A crew neck is a type of shirt or a sweater with a round neckline and no collar, which is often worn with other layers for additional warmth and style in winters. The crew neckline style of clothing was first developed in the year 1932, to be worn as an undergarment for absorbing sweat, and was generally used by American football players. The United States’ navy was the first armed forces, which adopted crew neck design in t-shirts and sweatshirts. The term ‘crew neck’ comes from the word crew, as these type of shirts were worn by oarsmen or boatmen who formed the ‘crew’ of a ship or a boat.
As mentioned earlier, the crew neck sweaters feature a round neckline which sits perfectly around the collarbone. The neckline of the sweater is generally ribbed and stitched to the rest of the garment separately, which gives a raised and textured look. This makes it an ideal piece of garment when worn in combination with right clothes, and less ideal with the wrong ones. A crew neck sweater is often considered to be a casual cousin of V neck, and is generally not worn in formal settings. Both these forms of sweatshirts are very similar and worlds apart at the same time. The crew neck sweatshirts can be used as a layering piece in cold weather and as an everyday piece, making it a versatile piece of clothing. Unlike V neck sweatshirts that can be used only on few occasions, a crew neck pullover can be used constantly as a go to garment for comfort, layering and warmth. A crew neckline dress gives an inconspicuous line when layering, and that makes it an ideal middle piece of clothing, and can be easily carried off either under a jacket or under any other piece of knitwear.
Fundamentally, men’s crew neck sweater and crew neck sweaters for women are designed to keep the wearer warm, making it an ideal winter wear, but you must plan your outfit accordingly while donning a crew neck. It can be layered up or layered down depending upon how cold or warm the weather is. A crew neck also has an added advantage of being a light weight alternative to bulky jackets.
A crew neck shirt works perfectly as a light weight knitwear, which allows for easy layering. Due to this reason, thinner fabric materials are used in knitting the garment. Cashmere is the best choice of fabric when it comes to crew neck cardigan, sweater or sweatshirt, due to its exceptional light weight and warmth. Merino wool or a merino blend of fabrics are also good choices as they are lighter than other types of wool and are also great for temperature regulation.
The major difference between crew necks and V necks is in the shape of the neckline. Whilst crew neck clothes have a round neckline, V neck as the name suggests, sports a V shaped neckline. Both these styles of garments have their positive and negative sides and can be worn with different types of attires. A tie is a perfect accessory under a V neck sweater but can’t be worn with a crew neck sweater, due to the reason that where a V shape compliments the tie, a crew neck will completely cover the tie and render it useless.
Men’s crew neck sweatshirts and crew neck sweatshirts for women provide unmatched versatility and a time proof casual look. It is really hard to go wrong with this form of clothing. Today, this type of neckline is used in clothes around the world. Even in ethnic fashion, the crew neck design has become extremely popular for casual kurtis, kurtas,indo western tunics and ethnic inspired tops.
Styling Crew Neckline Clothing
Crew necks offer perfect dressing options for majority of the occasions, throwing a crew neck sweatshirt over summer clothes is a great way of dressing up for work, casual outing or a night out and it gives an easy transitional look to the wearer’s personality. The crew necks can be worn with casual t-shirts or tops underneath. The shirt or the top can be visible or not visible through the neckline, depending upon the look, wearer is trying to achieve. Crew neck sweatshirts with zippers, can be left open to give a more casual and trendy look. Contrasting simply designed crew necks with patterned shirts or colorful tops can create the most effective and eye catching look.
Unlike V necks, Crew necks are rarely paired with collared shirts. However, if a wearer has to wear these two clothes together, it must be kept in mind that the shirt must not look misaligned or square. Layering with a leather jacket, can complement this look.
For men, combining a crew neck with jeans and sneakers delivers an amazing look, whereas for girls a crew neck can be combined with skirts and ankle length boots to create the perfect casual street style.
