After a quick scroll through the saved folder on my Instagram, one thing recently became abundantly clear to me. Right now, there’s an unassuming It piece hitting the closets of cool fashion girls everywhere, and it’s the cardigan, my friends. It feels strange to include “It piece” and “cardigan” in the same sentence since the sweater has more associations with buttoned-up fashion or “grandma” style than anything else, but I can’t deny the cool factor it’s recently climbed to.
First, there’s a cardigan from French brand Sézane that has a 10,000-person waiting list, as Who What Wear fashion editor Lauren Eggertsen reported on. Then, there are celebs like Bella Hadid who have been spotted wearing cardigans on repeat but styled in entirely new ways that make them feel fresh and cool. She’s worn shrunken versions with jeans, but also oversize versions buttoned just at the top over a T-shirt or with nothing underneath at all.
The trend has been adopted by fashion girls from NYC to Paris, who have all given the sweater their unwavering stamp of approval. Now, the cardigan is sitting at the very top of my shopping list as I’m reinspired to wear it myself. Ahead, see how New Yorkers and French girls are wearing their cardigans and shop my edit of sweaters to add to your closet.
CROPPED CARDIGANS
This cropped sweater by Tach Clothing has emerged as one of the most wanted sweaters among the fashion set. Here, Alyssa Coscarelli styled it with high-waisted denim.
Parisienne Jeanne Damas similarly wore the Tach sweater with high-waisted jeans but layered a camel coat and bag on top.
Shop Cropped Cardigans
PEARL-BUTTON CARDIGANS
Who What Wear market editor Nicole Eshaghpour wore her pearl-button Musier cardigan unbuttoned at the bottom.
French girl Hanna Lhoumeau paired hers with leopard pants.
Shop Pearl-Button Cardigans
SHORT-SLEEVE CARDIGANS
New Yorker Imani Randolph wore her short-sleeve cardigan buttoned just at the center, with jeans on bottom.
Parisian influencer Anne-Laure Mais paired her short-sleeve cardigan with leopard pants—clearly a favorite among French girls right now.
Shop Short-Sleeve Cardigans
