Plus Size Outfit of the Day ~ January 12, 2022
Another cold one! We’ve been fortunate…it was mostly mild (of course, I do prefer the colder temperatures) right up through the new year. But now is that time of year when I WISH I HAD MORE CHUNKY TURTLENECKS! This 2-month period – Jan-Feb – is when that’s all I want to wear.
I don’t even wear cardigans as much this time of year cuz you’ve got the “open front” situation, and I want to be all closed-up and insulated in.
So the three sweaters I have in the “chunky turtleneck” category do like triple duty and then they go into hibernation again til next year.
Since they have such a small window of actual wear time, every year I’m tempted to let them go…WHY AM I HOLDING ONTO THINGS THAT TAKE UP SO MUCH SPACE THAT I ONLY WEAR 2-3 MONTHS OUT OF THE YEAR? And yet…TODAY is why. Yesterday is why. Tomorrow is why.
I’d like ANOTHER one. I think they’ll all make The Korea Cut cuz Seoul is, on average, slightly colder in the winter (and hotter in the summer) than NY. And I’ll be public-transporting to and from school, so out in the elements much more than now when all I do is walk to and from the car that’s parked like 100′ away.
Wanna help me pick a new sweater?? Wow, it seems like so long since I’ve bought something new! The only thing I’ve been REALLY craving is a pair of slouchy grey sweatpants for weekends. Which of these would make a good addition to the turtleneck family??
Cheryl
I really like the Treasure and Bond turtleneck, the burnt orange colour is beautiful, it looks warm and cosy. I really like the new format even though it’s summer here I’m learning lots about colour and style for winter, thank you Bettye.
bettyewp
The T&B seems the likeliest prospect for me right now. I have two other T&B sweaters that I really like and I think that color would fit in very well with the rest of the crew.
Ahh, summer. I remember summer 🙂
Penny
I do love that coat on you btw, very elegant and stylish. As for choosing a new turtle-neck I really liked the Eileen Fisher and then went oops at the price! So yes, the burnt orange one is my next best. Hope that helps 🙂
bettyewp
The EF is a beautiful sweater and would last me forever. Merino wool is SO nice, lasts and lasts and always looks fresh and new. Fingers crossed it goes on sale sometime this year!
Marian
The Joseph A comes in beautiful colors.
The burnt orange, old navy striped also get my vote. The Eileen Fisher is lovely but it’ll be June before it’s marked down enough to afford.
Moving to NJ from CA last year, I had no turtlenecks but when our cold snap hit last week, I bought one in red plum at the Talbots Red Hanger sale. I’ve worn it 7 days in a row.
It would be fun to see your sweater try-ons.
bettyewp
I’ve been obsessed with having a burnt orange sweater for a couple of years.I’m going to keep an eye on the Eileen Fisher…even if it’s late in the season when it goes on sale, an EF merino wool sweater will last me AGES.
Ha, same here when it gets cold…I find the coziest thing and wear it day after day (at home).
Pauline
I liked the Eileen Fisher the Belldini and the Old Navy.
bettyewp
I also love the Eileen Fisher and it does come in some beautiful colors. I’ll put it in my Shoptagr and see if it goes on sale later in the season. The Belldini is the pink one? I do love the color 🙂
jodie filogomo
No surprise that I love the colorful ones the best. I love the bright pink but that’s out of my budget. But the Old Navy and Treasure and Bond ones are amazing.
XOXO
Jodie
http://www.jtouchofstyle.com
bettyewp
I’m also very drawn to the hot pink one…but once I clicked into it I see there’s like a pattern in the weave of the body and to me, a feature like that can make an item look dated sooner than one with less detail. If it weren
t for that I’d put it in my Shoptagr and wait for it to go on sale.
I fear the ON ones might be shorter than my liking…it’s sometimes hard to tell from the way they style them.
But I really love my olive green Treasure & Bond sweater from two years ago (which is the same as that bright turquoisey one that everyone else loves more than me :-), so the rust T&B sweater might be a good choice. I may not like the big loose neck but…it might be worth a try. I do love the color.
marion
I like Eileen Fisher, but that mock turtleneck is going to be disappointing; it won’t give you the coverage/comfort that you are looking for. The Old Navy yellow/gold has a nice neckline, but the off-shoulder sleeves look baggy (wide). Joseph A plus’ neckline is weirdly dropped, and good luck wearing a coat over it (because of the dropped sleeves and wide body, it will be all bunchy under your armpit). J Crew striped is very very very short. T&B in rust looks like a good option, altho the neck might be too baggy and won’t give you that nice cozy feel you’re looking for. Sadly, not to be debbie-downer, I don’t like any of them
bettyewp
This is not “Debbie Downer”-esque at ALL. These are all valid points and exactly the sorts of the reasons that almost EVERYTHING gets passed on by me. I have SO many boxes to tick and don’t like what I don’t like (I mean, REALLY don’t like what I don’t like), that very few things pass muster.
I did have the same thought about the EF mockneck. BUT THE COLORS!!! Ha, color is my downfall.
Turtlenecks are HARD. And there are (for me) two categories: the turtleneck that goes UNDER things (the thin, very stretchy, very high neck that is a snug fit and never loses its shape), and the turtleneck that goes OVER things (or stands on its own)…like the couple that I have. But in that “chunky, loose, swingy” turtleneck model, you RARELY also find a snug, high-fitting neck.
I have to say this. IN THE US. In the US you rarely find a loose, thicker-knit turtleneck with a high-snug fitting neck. In Europe? Ireland? Scotland? England? The Scandinavian countries? Yes. In KOREA? Yes. What IS that? We have cold weather, too…why is it so much harder here to find good turtlenecks??
Don’t even get me started on MEN IN TURTLENECKS. Just don’t. I’m at work. It will be embarrasing.
What was I saying again? Oh yeah, both the Old Navy sweaters are very short. I like a sweater to come CLOSE to covering my lower belly. These are like jeans waistband length, which I didn’t really notice originially cus COLORS! STRIPES! Model position.
ON is one of the worst (along with Asos) about having models be so active in their posing that sometimes it’s hard to see how the clothing actually lays/fits. There should also be at least ONE pic with the model just standing up straight.
Yeah, the Joseph A might be the same situation as my navy Loft poncho turtleneck with the 3-quarter sleeves that need to be pushed up and it’s always weird under a coat.
I feel like due to the loose/swinginess of the cut, the shortness of the J Crew sweater would work better than the short but more-fitted bottom ON sweaters. Plus…THE COLORS! Ha.
Yeah, the downfall of the T&B sweater is the baggyish neck, but…if I wait to find EVERYTHING I want, I’ll end up with nothing. Ha. With all my turtlenecks I’ve had to make SOME concession, cuz they just don’t make the ones I like (in my size) in this country.
No comments about the hot pink sweater?? 🙂 Once I looked at that one close-up, I saw it has like a trellis pattern woven into the knit that I wasn’t crazy about…and it’s NOT on the sleeve (ARGH!) and “knit sleeves not matching knit body” is one of my THINGS.
So we now, between the two of us, have spent at least 30 minutes critiquing sweaters. What fun is headed our way next??
Marion
I spent the time because I am as fussy (or fussier) than you are, so I totally empathize. I have coveted your ivory sweater from your “About” page, with the camel coat and leopard scarf.
Each year, I spend way too many hours searching for the turtleneck of my dreams – heavy cotton sweatshirt, without a ribbed hem, preferably with ribbed sleeve cuffs, perfect turtleneck, machine washable, hang dry.
This year, I bought EF’s Washable Flex Ponte Funnel Neck Box-Top at a decent price on sale in Ivy; I like the feel-factor, the neck is adequate, but I’m disappointed in the length (too short) and lack of sleeve cuffs.
I also got Appleseed’s Scrunch Neck Velour Tunic – again, the neck is looser than I want, but the fabric weight feels good, length is better than the EF, it washes well, and the price is reasonable (on sale now for $30). Both the 1x and 2x fit, altho I prefer the larger size. Return shipping is not free. Fun color selection. No shrinkage after washing.
You’ve spoken favorably of a Jessica London cashmere/cotton blend turtleneck in the past… is it the rayon/nylon/cotton/cashmere one at the JL website, for < $50?
I was worried about pilling, so I didn't try it. Have you considered getting it in a different color, such as the Sunset Yellow?
bettyewp
FUSSIER THAN I AM?? ha ha ha ha ha ha YOU’RE FUNNY 🙂
Ahh, the ivory sweater is a shaker knit mockneck number (I just have a short neck so it almost reads as an actual turtle) from American Eagle in XXL. Most of their tops are too short on me but this one worked out.
My black Jessica London turtleneck has gone missing. I wore it on the plane home from California in November and don’t believe I’ve seen it since. I THOUGHT it was a cotton/cashmere blend…but the one on the website now that looks like it is rayon/nylon/cotton/cashmere. Anyway, it’s more a layering piece than a stand-alone piece cuz it’s pretty thin and with more of the cotton “temperature control” than cashmere. I can’t recall it pilling…and I can’t check it CUZ IT’S HIDING FROM ME.
The sunset yellow is a pretty color…maybe a little bright for me. I bought the chocolate brown one in the fall, but the sizing was quite different than the black one. Much slimmer and longer. Not a good proportion for me. I think I would get use out of the medium grey one but I’m worried the sizing will be like the brown one was.
The search continues.