Our 30 favorite turtleneck sweaters at the movies – Reel

The outfit of the film? Black ankle boots, a khaki and velvet suit that you can find for example at Beatles and the Stones , Nick Drake , Nico and the Velvet Undergound . There's also a lot of nostalgia, interesting clothes and styles.

If the character of Bill Murray is secondary here, it is however difficult not to fall under the spell of his velvet outfit: Wallabees type shoes like at Padmore & Barnes, beige velvet pants, a purple turtleneck and a wool blazer. velvet whose color inevitably brings us back to the music of Astor Piazolla to make the whole thing sway. From Hong Kong to Buenos Aires, it is the story of an eternal beginning between two characters who attract and repel each other.

Among the film's great stylistic finds: beautiful plaid shirts that move away from the Gaucho style of Scott Frazer Collection .

There are obviously white tank tops, and perhaps a surprising addition for a film shot in these latitudes: a turtleneck. It's Leslie Cheung wearing it thick and presumably warm in the back of a taxi. For the rest of her outfit, classic and a hint of originality : boots, black jeans like this and a blazer in probably wool and checks. This is one of the most attractive outfits in the film.

If we will have to wait for “In the Mood for Love” to find a more sartorial elegance at Wong Kar-Wai, “Happy Together” confirms if necessary that the Argentinian air succeeds pretty good at the movies .

9. The most colorful: Steve Buscemi in “ Fargo ” (Joel & Ethan Coen, 1996)

For those who have never passed through the doors of Joel and Ethan Coen's cinema, two possible first entries: “The Big Lebowski” or “Fargo”. These two films wonderfully condense the somewhat zany art of the Coen brothers. If you like shirts , we can add “Arizona Junior”. What if you only had to choose one? Why not “Fargo”, for its atmosphere, its large white spaces and… Steve Buscemi’s turtlenecks.

The film tells the story of a kidnapping that goes wrong. Jerry Lundegaard needs money. His father-in-law is rich but stingy. So he hires two slightly strange guys to kidnap his wife and try to extract some money from his father-in-law. For common sense's sake, we'll come back. For the setting, imagine a frankly harsh winter in Brainerd, a small town in Minnesota which lives at its own pace, here rather slow, like many of its characters.

If we do not reveal not the rest of the story , we can, however, focus on Steve Buscemi's style: boots, a sheepskin coat, an almost red turtleneck and pants in the same vein , a good brown belt judiciously separating the two. Add a mustache and a chatty character and you will obtain a nervous and truculent character to say the least with the sweet name of Carl Showalter.

This is certainly not the most stylish character in our selection, but let's admit that attempting a kind of monochrome in such conditions does not lack panache .

10. The most original: Dominique Pinon in “ Delicatessen ” (Marc Caro & Jean-Pierre Jeunet, 1991)

If at the beginning of the 90s, the turtleneck was not yet quite back in cinema, the visual style of Jean-Pierre Jeunet's future highly successful films was already there.

While Amélie Poulain's garden gnome patiently bides his time, "Delicatessen" opens the doors to a universe that is both very personal and very stylized. There is character, black humor and yellow laughter, nostalgia and burlesque, Prévert and numerous nods to cinema.

So it's no surprise that the most original and offbeat turtleneck in our selection is that of Dominique Pinon here.

The story takes place in a building populated by strange characters: there are moo box makers, a frog breeder, a rather creepy authoritarian butcher and many other faces as singular as they are strangely familiar.

In this setting halfway between the postapocalyptic universe and postcard Paris, the building's new concierge is a former clown played by Dominique Pinon.

Here perhaps lies all his stylistic originality : he wears shoes, if not pointed , at least elongated, a textured brown suit, suspenders and a one-of-a-kind turtleneck with red, yellow, patterns and a slightly collared collar. fatigue.

It's not his only turtleneck. He does indeed have another one but unless you learn knitting, there is little chance of seeing it again other than in “Delicatessen”: it is red, with elephants and would certainly make a beautiful Christmas sweater. In our endearing character's suitcase there are also colored socks , a green blazer and a sailor top.

11. Most surprising: Michael Keaton in “ Batman ” (Tim Burton, 1989)

Is Batman a fan of the Cobra Belt ? Is the purple suit only available to the Joker? And what could possibly be the link between former Apple boss Steve Jobs and the taciturn Bruce Wayne? The answers to these questions can be (re)discovered in Tim Burton’s dark “Batman”.

You know the story: “Batman” is a masked vigilante, he likes the dark, gadgets, bats and hunting dangerous criminals. The setting is called Gotham City, it is a fictional city partly inspired by Chicago in the 1930s and the clothing style is to match: overcoats, suits and felt hats.

The casting is perfect, the film deliciously retro. At the forefront, Michael Keaton, Kim Basinger and Jack Nicholson provide the show punctuated by the music of Prince and Danny Elfman. Behind the scenes, Tim Burton pays homage to German expressionism and slips in some of his little obsessions. Let's admit that they are a little different from the ones you usually come across here .

The Joker played by Jack Nicholson sums up the question of style in a funny little sentence addressed to Batman: “Nice outfit! ". And indeed, Michael Keaton only shines here through the costumes of his true personality : if Batman has the monopoly on cool, Bruce Wayne's outfits are much more gloomy.

There is only one exception to this succession of gray suits and black tuxedos: a secret, casual and, frankly, a little surprising outfit, which is revealed at a key moment in the story. Glasses, black turtleneck, bleach jeans like here and probably sneakers. Doesn't this remind you of anyone?

12. Most professorial: Patrick McGoohan in “ Scanners ” (David Cronenberg, 1981)

If the golden age of the turtleneck in cinema is now behind us, nothing is lost: it will soon return, in force and in the favor of action and superhero films. In the meantime, he resisted here and there in the 80s.

As evidenced by “Scanners”, a very pivotal work in David Cronenberg’s cinema of body and mind. This fantasy genre film dates from 1981. It was released in theaters recently and it is aging well: we discover a Big Pharma type society, characters with strange telepathic powers and a Michael Ironside who is more disturbing than ever in leather jacket and turtleneck.

This is one of Patrick McGoohan's best roles in the cinema, but you perhaps know the actor better for his TV series: "The Prisoner", a cult series from the 60s and still relevant today, or still “Columbo” .

In “Scanners”, he plays the role of Doctor Paul Ruth: a slightly mad scientist whose style will perhaps remind you of your old science or philosophy teacher: autumn/winter atmosphere, bleached beard, dark turtleneck and pants, black moccasins, anthracite blazer with fine stripes. It's sober, classic, elegant. Add the glasses and you get a sort of caricature of the middle-aged professor.

The style trait here is to be found in the blazer and its stripes, the only notable “eccentricity” of an outfit deliberately devoid of colors. The beard, the haircut, the round glasses do the rest, reminding us at the same time how everything is linked: the body, the mind, the clothes. As a backdrop, a beautiful invitation to reflect on normality and difference.

13. Creepiest: Jack Nicholson in “ The Shining ” (Stanley Kubrick, 1980)

This Stanley Kubrick film is probably not unknown to you. It is inspired by a novel by Stephen King and in its genre, it is a classic. It is also a source of multiple inspirations for cinema, fashion or even music . 40 years later, nothing seems to alter its strength, not even the passage of time.

Here, Jack Nicholson settles with his wife and son in a large hotel lost in the middle of the mountains. He has just landed a job as a guard there, and the whole family is preparing to spend the winter isolated from the rest of the world. The son has strange powers, and the hotel in question is really not a place like any other.

You probably remember the key outfit of the character played by Jack Nicholson. It's a workwear model: Lee blue jeans, checked flannel shirt, Margaret Howell velvet jacket and work boots. For the record, these are Timberland type boots, but other more qualitative pairs like Un taxi mauve ” (Yves Boisset, 1977)

This will not have escaped you: light turtlenecks are popular in this selection, and for good reason, we particularly appreciate beige, white or ecru tones at BonneGueule, whether for tops or bottoms like here .

In Un taxi Mauve, Philippe Noiret also wears his light turtleneck sweater and wears a gentleman-farmer's outfit which could perfectly illustrate the point made by my colleague David in his Readers' Mail : a tweed hat, a Barbour -style khaki jacket, a beige turtleneck, solid brown pants (corduroy, for example) and a pair of all-terrain boots.

It's a style that adapts to all situations. Walks in the countryside, a trip to the local pub, dinner with friends or a quiet evening by the fire: in this forgotten film by Yves Boisset, you will hardly find anyone other than Fred Astaire to rival the elegance of Philippe Noiret. This is one of the American star's last roles, and for that alone, the film is still worth the effort.

For the decor: the lands of Ireland and their folklore . For the rest: a gallery of characters who have come to hide their secrets, a slightly outdated film and in the background an atmosphere that would not have displeased Bruno Cremer from the Maigret series. It's not a thriller, but there are still some puzzles to solve.

You will also find cable sweaters, Mac, shearling and some stylistic oddities that we don't know what to make of.

Like the film she shared a few years earlier with Sean Connery, Charlotte Rampling is once again disturbing and icy. She is dressed by Bruce Oldfield, wears Cartier jewelry and also light turtlenecks: this shows how this piece plays with the boundaries of gender.

16. Most melodramatic: Al Pacino in “ Bobby Deerfield ” (Sidney Pollack, 1977)

Just once, you won't find a Robert Redford in this film by Sidney Pollack . On the other hand, you will come across Al Pacino on European territory and on a completely different track than the middle one: “Bobby Deerfield” is mainly a love film, shared between melodrama and Formula 1.

Among what interests us: a camel turtleneck and everywhere else orange, beige and brown. If we except the reproduction of Matisse which slips on the screen for a while, these are the three colors to remember from “Bobby Deerfield”.

This is not trivial. It's even a clue for your next outfits, especially if you already own a cognac leather jacket or even our deer leather jacket. Otherwise, don't worry: it will come!

Because if “Bobby Deerfield” is valid for the meeting of Al Pacino with his future partner Marthe Keller, it also proves inspiring here and there through the prism of clothing.

It’s a film that makes you want to take a tour of Mahogany ” (Berry Gordy, 1975)

This may be a surprise for those of you who know Diana Ross as a singer: in this film produced by Motown, she is also an actress and a stylist and the least we can say is that her creations lack neither color nor vitality.

Also present in the cast: Anthony Perkins and Billy Dee Williams, the future Lando Calrissian from “Star Wars”.

If “Mahogany” is a film about fashion and its behind the scenes, it is also an opportunity to see other ideas for associations with the turtleneck. Billy Dee Williams' first outfits confirm this. We can do even cooler: shearling jacket, pink turtleneck, light blue jeans, brown boots.

So much for the first meeting, and what Billy Dee Wiiliams teaches us here is that the turtleneck in the cinema is not condemned to formal outfits.

In "Mahogany", Billy Dee Williams has a very impressive collection of sweaters. They come in all textures and colors: pink, but also red, white, purple, navy, brown... Although he most often pairs them with leather jackets, he tries a white turtleneck on several occasions. and the gray blazer and unsurprisingly, it’s very successful.

Diana Ross herself makes no mistake, for example when it comes to taking Billy Dee Williams shopping. If she strives to open his eyes to materials, style and quality, guess the piece she treasures from her wardrobe?

18. The most haute couture: Helmut Berger in “ A Romantic Englishwoman ” (Joseph Losey, 1975)

We can say thank you to the filmmaker Joseph Losey: among other things, he released “A Citizen Rebels ” (Enzo Castellari, 1974)

If we had to take only two things from "A Citizen Rebels", it would probably be this little piece of music and this incredible image of Franco Nero below.

If the name of this Italian actor doesn't mean anything to you, just note that his career has mainly developed around genre films: westerns for the most part, but also historical, detective and even fantasy films. More recently, you may have seen him in “Django Unchained” by Quentin Tarentino or “The Lost City Of Z” by James Gray. In 1974, he filmed this strange thriller with Enzo G. Castelleri from the poliziottesco wave .

His character is the victim of an attack. The police are powerless or corrupt. He then decides to lead the investigation and track down the criminals himself. It is not a masterpiece but a curiosity, particularly for its wide variety of Italian costumes. Franco Nero would for example be perfect in our Woody and the Robots costume” (Woody Allen, 1973)

If you have the feeling that Woody Allen makes the same film over and over again and that there's very little talk about style, it's a safe bet that this one won't change your mind.

Certainly, like his first films, it is burlesque that takes precedence here. But you will find the same signature typography in the credits, the same New Orleans spirit in the music, the same funny and gently neurotic characters in the casting. This way of making cinema summons the Marx Brothers as well as Ingmar Bergman, and that is what has made it so charming for over 50 years.

If we rarely think about clothes in a Woody Allen film, here is always one that shows what the wardrobe of tomorrow could be by placing its story in an improbable future: Woody Allen wakes up in 2173, after 200 years of a very long sleep caused by a medical error.

It's impossible to know if fashion or even the Earth will still be relevant. What is certain, however, is that the present of "Woody and the Robots" looks like a nightmare: a society of control, uniform and tasteless clothing like in George's "THX 1138". Lucas, robot tailors and computerized tailor-made products. If that doesn't scare you yet: imagine a suit, shirt and tie set all in white for the obligatory passage to confession!

If beautiful materials and character have disappeared from the clothes of the future, there is however one piece that is still holding up: the turtleneck sweater. It is here available in black or gray on the shoulders of Woody Allen and Diane Keaton. If the society in the film were freer and color was more authorized, we could risk adding a touch of burgundy, to go with the omnipresent black of the shoes and pants.

The couple is in any case perfect, the turtlenecks more timeless than ever but the most attentive among you will however notice one big absence: in 1973, no one imagined that the fashion of the future would be written with a Le Dernier tango in Paris ” (Bernardo Bertolucci, 1972)

Haunting music, twilight colors. Still crowned by the success of Francis Ford Coppola's "Godfather", Marlon Brando plunged the following year into one of Bernardo Bertolucci's most commented films.

“Last Tango in Paris” was born from a fantasy and it opens with the painting of Francis Bacon. Here are the first clues of a film which imagines for a time returning to the origin of the world and transforms the icon of the “Tramway Named Desire” into a real wreck.

Everything is possible: two men can love the same woman and have the same dressing gown, a woman can have a shoe fetish on screen and reveal herself costume designer behind the scenes .

From the first minutes, we discover an imposing but totally haggard man. He is 48 years old, walking slowly, looking defeated, with graying hair. He looks like a wounded animal. Haunted by death, Marlon Brando will here cling like a leech to all that there is of life and light in this story: Maria Schneider.

If there is something decidedly pathetic about him, this man still has the French Connection ” (William Friedkin, 1971)

Perhaps one day we will stop at the style of Roy Scheider in “Jaws” by Steven Spielberg. In the meantime, time for the film that revealed him to the general public: “French Connection” by William Friedkin, a gripping dive into the daily life of the police and the fight against drug trafficking. If there are many, many things purely cinematographic films to remember , clothing is not left out.

First of all, note: Gene Hackman's pork pie hat, a real gimmick or even a reference when it comes to illustrating this type of hat in cinema. We could also mention the elegance of Fernando Rey, one of the key actors in Luis Buñuel's cinema. But perhaps the most interesting thing is to be found in the versatile style of Roy Scheider. Nothing seems to scare him.

It thus appears in a workwear register from the first movements of the film: large black and gray checked wool shirt, light blue jeans and brown boots. With a few variations, it's the same kind of outfit as Kevin Costner's in " Shaft " (Gordon Parks, 1971)

“Right on!” » Another continent, another universe. The setting is similar to that which you can discover in the excellent American series “ music is by Isaac Hayes and you obviously know it: it is better known than the film itself.

If the name of director Gordon Parks doesn't mean anything to you, just note that he mainly worked in the field of photography, mainly photojournalism but also, and this is interesting for us, fashion photography.

“Shaft” opens on a winter morning. It’s a eulogy to the shoeshine boys of yesteryear, the leather and the turtleneck. It is also the most emblematic film of the blaxploitation genre. A filmmaker like Quentin Tarantino is particularly fond of this style and for the black community of the early 70s, it is above all a way of finally existing differently in cinema.

In the center, the impressive Richard Roundtree. This is the film of his career and here he plays the role of a wily and solitary detective who particularly appreciates leather: look instead at his collection of brown jackets and black jackets typical of the seventies.

In his wardrobe, you will also find brown pants, blazers and boots. But “Shaft” wouldn’t be “Shaft” without its chunky turtlenecks. In terms of style, it is even the centerpiece of the film, whether beige or black and know that our detective shares at least two things with Bullitt ” (Peter Yates, 1968)

It's no secret: Steve McQueen is among the actors most sought after by the press and fashion brands. For example, take a look at your Instagram feed: forty years after his death, the American actor continues to inspire the world of clothing and if we now talk much less about his films than about his outfits, you will find in “Bullitt” something to skillfully reconcile fashion and cinema.

Here he plays the role of a police lieutenant dealing with crime, politics and corruption: it's a thriller and it takes place on the streets of San Francisco.

It's an esthete's film, and what still stands out today is its staging, its particular relationship to time and to the music, here unforgettable and composed by Lalo Schifrin. If “Bullitt” has been copied dozens of times in the cinema, the same goes for the style of its main character: who has never dreamed of this brown shawl collar cardigan, this beige Mac or this pair of shoes repopularized by Sanders ? .

Some of you may have already taken the plunge, if only by drawing The Creatures ” (Agnès Varda, 1966)

“It was winter and nothing seemed alive.” This is perhaps a sentence that will stay in your head for a long time and that you will discover in Les Créatures: a film that could not be more strange, fantastic and insular which will make you furiously want Une Femme est une femme ” (Jean-Luc Godard , 1961)

Paris, at the dawn of the 60s. Let's open the ball with a portrait of a woman and a perfect illustration of what fashion cycles teach us about our time. Among the great lovers of Anna Karina in the cinema is Jean-Paul Belmondo.

Long before performing stunts, leather jackets and popular successes, the ace of French film aces turns several pages of history with Jean-Luc Godard, Jean-Pierre Melville and François Truffaut . For Belmondo as for Godard, the 60s will remain a period of great artistic intensity. As evidenced by “A Woman is a Woman”.

It is an imperfect film, as if in perpetual construction, with at its center a golden triangle formed by Anna Karina, Jean-Claude Brialy and Jean-Paul Belmondo. Anna Karina divides her life here between the music hall and Jean-Claude Brialy and she wants a child within 24 hours. So much for the countdown to this love story(s) to rediscover. If the sociological background seems a little dated today, the form is still as free, modern, full of ideas and fun colorful clothes.

We can see it in every way and always find the right amount of spirit, color and inspiration. This is also one of the strengths of filmmaker Godard. If you know nothing about the history of cinema, music, painting or literature, you will find a multitude of clues to follow in his films. This is also true for fashion, and not just for Anna Karina whose outfits are inspiring here.

When he filmed this revisited musical comedy, Jean-Paul Belmondo was not yet 30 years old. We are in 1961 and his character's style could easily fit into the 2020 picture: derbies, a gray coat with wide lapels, dress pants, a brown blazer and... a light gray turtleneck. The cuts have changed a little, but it's a very current outfit, simple and judiciously tailored for fall thanks, among other things, to its color palette.

The turtleneck plays its role fully here: warmth, sobriety, a hint of just the right amount of dressing which contrasts with the more formal and colorful style of Jean-Claude Brialy. This is a first successful example of a turtleneck + blazer combination. You will discover many more.

As for the phrase from the film, it comes back loudly to Anna Karina, when Brialy unfairly points out to her that her tartan dress doesn't suit her at all: "So much the better, I don't want to please anyone!" ". To meditate.