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The Men’s Sweater Style Hierarchy

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sweaters info graphic by dappered

Comments

  1. Man, shawl collar cardigans and chunky/cable knits get the shaft here. I’d live happily without the first four sweaters.

  2. “Also looks fantastic on a significant other, especially when they’re wearing nothing else.”

    The only acceptable use of a jersey, in my opinion…

  3. A lot to dispute here (agree with DrBenji that shawl collars are grossly underrated – should be #2 after v-necks), but your ranking of turtlenecks is simply indefensible. Yes, they’re tough to pull off, but when it works, they’re fantastic. Also, they’re top-tier in versatility – can do anything from Steve McQueen to Sterling Archer’s tactleneck to slightly off-kilter formalwear. And ranked above it you have… the half-zip mock-neck, that pinnacle of the Dadcore “can’t be bothered” hierarchy. (And for what it’s worth, button mock-necks are really no better.)

  4. Great defense of sweater vests especially the jeans suggestion. Luvers gonna luv!

  5. I divorced my sweater vests and have been happily dating shawl and standard collared cardigans. I like how a thicker cardigan can revive usage of less than trim, patterned button-down shirts.

    When I need a sleeveless fix, I rock my suit separate vests.

  6. Agreed. I have a few turtlenecks that I bring out in cold weather when I don’t want to wear tie with a suit. The vibe (I think I’m giving) is confident and serious.

  7. I’m a big fan of turtlenecks myself. Doesn’t mean they’re easy to pull off for the majority though. I think they’re a little like a velvet sportcoat. Limited use, but when done right, it can look great. It can also look goofy in a hurry.

  8. As I was scrolling down, I was hoping that the turtleneck would be black. The “Duchess” reference is good enough.
    Man, she really loved that dog.

  9. Spot on Joe. I wore a cardigan to work the other day and the “Werthers Originals” comments came fast an furious. The shawl collar cardigan was much better received but I am still better off in a blazer on cold days.

    This is why I own so few sweaters now I am in my 40s.

  10. I think the key to turtlenecks working is not necessarily the event or occasion (as would be the case for velvet sportcoats, in my understanding), but the wearer. As you’ve identified with the sweater vest disagreeing with gentlemen that are wider around the middle, a turtleneck is going to look bad on people with short necks. For those with long necks, turtlenecks look very distinguished. (Sort of a tradeoff for the current short-collar trend.) I will agree that it’s harder to dress down plain wool turtlenecks than v-necks or crew-necks, but they look excellent dressed up with a sportcoat.

  11. I think you prity much hit the mark here, but i would personally put aron and nordic knits in the same category. it is undeniable that they are rather casual, but they both have this strangely masculine feel and both go great on a hike with your pup and your gun or on a boat hauling your sheep to the new world

  12. I would certainly put shawl collars and regular cardigans as a very smart casual item, but have you thought about a simple v-neck or a fair-isle that is on the simpler side under a blazer? I find this to be a very nice way to incorporate a sweater and spice up and outfit without going too far from the sport coat norm.

  13. Personally, not a big fan of v-necks. They can be done well, but too often it’s a v-neck sweater of a white crew-neck undershirt. Or over a button down, with the undershirt visible underneath. I generally hate both looks.

  15. Joe just seems very opposed to bulky things. I personally love it and think it looks way better, but I get his thinking, and that is why he puts cardigans and chunky/cable knits so low. In my opinion anyway. Note even for crewnecks he doesn’t like lambswool or anything with any heft to it, just advises merino, the thinnest fabric.

  16. I look quite young, but my cardigan drew a Leave It to Beaver comment the last time I wore it to work.

  17. I think the point might be versatility. I can think of 2-4 ways right off the top of my head to wear the first few sweaters. Yes, I’d love to rock a big ole chunky Aran direct from the motherland…but if you want to wear it 4 days a week, people are pretty much going to take notice. Not that there’s anything wrong with that, I’m just saying if you boil it down to dollars per wear, you get more for your buck out of the first few (if you’re looking at it that way).

  18. I’ll be there for you
    (When the rain starts to pour)
    I’ll be there for you
    (Like I’ve been there before)
    I’ll be there for you
    (‘Cause you’re there for me tooooooo)

  19. The temperatures fluctuate wildly here so I need a sweater I can take off easily (i.e. not over the head). Also I am 6’3″ and 225 pounds so most sweater designed to stop at the waist are too short.

  20. Maybe it stems from a lack of decent turtlenecks from Dappered brands?

    I don’t mind seeing them get dissed- I like wearing them but I’d hate to see everybody else turning up in one. I don’t want my office to look like the set of Love Actually

  23. I’m not sure heirarchy is the right word – I think mosaic might be a better descriptor. Depending on what else you wear it with a Fair Isle print or chunky cable knit sweater (or even turtleneck) can look much more interesting – in a good way – than a solid V neck or crew. Basically, there are situations where one of these other sweaters ranks above the solid V neck style-wise, and a heirarchy that inverts itself is not really a heirarchy.

  27. Personally i think the cardigan (especially a trim merino one) should be a little higher up but I know it’s not a look everyone loves.

  28. Sadly I only have one of these, but at least it is #1. I think I see #5 through #8 more than #3 and #4 but maybe i’ve just been reading too much Dappered.

  30. I just can’t get away from how much more practical cardigans are. It’s so rare that I want to commit to wearing a sweater all day long, indoors and out. I really like the utility of unbuttoning and/or taking off a cardigan as needed.

    Currently saving up for a SNS Herning one…

  32. I still rock the couple sweater vests that I have fairly often, (though mostly at work without jeans). They are great. Well-fitting, (from J Crew a few years ago) and fairly lightweight.

  35. I’m sorry, but I despise turtleneck sweaters. It feels like a really weak midget is trying to strangle you all day.

  37. I’m not even 30 yet, and I was blasted for looking like an octogenarian librarian. Then again, I work with a bunch of rubes.

  38. It’s pretty amazing the 180 I’ve done on cardigans over the last 2 winters. Hell I didn’t even like v-necks a few years ago, now I can’t fathom a wardrobe of all crew necks. I have found the plain neck cardigan comes with a fair amount of Mr. Rogers jokes at the office (even from a female Senior Partner!), but I roll with them 🙂

    Shawl collars, on the other hand, are surprisingly easy to pull off (and flattering) for casual nights out. Don’t get any flack there. Ha.

  39. Shawl Collars are generally high on my list too but I the versatility of a V-Neck trumps it….but not by much. I’m generally ALWAYS having a shawl collar in rotation.

  41. I love shawl cardigans. I consider them to be incredibly versatile. Sometimes I like to layer a shawl cardigan with a denim jacket. Looks great.

  42. I guess I just don’t buy sweaters planning on wearing them to the office 4 out of 5 days in a week. I like to mix it up. But a cardigan you can throw on at home and wear 4 out of 5 days super easily.

  44. No, versatility can be a part of style thoug. Not everyone loves a shawl collar cardigan. I myself like em, but not everyone does, and they don’t always look good in every situation in every fabric on every person. The rankings were an attempt to balance timelessness with trends, wearability (layering a shawl w/ a blazer = nope), even cost (v-necks are almost always cheaper than shawl collar cardigans, for example), and could be used as some as a guide for what to stock their closet with. It’s about overall bang for the buck. Looks, functionality, etc. All of the bang. Bangitude even. I wouldn’t think too hard about this one.

  47. Hey, at least they are on the list! My favorite type of sweater, the mock-neck cardigan, doesn’t even appear in the article. Here are a few quick examples I pulled from a quick google image search: http://imgur.com/a/vaklA

    The mock neck frames the face, the buttons (if not hidden) can add visual interest, the bottom button can be left undone to help alleviate some of the bunching at the waist (especially important for slim/skinny guys) and they can be worn a variety of ways with different numbers of buttons done & undone. They can be dressed up (over a collared shirt), dressed down (over a shirt with no collar), or even worn as outerwear (depending on the sweater and weather).

    If you’re slim to skinny, like me, this may be one of your only options in the sweater hierarchy. Here’s why: most sweaters have elastic waistbands that will cause some bunching around the midsection. If your chest/back isn’t much wider than your waist, any bunching at the waist almost makes it look like your waist and chest measurements are the same, which isn’t a very flattering look.

  48. I love cardigans. Ungodly amounts. Shawl or standard chunky or thin. Layering isn’t that hard.

  49. I wouldn’t happily live without them – I love #1 for layering in the
    fall and winter. But I agree that cable knits are getting the shaft.
    To me, it’s almost impossible to compare some of these. Yes, they’re
    all sweaters but blazers and parkas and trenches are all coats and it
    would be difficult to rank those in a hierarchy, since they serve
    different functions. Sweaters may not be quite that drastic a
    difference but they’re still distinct enough that I couldn’t put one
    above the other without some sort of context.

  52. No rollneck, Joe? I’ve been wearing the same J Crew charcoal rollneck since the early oughts. More casual than a turtleneck and great for a casual night out.

  53. Couldn’t agree more, and am surprised this is not a bigger theme at Dappered. Between low armholes and waistbands I have not been able to find a decent fitting sweater in years. I have a black mock that almost works, but the length is just a bit too short.

  54. I don’t have one, but I really like the idea of the 6.5, the quarter button shawl collar, I think I saw it here a week or two ago, and it looked really sharp.

  55. Fuck sweater vests. I am a hater, and I will hate, thank you. And while we’re at it, fuck three piece suits.

  57. I agree, Hence the top two choices are spot on, but patterns before a plain shawl collared Cardigan? I’ll pass, not much versatility with the patterns either to justify it. But then again even as I write this I feel like an idiot telling you your OPINION is wrong lol