The Enduring Appeal of the Cardigan

by Isobel Harte

And when I felt like I was an old cardigan
Under someone’s bed
You put me on and said I was your favorite

– Taylor Swift, Cardigan

Cardigans can be the warm hug Taylor Swift is singing about. Or they can be the perfect canvas for your best string of pearls. There is nothing quite as versatile as the cardigan where the same sweater can go directly from shopping when worn with jeans to a night on the town paired with a satin skirt.

Like many of the garments beloved by Ivy Style women, the sweater is one we’ve borrowed (stolen) from men and made it our own. In the case of the cardigan, we’ve elevated it to celebrity status, and it can be found draping our shoulders year round. In the winter, we may choose a Fair Isle pattern in thick wool and for cool summer evenings, a fine gauge cotton or light cashmere knit, but to be sure, it’s always sweater weather for the cardigan.

As the oft told story of its origins goes, it was England’s 7^th Earl of Cardigan who first came up with the idea of a sleeveless button up woolen vest to be worn under British military uniforms during the Crimean War in the mid-19^th century. They were easy to slip in and out of and kept soldiers warm on a cold battlefield without getting in their way. James Brudenell was more successful as a wardrobe innovator than he was a tactician – he led, and lost, the infamous Charge of the Light Brigade against the well-positioned Russian army. While the merits of his performance at the Battle of Balaclava continue to be debated, his contribution of the cardigan to menswear is uniformly applauded. Soon sleeves were added to the cardigan vest, and the cardigan sweater was born. Relatively easy to create since it could be knitted at home, the cardigan became a wardrobe staple that transcended class and status.

By the beginning of the 20^th century women everywhere were wearing cardigans, too. In the 1920s, Coco Chanel made cardigans for women that were haute couture. She created sleek, form fitting designs that were unmistakenly feminine.  A modified cardigan became the eponymous Chanel jacket. Endlessly imitated, they are still part of her collection and can be purchased at any of her ready to wear boutiques. Like Brudenell, Chanel wanted something easy to put on and take off. She didn’t like pullover sweaters as they messed up her hair.

According to Rebecca Truitt, author of Seven Sisters Style, women at the elite Seven Sisters colleges began their love affair with sweaters early in the 20^th century:

As early as 1916, Modern Knitting had created and promoted patterns for seven different cardigans after each one of the Seven Sister colleges (“The Wellesley,” “The Barnard,” “The Vassar,” etc.), and each capturing the loose fit and collegiate look favored by the country’s most prominent sweater-wearing college girls.” (Seven Sisters Style, Truitt, p. 52)

By the 1930s, the sweater was the most popular garment that a woman in college could own, and the trend showed no sign of slowing down. Ms. Truitt goes on to quote a July 1959 New York Times article where the reporter opined:

“College girls may be fickle about fraternity men or their courses of study, but they are eternally true to one love – the sweater.”

In the 1950s, it was important to wear a long sleeved cardigan the right way with the sleeves pushed up to the elbows and often buttoned down the back, a feat that required a helpful roommate and surely defeated the easy on easy off aesthetic. A string of pearls was usually added – even for everyday class attendance.

According to fashion designer and blogger Jean Kaori, the twinset was introduced in 1930s by Pringle of Scotland:

The twinset was first developed in 1934 by Otto Weisz, knitwear designer for Pringle of Scotland. At the time, the design house was renowned for its fine cashmere and woolen underwear. Weiz’ innovation was to apply the company’s fine underwear knits in a new way — as figure-flattering outerwear for women.

Ivy women quickly adopted this idea – a matching shell under a long sleeve fine gauge cardigan became their signature style in the 1950s and 60s. Glamorous movie stars like Audrey Hepburn and Grace Kelly were photographed in twinsets, setting the tone for elegance. Jackie Kennedy wore twinsets – and also Chanel jackets and suits, of course.

The cardigan’s popularity has waxed and waned over the years. Like many traditional styles, it has gone through periods where it was considered frumpy and outdated. However, the cardigan, often part of a twinset, remains a bedrock of style that is experiencing a renaissance as nostalgia for vintage dressing has taken hold. All one needs to do is look at the plethora of offerings from Brooks Brothers to Bloomingdales to understand that it is a classic wardrobe mainstay.

The availability of cashmere, once exclusive to the upper classes, has exploded with new manufacturing practices, and cashmere sweaters are now available at many price points in a wide variety of sweater styles. It is still true, however, that the softest, most luscious cashmere is expensive. If you are feeling creative, it’s not that difficult to knit one of your own twinsets according to Jean Kaori:

For hand-knitters, a classic twinset is a great project because it features straightforward shaping and two basic stitches — stockinette and rib stitch. There are a ton of vintage patterns from the 1940s and 1950s, but Woolfolk Yarns has just introduced a new hand-knit pattern — The Pringle Twinset — that features a wonderful cashmere-like yarn called Tynd.

Woolfolk Tynd is widely considered a luxury-grade merino wool yarn known for its cashmere-like softness and durability.

Some suggestions I’ve found for wearing cardigans to your best advantage:

• Select cardigans that fit your proportions and are not too long, not too baggy. (Sorry Taylor.)
• Pay close attention to the bottom half of your outfit; be sure it’s providing a complimentary silhouette.
• Try a lower neckline, pushing your sleeves up like those mid-century college students, or tuck your cardigan all the way in to vary your look.
• Pair a cardigan with a vibrant silk scarf instead of pearls. If a scarf overwhelms a petite frame, try a smaller kerchief or bandana.
• Don’t limit yourself to your grandmother’s pastels. Experiment with bright colors. And also remember that the LBC (the “little black cardigan”) is just as classic as the LBD and even more useful. Every woman should have one – or several.

Whether plain, embellished, or patterned, knitted in wool, cashmere, or cotton, the cardigan remains an undisputed icon for the Ivy Style woman.