collection
- Peregrine Clothing : The brand's turtlenecks are out of stock as I write this, but maybe they'll come back in stock?
- NN07 : not the best value for money, the brand has the advantage of having flair for this type of product. The choice of colors and textures is quite fair. Be careful about the compositions, about the presence of synthetics
Nice sweater NN07
High-end
- John Smedley , for James Bond's funnel neck. Worn by Daniel Craig on one of the posters for the film Spectre, among others.
- Eric Bompard , for cashmere turtlenecks
Awesome. Inis Meáin Sweater
The details that make your style identity
This reflection made me realize something.
The fact that I'm kind of fixated on this type of sweater says something about me, about my vision of style.
On each garment, we can find one or more distinctive elements:
- On a shirt, this could be the shape or length of the collar.
- On pants, it could be its height or its closure.
- And so, as we talked about here, on a sweater, it could be its collar.
In our stylistic journey, we are not interested in these details first.
And that's normal. At the beginning, we check the composition, the color, the cut, which are the important and structuring elements of a garment.
It is at a later stage that our taste becomes more refined, that we no longer look only for clothes whose cut suits us or whose composition is good.
We keep these criteria in mind of course, but we go a little further: we look for clothes that have elements that touch our stylistic sensibility.
It is from there that we become interested in details, that we build a more personal style, that we develop our own style gimmicks.
This is how we end up having clothes, colors or associations that are unique to us.
There is the one who is always in a suit and tie, the only one who is in a suit and tie . There is the one who is always in white pants and loafers .
And there's the one wearing a mock-neck sweater with high-waisted, baggy pants , suede shoes and a deconstructed blazer .
That's me! These are signature elements of my style , which has become more precise over the years.
And you, who are you? What are the elements of style that characterize you?
