For approximately four years I thought a black roll neck was just like any other black jumper, except with extra material sewn around your neck. I was very wrong. Thank God I discovered this before buying one at full price. I actually purchased one last minute from TK Maxx before a work conference in 2019. Mine was cheap so by lunchtime it had inevitably rolled down and was looking more like a jumper version of sad sock cuffing. I will not make that mistake again. You know a good roll neck when it keeps its shape from your collarbones up. Literally, that is the test.
We want one that’s hefty enough that the knit has substance, so it moulds to your body but isn’t clingy, and stays put once you’ve moved your neck away from it’s resting place.
Goes too thin and you may as well wear a black t-shirt with questionable design decisions. Go too thick and you’ll be sweating by the second you walk into a room with central heating. There is a happy medium and once you’ve found it you’ll know by about ten seconds of having it over your head.
Style-wise it’s your bang**** Together jumper. Tuck it into some straight leg trousers with a blazer and you’re ready to power through an hour meeting in less than two minutes. Leave it loose with a midi skirt and boots and it’s 90% of your outfit, jewellery not required although a bold earrings will take you 100% of the way there. Throw it under a slip dress if you’re feeling brave. I thought that sounded silly too until I tried it on, saw how good it looked and haven’t stopped recreating the looks sincc. My workmate Priya laughed when she saw mine under a satin skirt and said “oh that’s annoyingly good isn’t it?” Best compliment that jumper has ever received.
Scenario wise it does a lot of background servicing. Job interviews, new(ish) job meetings, first dates when you want to give off some serious I-have-my-shit-together vibes, January after realising nobody else cares about Christmas post-people, funeral gatherings that we never want to go to, dinner parties at venues with horrid radiator systems. It’s also great for photographs. We take way more selfies than we care to admit and it makes you look put together even on days you spent half an hour just laughing at how rubbish everything is.
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