The women’s cardigan sweater for 2021 features Asian kimono styling, with a tie belt and big sleeves, or the pared-down straight look of a retro Seventies vest with lots of fringes.
The kimono-style cardigan sweater is like a jacket, with glamorous Asian-inspired styling that moves readily from day to evening.
The kimono-inspired women’s cardigan sweater may also serve as a transitional garment that spans Fall to Winter weather.
The retro vest is often sleeveless and is likely to adopt the long duster lengths that are being shown for winter coats and outerwear.
Inspired by the Seventies and Eighties, the women’s cardigan sweater vest usually features bright colors and or an ethnic print with lots of fringes. It features an open front with at most a single button or hook-and-eye closure.
Glam History of Garment
The women’s cardigan sweater is heir to a tradition as glamorous as buxom film star Lana Turner, the 1940 sweater girl, and as homespun as TV kiddie-show host Mr. Rogers.
This versatile garment reportedly gets its name from the 7th Earl of Cardigan, James Thomas Brudenell.
Celebrity watchers of the day copied the knitted cardigan vest often worn by this Crimean War hero famous for his exploits.
Cut of Closure Makes A Big Difference
If you have an apple or pear figure, look for a cutaway front women’s cardigan sweater that provides subtle shaping.
This woman has an apple figure. At first glance, she seems to be “all midriff.”
A sweater that gaps open in the middle but hugs more tightly at the bust and hemline at the hips exaggerates the big middle. Now, let’s look at the altered photo.
Cutaway Front Flatters Apple and Pear Body Shapes
Notice how the cutaway front visually closes the gap across the belly. Please use your imagination to complement my unpolished photo editing skills.
The cutaway front creates subtle shaping and minimizes the stomach. The color contrast enhances this visual illusion.
The ruffled cardigan with looser ruffles trailing down the opening adds another flattering distraction.
The sweater hemline also was extended a bit, so it no longer tucks in. The tucked-in hem created a balloon bottom that emphasized the apple shape of her figure.
Buttons, Ties, Zippers, or Chains Create Front Closure
The cardigan sweater has a front closure, and it may be buttons, a zipper, ties, Asian-style frog buttons, or the famous Chanel chain.
Today’s long sweater coat cardigans may not have any fasteners. The flyaway-front sweater, with generous fabric and sometimes asymmetric styling, is an example.
Cardigan Endures Because It Is So Useful
The cardigan sweater has never gone out of style since its adoption in the 1800s.
After it was popularized by the Earl of Cardigan, fishermen were among the early adopters. They liked how easy it is to take on and off, according to the weather.
The fisherman style is often found in cotton cardigan sweaters with a cable stitch up the front.
Today, people continue to recognize the usefulness of this design for sweaters for women.
It goes from indoors to outside and readily protects from air conditioning. A trans-seasonal garment, this knitted item comes in a variety of lengths and weights.
Neutral colors, such as charcoal, black, and white, ensure you will get lots of use and low-cost-per-wearing from your purchase.
Shrug Cardigan Hugs and Accentuates Bosom
The shrug, for example, is a bosom-hugging and accentuating front-closure sweater best suited for evening wear. Cotton cardigan sweaters are especially appropriate for summer, providing warmth and absorbency.
The waist-length, boxy knitted jacket was pioneered by Coco Chanel and is still often referred to as a Chanel jacket. When the fabric is knit, it becomes another style of sweater for women.
The Chanel jacket sweater typically has no collar and features trim, such as braiding around the neckline and down the front. It often is worn with a matching skirt.
The thick fisherman’s knit sweater features cable and other fancy stitching in natural-colored wool.
Silk, Cashmere, and Angora Add Luxury
Cotton cardigan sweaters are appropriate for spring and summer. Make sure that these are tightly knitted or are blended with another fiber to hold their shape.
Fibers such as cashmere, angora, and silk blends are soft and luxurious.
Many women enjoy wearing holiday motif cardigans and pullover sweaters, such as those with a shamrock theme.
In summary, a women’s cardigan sweater can be a cozy friend on a cold winter day or an elegant wrap for an evening out.
Iskra Banović is our seasoned Editor-in-Chief at Blufashion. She has been steering the website’s content and editorial direction since 2018. With a rich background in fashion design, Iskra’s expertise spans across fashion, interior design, beauty, lifestyle, travel, and culture.
