A roll neck is a high collar, usually knitted in rib, that stands up around the neck and is long enough to fold or roll over on itself. It is the collar known in North America as the turtleneck: the two names describe the same garment feature. 'Roll neck' is the standard British and European term; 'turtleneck' is the American term, named for the way the head emerges from the collar as a turtle's does from its shell.
Roll Neck, Turtleneck, and Their Relatives
The naming causes genuine shopping confusion, so the distinctions used by most makers are worth fixing. A full roll neck / turtleneck is cut long — typically twice the depth of the finished collar — and folds down over itself in a soft roll. A mock turtleneck (mock neck) is a shorter stand of collar, about half the depth, that stands up but does not fold over. A funnel neck is wider and looser, standing away from the neck without folding. And the draped, unstructured cousin at the neckline is the cowl — see the cowl neckline guide.
The classic roll neck is knitted as part of the sweater in rib stitch, whose natural elasticity lets it stretch over the head and then grip the neck snugly enough to hold the roll.
A Short Social History
High rolled collars began as practical workwear — fishermen, sailors, and labourers wore them against cold and wind — then passed through polo players (the 'polo neck,' still a British synonym), beatniks and intellectuals, 1960s mods, and the black roll neck's long afterlife as the uniform of architects, designers, and stage performers. Few collar styles carry as many associations per inch of rib knit.
FAQs
- Is a roll neck the same as a turtleneck?
- Yes. Roll neck is the British/European name and turtleneck the American name for the same high, folding collar.
- What is a polo neck?
- Another British synonym for the roll neck / turtleneck — all three terms describe the same collar.
- What is the difference between a roll neck and a mock neck?
- A roll neck is long enough to fold over; a mock neck is a shorter stand that stays up without folding.
Detailed Guides: see Roll Neck in the glossary A–Z listing of the Apparel Search fashion glossary for related terms.