Welcome back to the Gentleman's Gazette! Today's video is all about sweaters. We discuss the
history from the Aran Islands and Guernsey, all the way to the different styles, v neck
and crew neck, the materials, the fit, the quality construction, and everything else
you should know about this wonderful wardrobe staple.
Sweaters are also known as jumpers in Great Britain and they are a casual wardrobe staple
that is wonderful during the colder seasons of the year. They can be made of many materials
such as cashmere, wool, cotton, alpaca, or blends thereof. Overall, you want something
that does not pill, that lasts you for quite a while that is soft on the skin, that keeps
you warm, without making you sweat unnecessarily. You want it to fit properly in the shoulders,
in terms of shoulder width, you want the sleeve lengths to be exactly the length you want,
and it should not be too baggy around your midsection or too tight around your bum. Personally,
I"m a big fan of classic style sweaters that means, I'm not really fond of zippers. I'd
rather go with toggles or buttons. At the same time, I want v-necks and crew necks and
shawl collars and we will discuss all of these styles and when to wear them in today's video.
Sweaters are not a formal garment. They are wonderful if you are at home, or in a casual
environment where you want to be comfortable and when range of movement is essential. Sweaters
are a lot better than any kind of tailored garment when it comes to range of movement
and comfort.
So how did sweaters come to exist? if you go back in history and look at the 15th century,
you can see that fishermen from the island of Guernsey wore these kinds of garments for
the first time. They were made of a tightly spun knit wool because that's what they had
available and it had to last and keep the fishermen warm and protected even in the roughest
of seas. Eventually, fishermen from outside of Guernsey picked it up and they called them
gansey. Once the gansey had been adopted by the Royal British navy in the 19th century,
later on, there was also the fair isle sweater, again, named after geographical location and
it became really popular in 1921 when the Prince of Wales famously wore it and had a
portrait painted of himself. Later on, the young playwright Noel Coward, for example,
popularized that turtleneck sweater style and especially these days, turtlenecks are
rather popular again when worn with jackets or even suits. Between the 1920s and 70s,
a lot of film and rock stars wore sweaters. Errol Flynn, Cary Grant, Michael Caine, Steve
McQueen, or many many others helped keep sweaters and different styles in fashion. If you want
to learn more about the history of sweaters and more intricate details, please check out
the in-depth guide on the website, here.
When it comes to sweater styles, here are the basics that you need to know.
First up is the crew neck style which is the original fisherman style. It means, it sits
very close to your neck and protects you from the elements and it's round. While this is
a very functional style, I personally prefer the v neck style which I'm wearing here right
now.The advantage of the v neck is that it is made to be worn with a collared shirt,
in this case, a button down shirt, and blends itself very much to be worn with a necktie.
Because of the deep cutout, you can really see the tie versus with a crew neck, you would
hardly see the tie at all. aybe if the crew neck is cut out a little bigger, you can get
off with a bow tie and that looks quite nice but if you want to wear a necktie or a collared
dress shirt, I think the v neck should be your choice of sweater. If you don't care
about neckwear but you want to stay warm all day long, consider a turtle neck. They can
come up with just one layer which is not as advantageous because usually, it gets flimsy,
I prefer the ones that are folded down all the way because they give your neck a nice
roll. You can have problems if you have strong beard growth because the hair may poke the
sweater and create a pilling. That being said, the turtleneck also known as mock neck, polo
neck, or roll neck, can be an elegant option that makes your outfit softer, especially
if it's something like a suit or a nice jacket. I sometimes see people wearing it with formal
evening wear, however, that is wrong. And if you want to learn more about the proper
way to do it, check out our black tie guide or our white tie guide here.
Another style that is less popular but I personally like a lot is the shawl collar style. It's
called that way because it's round and while it's not quite the shawl collar of a jacket,
it just provides a different look. A shawl collar sweater is actually a descendant from
sweaters that GI's got in America. While it is great to have a heavy sweater on a cold
day outside, it can be a curse once you get inside, you are just overheating. If you go
from the outside to the inside a lot with lots of changes in temperature, a cardigan
is your best friend because it can keep you warm when you are outside and you can unbutton
it or take it off easily when you're on the inside. In recent years, the half zip sweater
hs become popular which usually features a sweater on top around your neck. Personally,
I find that it looks rather odd and I'd rather prefer toggles or buttons or a shawl collar.
Another style is the so called tennis sweater which is a white sweater with a very deep
v neck cut and it usually has colored elements around the collar area and if you want to
learn more about this interesting sweater, please check out our club, cricket, or tennis
sweater guide, here.
A not so well known sweater is the command or wooly pully which is a very tight fitting
crew neck sweater with epaulets.It evokes some military resemblance and personally,
I'm not a huge fan of it but if you are, go for it. The reinforced elbow patches and shoulder
epaulets certainly make for a unique look.
The comfort level of a sweater depends hugely on the material used for its yarn. One of
the most popular materials and one of the most expensive ones is cashmere because it's
soft. As you know, the cashmere fiber comes with cashmere goat, it is very fine with a
diameter of usually around 14-6 and a half microns. The longer the cashmere fibers are,
the better the yarn is going to be. And the longest ones are about 36mm or about 1 and
a half inches long. You can learn more about cashmere and the different qualities in our
cashmere guide on our website here. When it comes to cashmere sweaters, you may sometimes
see the name 2 ply, 3 ply, 4 ply, or even more plys. Basically, the number of plys tells
you how many yarns are twisted together into one yarn. The advantage of doing that is the
higher the number, the thicker the yarn usually is, and the more resistant it is because it
has simply more strands and more fiber. So an 8 ply or 9 ply seater will generally be
much heavier than a 2 ply sweater.
A very underrated material for sweaters is alpaca. It comes from a Peruvian mountain
animals and is extremely soft, almost as soft as cashmere, at the same time, it is more
insulating because the fiber is hollow with an air chamber that just protects you better
from outside elements especially winter. Another advantage is that it's elastic, it does not
have any lanolin such as wool which makes it perfect if you have allergies against lanolin.
The most traditional sweater material is definitely wool. As I mentioned before, the first fishermen
used wool to make their sweaters. And at the time, it was rather coarse and rough wool
that felt scratchy and anything but soft on their skin. Today, sheep breeders have made
great advances and the wool diameter is sometimes as low as 15 microns which brings it in a
cashmere range. That being said, I still sometimes like sweaters that is made out of that slightly
rougher wool because they are usually more hard wearing. For sweaters, you sometimes
see merino wool which usually implies it's a lower diameter and it is a specific kind,
unfortunately, it is not really a protected term and people use it arbitrarily. If you
can get your hands on a fine merino wool sweater, you can get a very thin layer that is more
insultaing that let's say cotton but at the same time, perfectly suited for layering during
the colder days of the year. That being said, cotton and linen sweaters are still rather
popular during the transitional seasons because they add exactly the warmth you need without
making you sweat. Of course, both of these fibers wrinkle a little more and sometimes
you will find very open knits for even summer versions in warmer climates.
Probably the majority of sweaters today is made by certain kinds of blends so wool, or
cotton is either blended with nylon or polyester or sometimes they are all made out of nylon
which is less expensive and soft but at the same time, they are more prone to pilling
and you are also more likely to sweat in them. The bid advantage is that they are less expensive
so that sweater is the number one produced sweater today at the same time, we believe
that a quality sweater will last you for a lifetime and the cost per wear will be low
and it has a low impact on the environment because you are not wasting materials and
resources. Now that you know all about materials, let us discuss the fit.
First of all, you want the bottom of the sweater to cover the hem at least by a little bit.
If you have high waisted trousers, you can have a shorter hem, but you can also have
a longer hem. So I suggest you buy sweaters in the length, so your shortest rise trouser
is covered.
The next element to look at is your shoulder seam. Sometimes, sweaters are way too big
or way too small but the end of the seam should always sit on your shoulder bone. In terms
of sleeve length, you ideally want the sweater to end at the base of your hand. Some people
like to show a little bit of cuff, others prefer to show none at all. It's simply a
personal choice. In the 90s, sweaters were popular that were rather baggy with lot of
excess material around your waist. Personally, I don't think it's a very flattering look
because sweaters have these elements that keep them tight to your body especially at
the waist and you have a lot of flobbering material on top of it, it makes you look like
a potato sack. Therefore, go for something that is not overly tight and constricting
but lays close to your body.
Just like with the regular suit or jacket, you want your armholes of your sweaters to
be rather small and tight because the knit allows you to be still flexible and when you
lift your arm, your entire sweater won't come up. If you have large armholes and you move
up your sweater, everything is pulled up and it looks unfavorable..That being said, most
people start with plain sweaters which are just fine, however, if you want a thicker
sweater, sometimes they get those braided elements which is very typical for an Aran
sweater. On the other hand, a fair isle sweater has very particular patterns and lots of colors
that ties them altogether and it makes it very easy to combine with all kinds of jackets
such as tweed jackets or flannel jackets, or any other kind of garment you would wear
during the winter. If a full sweater is too much for you, I suggest you go with a sweater
vest which is basically a seater without any sleeves. I personally love that to wear with
jackets because it does not add any bulk to my sleeves but it keeps me warm on my body.
I suggest you go only with v-necks because then you can wear a nice tie with it which
rounds out the outfit and is a great vest or waistcoat alternative.
Last but not the least, let's discuss a few do's and don'ts of men's sweaters.
Do store sweaters neatly folded rather than hanging because if you hang them especially
on thin hangers, they will stretch over time because the weight will pull them down and
when you wear it, you will have excess material on your shoulder area that looks quite bad.
Do minimize the number of dry cleanings and washings of your sweater simply because the
more often you wash it, the more prematurely it will age and wear out. I suggest you go
with undergarments such as a dress shirt, maybe a t-shirt if you want crewnecks or an
undershirt but always make sure to have a layer between your sweater and your body and
your sweater will last a lot longer.
Do wash your sweaters according to instruction label and make sure you take a look at it
before you buy it. Some sweaters, even if they're regular merino wool sweaters, are
marked as dry clean only which means you have to dry clean every time which can be rather
costly and if you have a modern washing machine, there's usually a soft cycle for wool and
for cashmere so you can wash them in your washing machine. Of course, that is at your
own risk but I suggest to go with things that you can wash on your own at home, it will
be better because you can use the right detergent, you can be gentler, and it will save you money
in the long run.
Don't automatically reject an itchy sweater. Sometimes, especially old wool sweaters can
be a little more itchy but if you wear them with an extra layer, you will likely not feel
the itch, and at the same time, it's very hard wearing. It will protect you well, and
it will be a great companion for years to come.
In my opinion, don't wear zip sweaters unless you are in a very casual environment and you
really like them. Go with toggles or buttons, they always look superior.
Don't pull or clip loose threads on your sweater because that may lead to it coming undone
completely. If you find that you have a pull in your sweater, try to pull it in all directions
so the fiber can go back in then wash it and steam it, and if it's a natural material,
it should go back in shape.
Don't wear a visible t-shirt underneath your sweater because it looks rather cheap. Instead,
try to go with an undershirt that has a deep enough cut that won't show your crewneck or
anything underneath your sweater. Or go with a dress shirt, it's a little more dressier,
but in my opinion, it's a better look.
Don't wear sweaters with French of double cuffs because they are simply not made for
that. Always go with a barrel cuff with buttons that is round just like the sweater. Having
cuff links with a sweater will always mean they are either covered or you see too much
of the cuff, and it looks sloppy.
Last but not the least, don't toss a pilling sweater. if you have natural materials, even
artificial materials, eventually with friction, you will see pilling. With the lower end sweater,
you will see pilling much more quickly and frequently and in recent years, there has
been a tendency for sweaters that are softer which oftentimes mean it's a shorter fiber
but it also means you get pilling much more quickly. For example, I have a red Ralph Lauren
sweater that's really old and in cotton and it's a great quality and it hasn't pilled
until now. I had newer sweaters from Ralph Lauren as well that had much more pilling
after just a few times of wear and I had to eventually toss them. In the meantime, I used
a pilling cutter but I think it should be a last resort because by doing that you are
shortening the fibers and you are just accelerating pilling growth.
So to avoid pilling. Ideally, you invest in a quality sweater with long fibers so it will
take a long time to pill and even then, it will just be a little bit in areas where there
has lots of friction such as underneath your arms.
In today's video, I'm wearing a vintage Polo Ralph Lauren sweater that is kind of tennis
sweater inspired because it has the v-neck, it has the colors, but it's a dark green which
I think is a wonderful color for fall and winter. I love the dark green color because
it matches well with sand tones, with all kinds of brown tones, with blues, but it's
not blue but nevertheless, it's a dark color. It has grey, yellow accents around the collar
and has a nice deep v-neck which looks particularly good when worn with a neck tie. As you can
see, you can also wear it without a necktie. My shirt is a made to measure shirt, with
mother of pearl buttons and a button down collar, it's soft and it has a red blue check.
My trousers are sand colored chinos from Polo Ralph Lauren,. I had them hemmed with a very
tall turnup cuff because that's what I like. I'm wearing them with a pair of dark burgundy
oxblood cordovan boots from Allen Edmonds and to spice up the look, I added some white
or off white boot laces from Fort Belvedere which can just help to change the entire look
of your boots. In order to tie it together, I'm wearing a pair of burgundy and off white
shadow stripe pair of socks but because they are boots that go above the ankle, you would
probably hardly ever see them.
Now that you know all that you must know about sweaters, please check out the guide on our
website for some recommended brands and more details and sign up to our email newsletter
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