Autumn’s Best: Sweaters

Written by

Sweater season is most surely upon most of us in the Northern Hemisphere and after a long summer it feels quite nice to be able to bundle up. The trouble for many guys is that they only like investing in shirts and outerwear because they see these as the “necessities.” While it’s true that the only time you’re likely to run into a sweater-mandatory event will be the corporate Christmas party, that doesn’t mean that sweaters are somehow below these other two pieces in your wardrobe. They add tons of complexity in layering that you just can’t get from a simple jacket and tie combination, but are also convenient to toss on if you just want something simple that you don’t have to worry about. If the latter sounds like you, then Inis Meain is a name you might want to add to your vernacular. The Aran-based knitting company has started to catch the eye of many in fashion, most notably Barney’s who started carrying the brand this season, by weaving cashmere into traditionally tougher Irish sheep wools to create blended knits that are at the top of their class. This red donegal crewneck features a 70% wool, 30% cashmere blend has just the right color to wear on its own without being too loud to layer with other pieces.

Speaking of the Aran Islands, they may be getting a nice revival in popularity from Inis Meain, but their real claim to fame is in their “Aran sweaters,” which are often called fisherman’s sweaters and feature prominent cable knits usually on a cream-colored wool or cotton. The trouble with most Aran sweaters is that they cost a ton due to the labor of the knitting, but look no further than J. Crew this season to offer one at a very reasonable price point. It has everything you’re looking for in a classic Aran sweater, so if you’ve been waiting to pick one of these up then there may not be a better time than now.

Graphic sweaters aren’t on the radars of many guys, and often times they’re compared to the graphic t-shirt with scorn. It’s a shame, though, as the graphic sweater can be one of the coolest items out there when done well. As evidence for this claim, one needs to look no further than Michael Bastian’s fall collection for Gant and check out the graphic mountain sweater that was one of the shining pieces of the entire show. The design is fairly simple, as is usually the case with good graphic sweaters, and it has the perfect snug fit for a sweater that you’ll want to be able to wear on its own. While this might not be for everyone, those who want something a bit more artistic in the wardrobe should give the graphic sweater a serious look.

Finally, we arrive at the most classic and enduring of all of our suggestions. Columbiaknit’s French Terry sweatshirt is the kind of sweater that guys like Paul Newman probably had 5-10 of in their closet and wore the hell out of. It’s the kind of sweater that works best with a pair of patched up jeans and boots. Sure, it’s not a Brunello Cucinelli cashmere crewneck, but what this doesn’t have in luxury it makes up with soul. Coming in both classic grey and navy, this is about as good of a kickaround sweater as you can find. Looking good without trying often comes back to wearing timeless pieces with the right silhouette, so if that’s your formula for success then this is your kind of sweater.

Tags: , , ,

Comments

One Response to “Autumn’s Best: Sweaters”
  1. Felix says:
    November 14, 2011 at 11:04 am

    Wow, that Gant sweater reminds me of an old Lillehammer 1994 winter olympics sweater I have in the back of my closet =) Love how retro it looks

    Reply

Leave A Comment