Womens Sweaters

"Fashion Advice on How to Buy & Wear Sweaters"

Courtesy of Nordstrom

• What sweater styles to invest in
• Selecting the right style for your body shape
• Buying quality sweaters
• How to style chic outfits with a sweater

What Womens Sweaters to Invest In?

Courtesy of Macy's

"Timeless" as in styles that you can wear season after season and that build the backbone of your closet.

I mean, what are you going to wear underneath your coat in the freezing cold weather? A blouse..? Yeah, layered with a cardigan!

Need to tone down a trendy dress? Throw on a pullover!

You get me point :-)

How to Build a Solid Sweater Closet

Simply put, you'll get the most out of your buck with versatile womens sweaters that can be easily transformed into different outfit combinations just by switching the belts, scarves, bags and jewelry!

Examples of versatile colors are: neutral, solid-colored black, greys, dark navy blue, dark brown and cream/white. These will blend in perfectly with all of your outfits. Click here to learn more about neutrals

Get two of each of the essential womens sweater styles:

• Lightweight cotton and knit Cardigans
• Turtleneck sweaters
• V-neck pullover sweaters
• Casual hoodie sweater

Express Your Personal Style

Courtesy of Old Navy

Again, make sure that you have a solid amount of basic sweater styles before building on your collection with the latest trends.

For example, if you have a Bohemian Clothing Style, buy ethnic print cardigans. If you're eccentric opt for bold colors, or if you're classy get a couple of shawl and belted cardigans!

Try various prints and details, necklines, lengths, fabrics and textures. You can never go wrong with classic Fall/Winter colors such as purple, blue, green and mustard yellow. And also fiery red for those last minute Christmas parties or when you just want to feel extra confident and spiffed up.

Courtesy of Madewell, TopShop, Target, Oasis

Tip: My tip is to invest in cardigans, because open sweaters are easier (and not least flexible) to throw on a basic dress or top.

Best Sweater Styles for Your Body Shape

Tip: V-neck sweaters and wrap sweaters are recommended as they're universally flattering.

Horizontal Body Shape

Courtesy of My-Wardrobe

• Nipped and/or belted at the waist
• Wrap sweaters creates a smooth silhouette on your hourglass body. That includes open cardigans which you can wrap with a waist belt
• Low'ish necklines to bring attention to your waist
• Sweaters with bust enhancing necklines such as scoop, sweetheart and bustier
• Styles that extend just below the hipbone or past the thighs

Courtesy of TopShop

• Wide or rounded necklines (eg. Boatneck, scoopneck, etc.)
• Light colored
• Sweater with shoulder, chest, neckline and sleeve details
• Bust-enhancing necklines (sweetheart and bustier) to really lift up your chest and add volume
• Printed and embellished womens sweaters
• Bright colored
• Sweaters that hit a few inches above your hipline draw the eye upwards
• Sweaters with thicker or busy texture. Eg. lace, rib knit texture

Your best sweaters feature:

Courtesy of Net-a-Porter

• Soft and drapey fabric. Thick and rigid fabric only add bulk.
• Soft sleeves and shoulders - so avoid straight lines
• No or minimal interest (eg. Collar less shirts)
• Vertical details that draw the eye up and down
• A nipped waist and flares from the waist and down - it helps fake hips

Your best sweaters:

Courtesy of Republic.co.uk

• Skim over your midsection (empire waist)
• Low'ish necklines that slim your upper body and draw the eye up and down
• Have shoulder, neckline and sleeve details (not all together)
• Have structured shoulders to keep the eye on your upper body and away from midriff
• Float away from your waist. Basically, they don't taper

Your best sweater styles feature:

Courtesy of Quiksilver

• A nipped waist and flaring from the waist and down
• Various prints, textures and details from the bust and up. Just keep the details of the waist, or add a black belt to nip your waist. The goal here is to make your midriff look smaller
• Bright and light colors

Vertical Body Shape

However if you're not happy about your short waist, here are some top styles recommendations and styling tips to help elongate it:

• Sweaters with interest above the bust – it draw the eye up and down
• Medium to long in length
• Dark colored top and light colored bottom. Dark colors elongates and light colors expand

If you're self-conscious about your long waist or short legs, here are my sweater styles and styling recommendations that will help shorten your waist and make your legs longer:

• Print sweaters and sweater styles that have interest, especially horizontal details
• Light colored top and dark bottom. Light colors expand
• Sweaters that end at hipbone or above hipbone

Courtesy of Celebutopia

Learn more on how to style your balanced vertical body shape

Choose a Flattering Neckline

V-neck cardigan/Courtesy of Nordstrom

The most universally flattering neckline is the V-neck because it slims and balances out your shape, and it "opens" up your face.

However, V-necks might not work as well on women with:

• Long necks
• Oblong and gaunt face
• A pointy and prominent chin which they're self-conscious about

Your Best Necklines

Your best necklines depends on how your upper body (bust and up) is in proportion with your lower half (hips and down). Usually, narrow and slim chest need rounded and bust enhancing necklines. Wider and fuller chests benefit from slim and vertically shaped necklines.

The straighter and rounder the neckline is, the more volume it gives.

Crewnecks... Ew

Crew neck sweater/Courtesy of J Crew

Crew necks are in my opinion the worst necklines average-built women can wear. They make most chests look like thick bricks and it chops off your face. Oh and if you have a full bust.. they'll give you uni-boobs!

To be honest, this kind of neckline looks better on a body figure with long and lean limbs, small chest along with a slim neck shape.

If you have to widen your chest then I would rather go for a boatneck because of its elegant drape and it shows more of your neck and shoulder. Looks so much chic'er.

Crewnecks are practical when worn underneath a sweater for layering and for staying warm in the cold - or just don't care about the stumpy effect it gives - but other than that.. No.

So consider a V-neck or deep scoop-necks when shopping for womens sweaters.


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Buying High Quality Womens Sweaters

You don't have to buy all of your fashion sweaters in cashmere and other fancy fabrics - just make sure that the basic turtleneck, v-neck and simple cardigan sweater is of high quality because they are the ones you'll be wearing daily in during Fall/Winter and hopefully, next season as well.

In addition, silk, nylon and other fibers are often blended with wool and cotton to give sweaters softness and a bit of elasticity, which is a must if you appreciate comfort. Each of these fibers will affect how you care for the sweater, so pay attention to the care instructions.

Tip: Invest more money and quality on your neutrals and wardrobe essentials such as cardigans and v-neck sweaters.

Cashmere
Luxurious, great for special occasions and work

Courtesy of Nordstrom

Cashmere is available in a wide array of price points, qualities and styles. The weight of the garment is often described in two groups of "plys":

• Two-ply having a finer hand - soft, light and comfortable. Said to be fragile though.
• Three-ply and up - has a chunkier or heavier knit but it's still comfy and soft

Price range: $50 and up depending on brand.

Note: If you want to save money buy cashmere/wool blend sweaters. They hold up well and remain soft than pure cashmere. 20% cashmere blend adds a soft and luxurious feel to the wool which is less itchy.

Wool
Best for colder months

Wool is divided into different groups/types:

Courtesy of JCrew

• Merino - a finer fiber if you don't like itchy wool. Is said to offer near the softness of cashmere but with substantially more durability.
• Alpaca - stronger than other wool types, but it's soft
• Lambswool - fine and soft
• Shetland - made from coarser fibers
• Mohair - lustrous and long-wearing

However Merino is thinner and won't give you the same warmth as lambswool. Lambswool tend to be slightly itchy though. It's up to your personal preferences.

Price range: Below $100 depending on brand.

Note: Wool is soft and comfortable. It works as an excellent insulator, which is perfect to wear on cold winter days. However the majority of wools and wool blends need to be dry cleaned or hand washed to stay at their tip-top shape. Make sure to follow the washing label.

Cotton
Affordable, hasslefree and versatile

Courtesy of JCrew

Compared to Merino and Cashmere sweaters, cotton is seasonless and very simple to care for.

The majority of sweaters are machine or hand washable, which is a an appealing feature if you live a hectic (or lazy!) lifestyle.

Cotton sweaters are soft and comfortable, but they won't keep you as warm as a wool sweater. So they are nice to wear when it's slightly chilly. However you can layer them with tees and scarves to keep yourself warm.

Price range: Under $75

Note: Cotton/synthetic fabric usually gets washed in machine, however, you need to be extra careful (read the care label ) when it comes to cotton mixed with cashmere or wool.

How to Style Your Sweaters

Time to Shop for the Latest Womens Sweaters

More Shopping & Chic Inspiration at the TCF Blog: Also check out the Style Makeover Shop!

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