Fall Essentials: The Shetland Sweater
In the continuation of our fall essentials guide with F.E. Castleberry of Unabashedly Prep, we arrive at perhaps the best layering piece for a true believer in Ivy League style. The Shetland sweater has long been a central piece in the wardrobes of educated New Englanders this time of the year, but it shouldn’t be thought of as just a prep school mainstay. It’s hard not to love the texture that you get in Shetland wool, which is it’s most immediately obvious trait. What isn’t quite as obvious, but also worth noting, is that most Shetland sweaters on the market are actually very lightweight because they are made with a looser weave, yet they are still very warm despite this.
For those interesting in purchasing a Shetland sweater to add to their fall wardrobe, you couldn’t have picked a better time. Of course, the keystone in this field is the Shaggy Dog sweater by J. Press–a fine option, but not the slimmest not the most affordable out there. We love the Gant by Michael Bastian option pictured in this post as it has a great striped color palette, which isn’t the easiest to find when it comes to Shetland. Along with this, Rugby is offering a variety of colors at a very attractive price point. It’s tough to go wrong with any of these, and we’ll bet that as soon as you pick one up it’ll become one of your go-to pieces to stay warm this fall.
LL Bean has very serviceable Shetland sweater for $39. It’s not a shaggy dog but not bad.
Who would say, “It’s cool enough for a sweater today, but I don’t need any socks?” That look has got to go, it’s like wearing the same underwear every day, with the shoes receiving all the sweat. Both footwear and foot care are important if we are to prevent the many problems relating to feet when we get older, and this starts with wearing the right socks with the right shoes.
I completely agree with Gary. The look (mixing too-casual with dressy) has got to go. I never understood the no-socks thing, other than with sandals.. I’ve even seen men dress similarly with flip-flops on their feet. I don’t understand why someone would wear nice clothes, and then try to mess up the look by wearing shirttails out, or improper footwear, etc. Casual Friday seems to have infiltrated every day.
I’ve had this debate with some guys I’ve worked with before about no socks with shoes men have been wearing this style for years personally I do like the look but for the most part I do wear no show socks. But the thing that kills me is the men who are always making these statements about what’s not appropriate to wear are usually the men who wear their suits two sizes to big and has three or four buttons on the jacket with no vents or haven’t updated their clothing in years.
I think common sense dictates people’s opinions about what is “appropriate”. I think that the fact that we’re even visiting this blog shows there’s a good chance that we are probably not wearing the ill-fitting, unvented, outdated clothing described in the last post. In the photo above, the model wears a shirt and tie, a wool sweater and slacks, but feels the need to eschew socks. The previous poster has stated that he likes this look. What “look” is he trying to achieve? Why do you like the look of bare ankles with an otherwise cool-weather outfit? I see certain “looks” when I visit Boston; looks that in my opinion are inappropriate, such as men wearing a ball cap with a suit. Or anyone wearing flip-flops (shower shoes) away from the beach. I think in America, overall, there is a push away from dressing well. The little rebellions that men show when they are otherwise smartly dressed- shirt tails untucked and peeking out from under a sweater or vest; the ballcap- say to me “I may be dressed up, but I it’s because I have to be, and I really really am hip”. It’s as if there is a sense of embarrasment at dressing well, and I lay full blame on the Peter Pan Complex that has gripped America for the last two decades.
Si chiama spretzatura!