Why The Shawl-Collar Cardigan Should Be Your Go-To Winter Layer

Another “holiday season” is officially over.

The past couple months have taught me a very valuable sartorial lesson, which is that the shawl-collar cardigan should be one of your go-to winter layers moving forward.

Given all the holiday-related festivities, you probably have attended a bunch of family dinners, friend get-togethers, and work functions recently. Normally, I’d wear a sport coat for these events, but even for me, sometimes a sport coat can feel a little… much.

Sure, I could wear my rumpled, tweed jacket at my in-laws’ house while we drink wine as the kids open presents, but I sometimes feel certain occasions warrant something a little more cozy and casual, yet still elegant.

Look, I’m the first guy to tell you that it would do you some good to put on a jacket. But even I can admit that sometimes a jacket is a step too far. So what are we to do if we still want to look put-together in those scenarios? Is there a middle ground between “nice casual” and “sport coat”?

Yes, there is. That’s where the shawl-collar cardigan comes in.

What I love about the shawl-collar cardigan is that it fills the same niche as a sport coat, it just does it in a softer, more relaxed way. It essentially does what all those “casual sport coats” try to do but fail.

A shawl-collar cardigan is an elegant over-layer that can still function as a load-bearing garment (just like a sport coat). Its lack of structure, though, definitely gives off a different vibe than even the roughest tweed (which still registers as a certain level of formality).

A shawl-collar cardigan is the slight step down from a sport coat you’ve been looking for.

Now, I’m purposely making a distinction between a shawl-collar cardigan and a regular cardigan. Regular cardigans will just look like a common sweater to most people. Shawl-collar cardigans on the other hand are much more eye-catching.

Since more of the fabric sits higher on the body, compared to a regular cardigan, the shawl-collar serves essentially the same function as the lapels of a sport coat, which make a man look stronger and more manly.

A regular cardigan, depending on the cut, can actually accentuate the appearance of a man’s midsection since that’s where the majority of the fabric resides when the garment is buttoned. A shawl-collar cardigan, on the other hand, adds visual heft to a man’s shoulders and gives the impression of a strong chest and neck.

Also, because a shawl-collar cardigan has less structure than a traditional sport coat, it fits much more easily under different types of outerwear. Generally, if you’re wearing a sport coat, you need to wear either a proper overcoat over the top, or something like a Barbour jacket which is cut with a bit more ease to allow for the heft of the sport coat. With a shawl-collar cardigan, you can wear your barn coat or your leather flight jacket without worrying about it fitting properly. And yes, you can still wear the overcoat.

A shawl-collar cardigan is a great choice for when you want to look “dressed up” but don’t feel like dealing with all the “Woah, why are you so dressed up?” comments.

Now, I know what I’m saying here isn’t exactly rocket surgery. I am sure pretty much everyone reading this has experience wearing shawl-collar cardigans. But the reason I wanted to mention all of this is because I never really viewed shawl-collar cardigans through the lens of “this garment is a really excellent replacement for a sport coat”. I had always just viewed them as “nice sweaters” and lumped them in with all my other knitwear.

But I’ve found the shawl-collar cardigan actually exists in this strange middle bit between your merino/cashmere v-necks and your odd jackets. And that’s why they’re so useful.

As far as colors go, your first choice for a shawl-collar cardigan should be a classic cream or oatmeal. Personally, I find that a speckled oatmeal color is the best choice if you plan to wear the sweater a lot since it hides stains better than a bright cream. And we all know that dealing with children means stains on everything. The cream color stands out a bit more, however, and can look a bit more polished.

For fabric, you know I always say that wool is better than not wool, so go for that. Two of my shawl-collar cardigans are actually Supima cotton and they are amazing, but most of the time wool is going to be your best bet for warmth and weather/odor resistance.

The last thing I’ll say regarding shawl-collar cardigans is that, if you are in the market for one, make sure you get something visually striking. Make sure the sweater you get commands the same kind of attention the way a sport coat would. That’s why I love Aran-style, cable-knit sweaters… because they have some real punch!

Since winter has basically just started, there is still plenty of season left in which you can use a shawl-collar cardigan. Remember, elevated style doesn’t have to be all or nothing, as in if you’re not going full on casual with jeans and flannel you need to go 100% into sport coat territory. There is a great middle ground where you’ll look stylish and classic without people wondering why you’re so dressed up.

And in that middle ground lives the shawl-collar cardigan.