Unlike some garments, it’s obvious to anyone who’s experienced winter why the best men’s turtlenecks were invented. No other sweater keeps your neck as warm, or removes the need for a scarf entirely. But these days, that’s only half the appeal of a turtleneck. Because the best ones transform your whole aura entirely.
In snug cashmere, the right turtleneck can channel all the sophistication and sex appeal of Alain Delon and Mick Jagger. In hardy wool, you inherit all the confidence and wisdom of the saltiest fishermen. In other words: All the genteel associations of the garment are bestowed on the wearer—a kind of sartorial power you must wield with careful consideration.
Of course, like any classic item of men’s clothing, almost every designer these days makes one. So we took to the market, coming back with the nape-hugging knits that are actually worth your consideration. Below, our best of the bunch.
The Best Turtleneck Sweaters for Men, According to GQ
Best Overall Turtleneck Sweater: Uniqlo Cashmere Turtleneck Sweater
When crowning something the best overall, it’s a question of quality lining up with value. It’s no wonder, then, that Uniqlo’s claimed the top spot here. The brand’s cashmere has long punched above its weight, but their turtleneck fit is actually slightly more interesting than their other sweaters: the neck is just a little looser, which is undeniably charming, and the slightly longer length means it drapes in all manner of handsome ways.
Best Fisherman-Style Turtleneck Sweater: Heimat U Boat Rollkragen Sweater
Yes, this is the first of many roll-necks in this list. But given that the ones included come up to about the same height as a turtle, it felt right to show you your options. Also, wearing a truly chunky roll neck allows you to channel your inner salty sea dog, or even a Willem Dafoe-esque lighthouse keeper. To really lean into that, you want something heavy duty and thick, like Heimat’s U Boat Rollkragen sweater, inspired by the gear needed for truly bracing days at sea. Heimat’s knits appear in many of the world’s most discerning multi-brand retail locations—you’ll realize why when you put it on.
Best Cashmere Turtleneck Sweater: Alex Mill Judd Knit Turtleneck
No fabric feels as good on your neck as cashmere. It’s why the cashmere scarf industry exists—and also why Alex Mill chose to use it, and really celebrate its opulent capacities. Its Judd ribbed turtleneck is ribbed, and pre-washed so it’s even softer from day one.
Best Cotton Turtleneck Sweater: J Crew 1988 Rollneck Sweater
As its name suggests, J. Crew’s rollneck sweater was originally launched in the late 1980s. All these years later, it still hits. It’s made using a dense cotton knit, keeping it both breathable and structured, and channels the very best of the J. Crew archive – and all of the preppy references contained within it. (It even comes in a color palette that ranges from everyday black and navy to a statement-making blossom pink.) Sure, the roll neck won’t keep you as warm as a turtleneck would, but if you’re considering a cotton option, warmth likely isn’t your first priority.
Warmest Turtleneck Sweater: Drake’s Lambswool Submariner Roll Neck Jumper
On the subject of warmth, this made in Scotland, 100-percent lambswool jumper is produced every year, for one simple reason: It’s essentially a wearable radiator. Hailing from London’s Savile Row, Drake’s also knows a thing or two about tailoring, and fashion history: The design is inspired by the heavy duty knits worn by submarine crews during the Second World War. As you might expect, this means it’s also designed for the worst weather you can throw at it. But it’s not all serious—alongside this grey and a navy colorway, it also comes in a fun green version.
Best Formal Turtleneck Sweater: John Smedley Richard Turtleneck Merino Wool Sweater
British label John Smedley has been making knitwear for the best part of 250 years, so it knows its way around a sweater. The brand also caters to a more suited and booted crowd, and this thinner turtleneck (in extra-fine merino wool) is part of that, slipping easily under a blazer, and showing how a turtleneck can play as formal as it can fisherman.
Best Turtleneck Sweater for Fashion Guys: Our Legacy Funnel Neck Phantom Quotidian Wool
On the other end of the formality spectrum, Stockholm-based Our Legacy pushes the boat out in a different direction. The brand’s Funnel Neck sweater is made from a fine merino and finished with a ribbed design that runs along the sleeves, body and neck, albeit with a cut and shape that sort of does its own thing. That irregular knit is part of the plan, though: Our Legacy hopes that everyone will wear the sweater in a different way, and used a knit that will shape more to the wearer’s body every time.
More Turtleneck Sweaters We Love
Sunspel Waffle-Knit Merino Wool Mock-Neck Sweater
Banana Republic Cotton-Wool Cable Knit Sweater
Ralph Lauren Marled Wool-Blend Turtleneck Sweater
NN07 Richard 6611 Wool Rib Turtleneck Sweater
Auralee Cashmere Rollneck Sweater
Todd Snyder Oversized Interlock Jersey Turtleneck
Lemaire Relaxed Turtleneck
Land’s End Super-T Cotton-Blend Turtleneck Shirt
Loro Piana Ribbed Cotton, Yak, and Virgin Wool-Blend Rollneck Sweater
How We Test and Review Products
Style is subjective, we know—that’s the fun of it. But we’re serious about helping our audience get dressed. Whether it’s the best white sneakers, the flyest affordable suits, or the need-to-know menswear drops of the week, GQ Recommends’ perspective is built on years of hands-on experience, an insider awareness of what’s in and what’s next, and a mission to find the best version of everything out there, at every price point.
Our staffers aren’t able to try on every single piece of clothing you read about on GQ.com (fashion moves fast these days), but we have an intimate knowledge of each brand’s strengths and know the hallmarks of quality clothing—from materials and sourcing, to craftsmanship, to sustainability efforts that aren’t just greenwashing. GQ Recommends heavily emphasizes our own editorial experience with those brands, how they make their clothes, and how those clothes have been reviewed by customers. Bottom line: GQ wouldn’t tell you to wear it if we wouldn’t.
How We Make These Picks
We make every effort to cast as wide of a net as possible, with an eye on identifying the best options across three key categories: quality, fit, and price.
To kick off the process, we enlist the GQ Recommends braintrust to vote on our contenders. Some of the folks involved have worked in retail, slinging clothes to the masses; others have toiled for small-batch menswear labels; all spend way too much time thinking about what hangs in their closets.
We lean on that collective experience to guide our search, culling a mix of household names, indie favorites, and the artisanal imprints on the bleeding-edge of the genre. Then we narrow down the assortment to the picks that scored the highest across quality, fit, and price.
Across the majority of our buying guides, our team boasts firsthand experience with the bulk of our selects, but a handful are totally new to us. So after several months of intense debate, we tally the votes, collate the anecdotal evidence, and emerge with a list of what we believe to be the absolute best of the category right now, from the tried-and-true stalwarts to the modern disruptors, the affordable beaters to the wildly expensive (but wildly worth-it) designer riffs.
Whatever your preferences, whatever your style, there’s bound to be a superlative version on this list for you. (Read more about GQ’s testing process here.)
