The turtleneck

In a season obsessed with precision, the turtleneck stands tall – not as nostalgia, but as discipline. Close to the skin, measured, and composed, it’s a trend that is not trying to seduce or shock the consumers, but it whispers timeless elegance.

Once a uniform of poets, philosophers, and Apple founders, it has always belonged to people with a sense of quiet control. To pull one on is to declare a mood – thoughtful, restrained, slightly aloof. Maybe that’s why every cultural reset brings it back: when minimalism returns, when chaos demands order, when fashion wants to feel clever, the turtleneck makes its comeback It would be tempting to deep dive into why minimalism is returning, but for now it’s enough to acknowledge that it offers an antidote to the modern stressors of overconsumption, clutter, and digital noise. People are seeking serenity and intention—a return to authenticity and core principles in art and design, where quality and meaning matter more than quantity. And that, precisely, is what the turtleneck represents.

This season, however, the silhouette has been recalibrated. It’s not retro, not nostalgic. It’s sharper, longer, and slimmer – a precision layer that reads like architecture beneath jackets. Designers are treating it as a structure, not a sweater. Fine-gauge merino and cashmere skim the body like scaffolding, sleek and close under tailoring. Sheer jersey versions push it into evening territory, all shadow and transparency, while rib knits add quiet depth to monochrome looks.

The new vocabulary includes zip-neck funnels, mock-neck tanks, and bodysuits that keep hems perfectly flat. Some come with scarf panels or thumb holes—a subtle nod to sport utility, an invitation to fidget. Proportions skew long and lean: sleeves that extend beyond the wrist, necks that climb rather than fold. This piece of clothing is so interlinked with the body that we could say it’s anatomy turned into aesthetic.

If the old turtleneck was intellectual, the new one, as we said, is architectural. Think of the collars at The Row and Loewe: almost structural in their discipline. Or the soft transparency at Miu Miu and Khaite, where a turtleneck becomes a frame for the collarbones.
Even COS and Toteme – the purists – are using it as a foundation layer, a base note of calm under louder coats and sculptural trousers.

There’s also some sort of sensuality in its precision. Because to conceal is, paradoxically, to draw attention. The fabric covers, but the outline speaks. Under a big blazer or a rigid trench, it becomes the balancing line, the tension between protection and allure. It’s quiet sexiness in the language of restraint.

Psychologically, the return of the turtleneck makes sense. After a decade of hyper-visible dressing – cut-outs, metallics, statements – the pendulum swings back to control. Elegance now lies in calibration: less skin, more shape; fewer words, sharper ideas. The turtleneck fits this mood perfectly. It’s warm, sleek, and almost meditative – a garment that insists on composure.

To cover the neck is to claim mystery: it’s a refusal to overexpose, a quiet kind of rebellion. In a season where even minimalism feels performative, the turtleneck stands as both a uniform and an escape – a quiet refusal within the quiet trend.

Because fashion, at its best, isn’t about showing everything: it’s about knowing what to hold back. And this season, the smartest thing you can wear is a little restraint, folded neatly in wool!

Coats

Every era has its coat moment. Audrey in her trench outside Tiffany’s, Max Mara’s camel coats in the ‘90s, the sculpted volumes of The Row today – all proof that the coat is never just outerwear. It’s the outline of character, the shape that stays when everything else has been stripped away.

This season, once again, the coat takes command: not just as protection from the cold, but as a statement of form: lengths stretch toward the ankle, shoulders curve into sculpted cocoons, and collars sharpen into architecture. We are in presence of a silhouette that is long, deliberate, and built with intent.

Designers are rethinking the coat as a study in proportion and precision. The robe wrap reappears, soft yet structured, its tie belt replacing buttons and formality. Double-face wools maintain structure without weight, allowing the coat to move rather than hang. We can see how the mood is quietly refined: the volume is measured, the details thoughtful, the eDect eDortless.

Sharp notch collars frame the neck with precision, while single-breasted, one-button fronts feel modern and composed. Hidden plackets and fine pick stitching show craft over ornament. Even functionality feels reconsidered: we see scarf panels that drape naturally from the shoulder, removable liners that extend the season, discreet pockets that do their work without fuss. These are coats designed with quiet intelligence and real intention.

Proportion is everything. The most directional shapes this season are columnar or egg- shaped, worn over slim knits and straight trousers so the volume reads intentional, never bulky. Long belts cinch the waist lightly, defining rather than constricting. Hemlines brush the ankle, elongating the figure and grounding movement. The result is elegance through geometry: soft edges meeting sharp intent.

Fabric is key to the mood. Double-face constructions and brushed wools give body without excess, holding the line like sculpture while remaining fluid enough to move. There’s a quiet focus on tactility – surfaces that invite touch but not attention. In neutral tones of camel, graphite, navy, and winter white, the palette supports the silhouette, not the other way around.

Shoulders tell the story of the season’s new restraint. Some are softly rounded, creating that cocoon effect that wraps without overwhelming; others are precisely tailored, their line crisp but unforced. This gentle architecture defines the modern coat – control without rigidity, structure without severity.

Even the smallest details feel edited for clarity. Pick stitching replaces embellishment, hidden buttons remove noise, and the whole garment speaks of purpose. Every seam earns its place. It’s clothing that behaves like good design: functional, calm, and enduring.

Despite the nod to the iconic coat moments mentioned earlier, this season’s designs carry no nostalgia. It doesn’t reference military heritage or vintage tailoring. It looks forward, refining the essentials of warmth, movement, and proportion into something quietly assertive. There’s power in the simplicity of its cut, and modernity in its restraint.

Because when the weather turns and the world speeds up, the coat remains what it has always been: the outermost layer of identity. A structure that moves with you, shields you, defines you. It’s long, sculptural, and intentional – this is the coat as architecture, the coat as calm.