Five thick and surprising turtlenecks – Carte blanche to… Nicolò

I recently published an episode of (Very) Well Dressed about the turtleneck.

I explained very specifically how to choose it : its color, its cut, the way it fits into an outfit depending on its thickness...

But you may have noticed that I didn't include a selection.

And for good reason: this is not the role of (Très) Bien Habillé, a series of weekly videos for which I set myself the challenge of containing as much advice as possible on a specific subject, in 5 minutes .

Despite everything, the opportunity was too good, especially for a piece that so many of us appreciate. I wanted to show you some models that inspire me...

And particularly, thick turtleneck models.

What the thin sweater cannot offer you...

As I explained in this video, the thin turtleneck is above all a basic .

We can have it in slightly stronger colors, it's true.

You can also, if resources allow, choose it in a rarer material, such as cashmere, alpaca, camel or yak .

But in the end, with rare exceptions, its texture and visual complexity will remain somewhat limited by its weight.

The fine turtleneck draws its strength from the other pieces with which it is combined.

While the thick turtleneck provides the ideal support to impress the eye.

All this material, these possibilities of varying the gauge, the knitting stitches, of twisting threads of different colors together... The potential to make it a "centerpiece" is there.

On the other hand, it has two big disadvantages: it is less versatile , and above all, it costs an arm and a leg.

Consequently, there will be no “cheap” part in the eight models that I am going to present to you...

But I still tried to offer you a good compromise between the “Grail” pieces that grab your heart and break the bank, and models that are a little more affordable. 😉

I also wanted to select rather “surprising” pieces rather than beautiful classics, to emphasize the variety of what is possible.

1. An Affordable Classic Twist – Bosie

Bosie is a brand that has already appeared in our columns.

It's simple: if you want a good quality Shetland sweater at a very affordable price , this is undoubtedly one of the best addresses.

Obviously this one is not a Shetland but a sweet “Geelong” lamb groin . Logical, because you would have to have really tough skin to wear a turtleneck in Shetland, a rustic and fairly rough wool.

It is, moreover, made in the United Kingdom...

Which is usually quite pleasant, but obviously, since Brexit , makes it a little less accessible for all Europeans.

Beyond that, it has little to envy of sweaters from a range above , apart from the fact that its cables are the most original on the market, and that its slightly straight and loose cut will perhaps require you to take a size smaller than usual.

It's a nice gateway to the quality thick turtleneck.

2. Not quite "rolled", but still... - Brut Clothing

Okay, it's not EXACTLY a turtleneck.

I cheated a little.

It's a funnel neck. In other words, this pass rises, but does not “roll”.

But honestly, have you seen how handsome he is?

And then, in truth, they are two pieces which play the same visual role : both adorn the neck and the face.

And both shine with their potential to be combined with all kinds of tops.

There are several reasons why I selected it:

First of all, it offers a very particular vintage cut (which we are not surprised to find at Brut ): short, fitted, voluminous above the waist, and emphasizing a ribbed edge. very large.

It may shock our eyes accustomed to modern standards, but if you watch my last episode of (T).BH , you will know why I have a particular interest in it...

Then, a slightly strong color didn't hurt this selection , and I, who am extremely picky when it comes to yellow (always too bright, too primary, or too pale and dull), I almost let myself be tempted on several occasions...

Finally, for a thick turtleneck made in France , it is offered at a more than reasonable price.

Small downside: there are currently only sizes S left, and only yellow and green are on sale. .

However, I would be surprised if the brand didn't reissue it, so it's worth checking out again later.

3. A mouliné that does not stir up air - Barbanera

target="_blank" rel="noopener">Barbanera is a brand that I don't know much about personally, but which has made a name for itself in menswear.

His wardrobe is quite difficult to describe: it ranges from the very chic striped flannel suit, to the western shirt, including printed summer shirts and cowboy boots.

A little chic, a little rock, a little Americana, in short.

And when I came across it on The Rake, I was surprised to see that it came from them.

What caught my eye about this sweater was its very pronounced texture which, from a distance, seems to reflect a lot of light , while keeping a relatively dark color base .

Looking closely, we understand the trick: it is knitted with threads of multiple colors , ranging from very dark brown to white, including a light brown, which forms the link between the two.

The result is this impression of having a dark sweater (dark brown base), with luminous “reflections” , thanks to the light brown and white.

The price seems relatively low to me for this type of product. I was also expecting a nasty surprise about the country of manufacture, since it was not mentioned by The Rake...

But it seems according to the brand's website that it is made in Italy .

So: sweater that seems quite thick, reasonable price, Italian manufacturing, beautiful cable, and very nice texture... It doesn't look bad, don't you think?

The only thing that completely escapes me is why The Rake decided to say he was "Blue-Brown" .

Where is the blue? I'm going to end up wearing out my eyes looking for it in the middle of this tangle of colored threads...

4. Heavyweight “handmade” twists – Monitaly

The “real” style of Irish fisherman cable sweater, old-fashioned, for those who want a truly rustic sweater.

Yes, I know: an Irish fisherman's sweater, made in Mexico by indigenous artisans, sold by an American brand called "Monitaly" ... it's funny.

A big rustic sweater, I said, but which, unlike the sweater your grandmother made for you when you were little, is made from beautiful merino.

Undoubtedly softer than the famous "woolkigratt" , the variety of wool specially designed to make children hate sweaters.

And above all, with all due respect to your grandmother, I am not sure that she could have made twists of such complexity.

Finally, it is spun and knitted by hand ... But what does that mean exactly?

A modern industrial sweater is knitted on mechanized looms, and most often automated. Same for spinning.

“Industrial” simply means that technology, the production line and automation are replacing human hands and manual tools .

In contrast, “handmade” (or “artisanal”), in the strict sense, therefore means the absence of machines.

The interest of handmade therefore lies above all in its relative rarity due to the modernization of clothing, and the singular charm that it can produce, including in the imperfection brought by the hand of man.

And here we have a typical example of the interest of handmade: the extremely rustic and vintage rendering of this sweater, its relief, which could not have been obtained on industrial knitting machines.

It is therefore not automatically superior to industrial. It doesn't give it any magical properties. It's just different.

It goes without saying that given the rarity of this know-how and the colossal human time they require, both the brand and the customer pay a high price...

Therefore, you will rarely find "real" hand-knitted sweaters produced in wealthier countries, such as France or Italy.

Not only because the prices would be absurd, but above all because I don't know if there is still a workforce capable of doing it.

In short, it's a beautiful sweater, which will appeal to those who are sensitive to this fragment of tradition in danger of extinction.

5. The ombré effect - Inis Meáin

There, we arrive at the "Grail" level sweater: in the price as well as in the result.

It's hard to talk about high-end sweaters without mentioning Inis Meáin : if there's a brand where you can buy a knit that's unlike any other anywhere else, it's probably this one.

It constantly stands out for its creativity, while drawing on the traditional techniques of the Irish island where it was founded.

It's an 80% merino, 20% cashmere sweater, which is very nice. But that’s not really where we should turn to explain its price.

Because there, things happen on a single sweater.

To begin with, you have this famous “ombré” effect.

Originally, I believe it was popularized by Begg & Co, a (Scottish) brand specializing in luxury cashmere scarves.

The idea is to succeed in creating color gradients on fabrics (or knits, like here), without resorting to a print , or even "tie & dye" or other techniques where the we dye the garment afterwards.

Everything comes from knitting .

Witchcraft? No, but technical prowess, yes!

If you look closely, you will see the same process as for the Barbanera sweater: threads of multiple colors twist together to create a larger, nuanced yarn.

The difference is that instead of creating a "mouliné" over the entire sweater, here, the distribution of these colored threads is done in such a way that, gradually, we change the dominant color as the color increases. 'we go down on the sweater.

At the very top there are more burgundy threads, then more and more light brown threads, then there starts to be blue threads, then gray, then more and more gray and blue, then the burgundy disappears ...

Well, I take back what I said: in fact, it is indeed witchcraft.

The knitting game is not left out either: we have "raglan" sleeves. But be careful, not normal raglan sleeves , oh no, no... Remember, we established that it was a sweater knitted by witchcraft.

Instead, the ribbing of the sweater changes direction right in the middle of the body, and this diagonal knitting extends to form the sleeves of the sweater.

Perhaps my technical expertise in knitting is lacking, but I have the impression that this sweater is not even "re-knitted" , but knitted in one piece.

And if it's remeshed, then it's one of the most refined remeshes I've seen.

...

So, have I managed to convince you of the potential of the thick turtleneck to become the jewel of your winter outfits?