Polo neck

A man wearing a folded turtleneck

A polo neck (UK) or turtle neck (US) or skivvy (Australia) is a garment—usually a sweater—with a close-fitting, round, and high collar that folds over and covers the neck. It can also refer to type of neckline, the style of collar itself, or be used as an adjective ("polo necked").

A simple variant, the mock polo neck (or mock turtle neck), resembles the polo neck with the soft fold at its top and the way it stands up around the neck, but both ends of the tube forming the collar are sewn to the neckline. This is mainly used to achieve the appearance of a polo neck where the fabric would fray, roll, or otherwise behave badly unless sewn. The mock polo neck clings to the neck smoothly, is easy to manufacture, and works well with a zip closure.

Casual wear

Seamen and menial workers began adopting polo necks as workwear at the turn of the 20th century. Over time, polo necks became acceptable casual wear -- though usually for men only -- and clothing designers began to make a range of light polo necks in a variety of colors. Their adoption by Noel Coward in the 1920s turned turtle necks into a brief middle-class fashion trend, and feminists made them into a unisex item. In the 1950s the black polo neck became a distinctive mark of existentialists.

Absorbed into mainstream American fashion by the mid 20th century, the turtle neck came to be viewed as an anti-tie, a smart form of dress for those who rejected formal wear. Senator Ted Kennedy, pianist/conductor Vladimir Ashkenazy, conductor Seiji Ozawa, singer Barry Manilow, scientist Carl Sagan, and Apple Inc. co-founder Steve Jobs were among those often seen in turtle necks.

Women's wear

Woman in an unfolded polo neck.

Over time it grew and as a women's wear, it become a fad, amongst teenage girls, especially in a lightweight form that emphasised their figures. It was not long before Hollywood was also exploiting this image as part of the sweater girl look.

By the late 1950s the "tight turtle neck" had been adopted as part of the preppy style amongst students, a style emphasising neatness, tidiness and grooming. This would become an important aspect of the turtle neck's image in the United States. The look would filter through to Britain and Europe in a watered-down version.

See also

• Beatnik
• Lacoste
• Polo Ralph Lauren
• Polo shirt