Sweaters Anyone Can Wear To Look And Feel Great

Tina, here.

Sweater weather is coming! At least in Nashville. Bad sweaters are terrible. Most of our clients need to update and upgrade their sweaters. Like shoes, people hold onto their sweaters way too long. And if you have any 100% low-quality acrylic in your closet, you are not allowed to wear it. (Not to confuse you, but there is good acrylic and bad acrylic, just like there is good polyester and bad polyester). One of the hazards of wearing sweaters is that they can be highly unflattering. Here are some of my favorite types of sweaters anyone can wear to look and feel great this season, along with some pitfalls to avoid.

A Perfect Sweater Wardrobe

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1. Fabric

Natural fibers pill. Every time. Cotton, wool, and especially cashmere. It doesn't matter if you paid $198 for your cashmere or $89. After about one season, you will see pilling. There is a fix. A sweater comb. A cashmere-blend will pill slightly less than a 100% cashmere sweater, by the way.

I love this sweater comb. Works every time. Box of 12 available here.

Here's what's wrong with poor quality acrylic. Everything. It's not warm. (Hello, sweater wearing 101 - supposed to be warm.) It's scratchy. It pills if you look at it. And it feels sticky when you touch it. It doesn't take well to dye. And I don't like it.

If you can't wear wool, look for viscose. It's a great man-made alternative that's hypo-allergenic.

2. Pattern

Pattern is difficult to carry off in a heavy yarn unless it's a fair isle or argyle knit, and those patterns are hard to carry off for totally separate reasons. So stick mostly with solids, and add interest with a patterned scarf.

You're going to see that my sweater wardrobe is almost entirely made up of neutrals, so I use jewelry and scarves to add that pop of color and pattern.

3. Shape

Oversized Sweaters

An oversized sweater can be so charming and cozy. And they are everywhere this season. If you're wearing a sweater that is heavy and bulky or made of a chunky knit, make sure it at least has some shape and that you wear it with something slim. Because you know what an oversized, bulky sweater makes you look like? Yes, that is correct. You appear oversized and bulky. So approach with caution.

Oversized sweaters need the height of a heel (even a low heel like my ankle boot is fine). The fact that the sweater is in a neutral, pairing it with a lighter color pant makes the whole thing seem less heavy. Also, notice how the chevron pattern tames the bulkiness and draws the eye in, creating a vertical line, rather than a wide, horizontal line across my body. This also keeps the cowl neck from overwhelming my frame. I just added a chevron pattern oversized sweater almost identical to this one in the November Style Vault, Style Notes.

Turtlenecks and Fisherman Sweaters

A turtleneck is very flattering and face=framing when you wear the correct one (high neck, no mock turtlenecks and cowl necks are tricky). The perfect turtleneck is featured in the November Style Vault.

Fisherman sweaters are BACK. Do you have a vintage one? Hold on to it. I have been seeing great vintage fisherman sweaters at the flea market for a couple years now. I hunted and found the very best one for you, and it's cotton, since most people suffocate under the real wool ones (I also added a non-turtleneck option). Scoop it up in the November Style Vault - it's one of my must-haves.

Cardigans

Please be careful with cardigans. They get "uncool librarian" real fast. To keep yours more "chic librarian," make sure it has some shape at your waistline. If you are an apple, you might want it to fall a little lower, like right at your hips.

If you need to create the illusion of a waist, fasten the middle button(s) to draw you in at the middle. I also love belting cardigans (shorter or longer) over dresses, by the way. One type of cardigan you may not wear: a shrug. Why would you want something to hit at your widest part, your ribcage? Oh, and no grandpa cardis, either. Perfect cardigans, Tina-approved, are in the November Style Vault, Style Notes. Cotton (on sale!) and cashmere, different lengths.

Waterfall Sweaters

If you don't wear fitted pullovers or traditional cardigans,, a waterfall sweater is for you. The key is to buy one with the layers in the front and not on your hips or on your bum. And we're back to my fave quote, good dressing is a game of millimeters. We see theses details in minutiae so you don't have to. Shop good waterfall sweaters inside the November Style Vault, Style Notes.

Crewnecks and V-necks

As with t-shirts, stick to v-neck and scoop neck sweaters unless you add a necklace to break up the neckline.

I consider my cashmere sweaters my winter t-shirts. When they get pilled, I just retire them to the sweatshirt category and wear them like I would, well, sweatshirts.

If you’re in the Nashville area, check out our amazing Nashville Wardrobe Consulting services, and don’t forget to join the Style Vault today to start shopping and saving on brand new items. Four new styles of sweaters just added to the November Style Notes!

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Thanks for reading and all the best,

Tina

I’m addicted to the vault! I can’t get dressed without you!

~ another happy Style Vault insider

Photos by Krissy Leigh Creative

https://www.flickr.com/photos/krissyleighphotography/