Wrap Cardigan

"The Hottest Open Cardigan Styles:
How to Wear Them and Where to Buy Them"

Black Wrap Cardigan
from Urban Outfitters

Compared to preppy button cardigan sweaters, a wrap cardigan is feminine and interesting. It's perfect for those who wants to look chic in a button sweater but in a "pretty" and casual sort of way!

It's also know as an open cardigan which you can wrap together. What I really like about it is the button-free front - giving a nice layering to your outfit. And if you wear it as a top with a belt, you'll create a sleek and chiqué image -- perfect for women who appreciate classy yet casual outfits.

If you're curious about this trend but aren't sure how to implement it into your style, then read on and discover my 2 cents on how to wear it!

A Friendly Warning (But Completely Adjustable)

Grey Marled Open Cardigan
from Urban Outfitters

Although I love this type of sweater, I do have some reservations about it, which are:

Too much draping can add a lot of bulk and make you little chubby around the middle and hips. But at the same time, it will disguise any love handles and fat and make people think that there is a lean figure hiding in there!
You can also fix the bulk by wrapping a skinny or wide belt around the middle. More on that later further down this page.

Purple open cardigan
Purple Drape Cardigan
from Express

It's not the best sweater to wear when you're cooking or doing any activities that requires you to move a lot without any distractions.
However, the trick is to wrap the draping together to make it look smaller, and of course, pick an open front cardigan with a short instead of long draping (take note of your height when buying open front cardigans).

How Do You Wear A Wrap Cardigan?

Now this is my favorite part! I usually wear it in two ways:

With a belt

Shopping source: black wrap cardigan - Forever 21, brown wide belt - Forever 21, wide leg jeans - Dorothy Perkins, belted open cardigan - Piperlime, skinny jeans - PacSun, cream ruffle blouse - Charlotte Russe

It creates a sleeker and trendy look which is appropriate for most casual office work settings. Since the cardigan already has an eye catching draping on the front I recommend you to keep the belt style simple and solid colored. If you're worried about looking chunky in it then you should opt for a wide black belt to visually trim down your waist. I often also add my pretty double strap skinny belt.

Try:

- Wrap the draping together, hiding your top, making it look you're just wearing the cardigan alone.

- Let the draping hang loose, wrap a belt around the waist, showing off a little bit of the top of the top (weird sentence)

Without a belt, showing the front of your top

Shopping source: cream shawl cardigan from Urban Outfitters, black drape cardigan from New York &; Co

This look is very flowy and laid-back, perfect for lazy Sundays. I would wear a nice top underneath it.

Let's take a look at where you can buy affordable yet stylish open cardigans: