Cardigans for Men

Men’s Cardigans by TOM TAILOR

Men’s cardigans and knit jackets are an essential part of men’s fashion. As long as you keep a few rules in mind, you can wear them almost all the time. Nowadays there is hardly a difference between men’s jackets and men’s cardigans. Men’s knit jackets may as well be called men’s cardigans. The only exception is: If the jacket has no button placket, it will always be called a cardigan.

Styling-Guide: Men’s Knit Jackets

The classic men’s knit jacket reaches down to the hip, has a continuous button placket, a low v-neckline, as well as cuffs. These days, models with convenient zips have become quite important. These zip jackets often feature a turn-up collar– pretty handy when it is windy and rainy outside. The classic model – the knit jackets with button placket – can replace a men’s jacket, providing that it is combined with a men’s shirt, a tie, and pleat front trousers. By the way, the button placket should always be buttoned up – only the lowest button may remain open. Slim cut models are always more stylish than giant XL-sizes, because these will quickly look like an old man’s outfit.

Darker Jacket, Brighter Colours Underneath

On weekends, you can replace a business shirt by a casual shirt. A styling rule even tells you, which colour you should choose: The men’s cardigan should always be at least one colour darker than the garment underneath. Tone-in-tone is a no-go and the other way round – a bright jacket, a darker men’s shirt – look less harmonious in colour. If the fashionable knit is a replacement for a jacket, it may be as an exception worn unbuttoned if worn in combination with a pair of jeans, a check shirt, and cool boots. In this case opt for a coarsely knitted model with structures like a plait pattern or a traditional jacket such like a Bavarian jacket, for example.

Retro-Look in College-Style

Men’s cardigans are often worn in College-style and play an important part in men’s fashion: Typical for the College-style are borders in different colours at the sleeves or prominent applications like letters or numbers at the chest. For an extra casual look, the garment underneath – a shirt or a t-shirt may be longer than the cardigan itself. However, to a gentleman the so-called layering is always limited to his leisure time and may never be worn at the office.