Europe Turtle neck–like garments have been worn for hundreds of years, dating at least to the 15th century. They were originally designed to protect the necks of knights wearing chainmail. Royalty adopted high-neck fashion, with the height and volume of the neck ruffle indicating status. From the late 19th century on polo necks were commonly worn by fishermen, manual workers, athletes, sailors and naval officers. Since the middle of that century, black polo necks have been closely associated with leftist radical
academics, philosophers, artists and intellectuals. The polo neck jumper became an iconic symbol of the French philosopher
Michel Foucault. Polo necks also became a big fashion for wealthy young men after they were worn by European film stars
Marcello Mastroianni and
Yves Montand.
Greta Garbo often wore polo necks and trousers privately, as later
Audrey Hepburn would do in official photographs.
Vladimir Putin of Russia,
Andreas Papandreou of
Greece, and
Emmanuel Macron of France are examples of European leaders who are fond of wearing polo necks.
United States At the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries the high neckline blouse became a fashionable option for young women as part of the emergence of the
Gibson Girl. Their adoption by
Noël Coward in the 1920s turned polo necks into a brief middle-class fashion trend, and
feminists made them into a unisex item. Absorbed into mainstream American fashion by the mid 20th century, the polo neck came to be viewed as an anti-
tie, a smart form of dress for those who rejected
formal wear. Senator
Ted Kennedy, pianist/conductor
Vladimir Ashkenazy, conductor
Seiji Ozawa, philosopher
Michel Foucault, shipping tycoon
Stavros Niarchos, singer
Barry Manilow, scientist
Carl Sagan,
Oracle Corporation co-founder
Larry Ellison, and
Apple Inc. co-founder
Steve Jobs were among those often seen in polo necks. Disgraced
Theranos founder
Elizabeth Holmes deliberately copied Steve Jobs' style in wearing a black polo neck. Over time it became a fad among teenage girls, especially in a lightweight form that emphasised their figures. It was not long before
Hollywood was also exploiting this image as part of the
sweater girl look. By the late 1950s the "tight turtleneck" had been adopted as part of the
preppy style among students, a style emphasising neatness, tidiness and grooming. This would become an important aspect of the polo neck's image in the United States. Hippies were often seen sporting turtlenecks throughout the 1960s and 1970s. Very elegant polo necks of silk or nylon knit, especially made with French cuffs for formal dress affairs, have also seen success in American fashion. ==As an alternative to the necktie==