The Zesty Turtleneck Styling Trick I’m Stealing From New York Fashion Week

I went into the New York Fashion Week Fall 2026 season looking for one specific thing: zest. I have seen all the greige scarf coats and stealth-wealth outfits I need to see. I want fashion with funk—runway looks that sound ridiculous on paper, but when draped, sandwiched, and styled by someone with a keen eye for color and texture, come together in harmony.

Fortunately for me, Zankov’s Fall 2026 runway was a feast of so-wrong-it’s-right combinations. The no-longer-emerging brand layered striped turtlenecks under short-sleeve sweaters, unbuttoned polo knits, and printed, zig-zaggy jackets. One sweater stack was a three-layer zest fest: an electric-orange striped turtleneck beneath a gray quarter-zip, topped off with a sequined navy tube top.

These oddball layering formulas hit me like dopamine as I watched from my seat on the sidelines. Best of all, I knew I could recreate the magic at home by reducing the runway looks to the simple styling trick that anchored each one: a pop of color, courtesy of a contrasting turtleneck.

The styling tip is as straightforward as it sounds: a thin turtleneck sweater, typically in a punchy color or print, worn under a contrasting top layer. I saw it again at Ashlyn, where the master craftswoman clashed chartreuse turtleneck tops with dark hourglass blazers and white peplum tunics. Rachel Scott used the layering trick in her divine Proenza Schouler Fall 2026 debut, splashing ribbed watermelon-red turtlenecks against black wool outerwear. Graphic, black-and-white cheetah-print sweaters also turtled out from retro car coats at Carolina Herrera.

Tory Burch had the honor of unveiling the sexiest take on the contrasting turtleneck trend. Her runway featured sheer pumpkin-orange and lilac turtles layered under grey herringbone blazers or cropped trenches in high-shine black patent leather.

The American sportswear designer is known for her slightly left-of-center staples and runway stylings; she called the lineup for Tory Burch's Fall 2026 show, a mix that "reflects how women dress now: by instinct, not by rules." Burch takes basic outfit components—a top, a trouser, a loafer—and gives them enough quirk to feel complex without pushing them out of the realm of wearability. Her lightweight, see-through turtlenecks, paired with outerwear you likely already have in your closet, were no exception.

These were all less outrageous than Zankov’s more-is-more-is-more turtleneck combos, but I found them refreshing all the same. I’m more confident I can pull off red clashed against black, or a semi-sheer sweater worn under a business-y blazer—versus a printed turtleneck stack that clashes six colors together. (Six! That’s not a rookie move.)

This is the genre of NYFW styling tip that keeps me up at night, because I’m too eager to wake up and try it myself the next day. But even I have to remember: It's about the principle more than the look itself. Here, it's simply a contrasting turtleneck—whether that’s in color, print, or transparency—worn under a top layer with a different vibe.

A turtleneck pop is an especially clever trick to try now if your bundled-up winter outfits have started to feel stale. We need all the layers we can get with a sub-zero wind chill and more frigid days on the forecast. Why not make it a zippy turtleneck that gives you an energy boost?

Shop the Contrast Turtleneck Trend