A Collared Neckline Is the Frumpiest; Scoop and Boat Necks Score Zero
Fashion · Frump score
of frump-or-flattering verdicts on collared necklines were “too frumpy”
Source: Statwren, The Anatomy of Frumpy (2026). Share of “too frumpy” among frumpy and flattering verdicts, threadcurve.com, Feb 19 to Sep 22, 2026. Collared n = 108 verdicts; scoop 12; boat 10.
“Too frumpy” is the most common reason readers of a fashion publication for women over 40 give for rejecting an outfit. Splitting those verdicts by neckline gives a clear ladder: the collar sits at the top, and necklines that open the collarbone sit at the bottom.
The turtleneck result is the surprise. It covers more than a collar but reads far less frumpy, which is one of the clues the full report uses to argue that frump is about shape, not coverage.
Scoop and boat necks have small samples, so read the zero as “readers did not call them frumpy”, not as a precise measurement.
From the report
The full report scores 102 garment variables, shows which combinations fail and ends with an 11-point de-frumping checklist.
See the full report