Men used to go to war. In cardigans.
This Thanksgiving, I am grateful for men in cardigans.
A proposal for all men this fall/winter: stop wearing hoodies, start wearing cardigans. You may scoff, you may click away, but I beg of you, please consider it. For the sake of the girls. It’s all about textures and layering. You do not need to spend $100+ on a Fear of God hoodie when you can look like a 1950s movie star. McQueen and Clint Eastwood embraced the cardigan. It’s your turn. This is a call to (knitted) arms.
Next time someone tells you “Men used to go to war,” tell them, well ACTUALLY, I’m literally wearing a cardigan, popularized by James Brudenell, 7th Earl of Cardigan, during the Crimean War. This is my armor. The line at the Aimé Leon Dore cafe is my battleground.
The cardigan, while popularized in the 1850s during the Crimean War, specifically at the Battle of Balaclava (where the popular head covering also originates), has been reimagined throughout history. It was introduced by the oh so vain Lord Brudenell, described by historian Robert Powyszynski, Sr. as “an arrogant and cantankerous person.” Upon his return to England, before the truth of his battlefield failures were revealed, he was greeted with open arms and celebration, and the cardigan became a popular item as it trickled down from military to everyday wear. As Allison Geller wrote in The Atlantic, “The knitted waistcoat became a hot commodity during the Earl’s brief window of glory. As proof of the cardigan’s utilitarian staying power, it soon began to be commercially produced in factories, keeping thousands of chilly Brits warm even after they went cold on its namesake.”
It has evolved and has gone through many iterations throughout its relatively short lifespan. Now, we associate it with prep and wealth and sport and less so with bloody battles and military dress. (Unrelated, did you know magenta the color is named after the oh-so-bloody Battle of Magenta, 1859? No? Now you do.) Originally, in the 1850s, cardigans more closely resembled vests that allowed for layering in colder climates and the ease of movement that is required for boots-on-the-ground battles. And, with the rise of at-home knitting, cardigans were something that could be made at home by civilians and sent to the front lines. During this time we also saw a glimmer of the future of The Cardigan across the pond. Harvard had launched a movement, perhaps unaware of what was to come, by debuting the first iteration of the varsity letter with their “H” sweaters. This would eventually cement itself into the cultural zeitgeist. As The Gentleman’s Gazette succinctly puts it, “in 1865 the Harvard University Baseball team added the letter ‘H’ to the front of its jerseys and the ‘V’ necked letter cardigan became a prep favorite on campuses across the country.”
By the 1900s, the cardigan had moved stateside, and saw unprecedented growth throughout the 1920s. Varsity wear was taking off with the introduction of televised sports games, especially baseball, and the desire for teams to be easily recognizable exploded. Sports teams and colleges adopted the cardigan as their team uniform, and in a tale as old as time, girlfriends would wear their boyfriends’ uniforms. The “boyfriend look” has been a staple for close to a century. The letterman jacket has transcended trend and cemented itself as a cultural signifier. But guess where the letterman jacket has it’s origins? You guessed it, the cardigan.
The evolution of post-World War I fashion and the explosion of sports and the growth of “prep” ushered in a new era of knitwear for men and women. Post-war clothing moved away from buttoned-up and formal into more casual and loose silhouettes. The shawl collar was incredibly popular early on, allowing for move coverage during the colder months while maintaining the collar shape to allow a hint of shirt and tie underneath.
In 1920, the below portrait changed the trajectory of knitwear. Prince Edward wore this now immortalized Fair Isle sweater, setting a new casual-wear trend for men everywhere. The Prince of Wales and his love of knitwear, especially on the golf course, saw men replacing the sporting coat and blazer of the early 1900s with more casual knit alternatives. The early 1900 cardigans were still marketed toward the macho men of the time, intended for rugged outdoor use, such as driving and hunting. However, with the introduction of industrialization and large-scale manufacturing of clothing, the wearer no longer needed to rely on the skills of a loved on to provide them with such a piece. This shift democratized their wear, making them popular and accessible to all classes, rich and poor, and were easily dressed up or down depending on the situation.
And it seems the love of a fair isle sweater runs in the family.
While this article is about menswear, I would be remiss not to mention Coco Chanel’s contribution to the cardigan in pop culture. In the 1920s (apparently a very popular decade for the cardigan) Coco Chanel embraced cardigans for women. In an effort to make it wearable for women and less of an outdoor, rugged piece of heavy outerwear, she turned to jersey. She did not shy away from the menswear silhouette, however, and at a time in which gender roles were very defined, she embraced the slouchiness and shapeless-ness of the menswear she took inspiration from to allow women the ability to move with ease in a rapidly changing world.
Eventually, though, the sweater became associated with wealth and intelligence and status. Even Einstein was known for, aside from his genius, his love of a good ol’ cardi.
Prep took America by storm, with the pinnacle of achievement being an Ivy education. Teenagers across the country wore the “uniform” of the era, leaning into plaids, pleats, and personalized sweaters and jackets. (This is about vintage fashion, not vintage values. I would not like to return to the 50s.)
But, as most clothing is eventually claimed by the people it was created to ostracize, the 90s saw the reintroduction of the cardigan as a symbol of rebellion. Don’t want to give off East Coast Harvard vibes? Too cool for that? That’s what they all say. If you stand by this, however, have no fear. Even the most rebellious of 90s icons loved a cardigan; Kurt Cobain.
You can take inspiration from the grunge movement of the 90s - pair your cardigan with a graphic tee, button down, and worn-in vintage denim.
In my research for this article, I stumbled upon this article by Albert Muzquiz, in which he aptly and eloquently sums up the cardigan’s life: “The tough-guy look the early cardigan tried to pull off was always forced. Its creator was a deeply inadequate and out-of-touch lord whose reputation for excess and poor choices should be weighed against the cardigan’s military record.
It was women wearers and designers who helped redefine the cardigan helping it find its gentle, true potential. Ironically, as they tamed the cardigan, they were breaking down gender walls and lashing out against restrictive women’s garb of the previous century. The cardigan landed somewhere in the ambiguous, ungendered space between its military career and sexy pinup days. So curl up by the fireplace and be grateful this winter for Chanel, Rogers, and all the great cardigan pioneers.”
Now, to the shopping portion of today’s regularly scheduled programming:
From left to right, TOP ROW: Vintage Smith & Watkins zip cardigan $45; Vintage Jed striped cardigan $38.99; Vintage Jantzen cream pinstripe cardigan $54.40; Vintage 1960s Golden Arrow striped cardigan $250; Vintage 50s Jack Nicklaus by Revere cardigan $74.99; Vintage 1960s argyle cardigan $144.46;
BOTTOM ROW: Vintage 1960s plaid cardigan $79; Vintage blue striped cardigan $124.88; Vintage Towncraft striped mohair cardigan $180 (a personal favorite); Vintage black striped cardigan $200 (Very Thom Browne); 70s Brent maroon cardigan $110; Vintage Izod Lacoste striped red cardigan $40 (A STEAL)
From left to right, TOP ROW: Plaid Needles mohair cardigan $300; Needles argyle mohair cardigan $280; Vintage mohair plaid cardigan $231 (another personal favorite); Vintage olive cable knit cardigan $100; Lime green mohair cardigan $499.99; 60s Brent striped cardigan $195; Vintage National zip cardigan $128.88
MIDDLE ROW: Vintage Jasper leather patch cardigan $39.99; Vintage cream mohair cardigan $200; Vintage Sears Premier mohair cardigan $425; Flagstuff plaid cardigan $258.96; Vintage Orlon suede cardigan $100; Backers mohair blend cardigan $79.81; Vintage Sears argyle cardigan $250
BOTTOM ROW: James Perse mock neck cardigan $165; Polo Ralph Lauren merino cardigan $135; Brunello Cucinelli shawl neck cardigan $787.50 (to die for!!); Commission striped wool cardigan $188; Sandro striped cardigan $83.25 (womens); Vintage Bamberger’s striped collared cardigan $146.19; Celine wool cardigan $1,345 (I’M SORRY, I HAD TO!); Vintage 60s mohair striped cardigan $170
And if you don’t want to look like a 1930s baseball player, Aimé Leon Dore (sigh, it always comes back here) does great menswear styling.
Or, check out Noah NY.
Now, gentlemen, you have no excuse for showing up to Thanksgiving dinner in sweat sets.
And check out this lovely man @ipeakeinsecondgrade on TikTok. A man after my own heart: cardigans.
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This was perfection per usual and I feel very justified in my cardigan taste since I almost included like 8 of these eBay finds in my latest newsletter 😅 I’m seriously debating one of the striped mohair ones for myself…
Fantastic article, and I learned so much! Magenta, get out! A wonderful round up of vintage cardis, Kendall! That’s a lot of work, thank you.💕
I’m a fan of unique cardigans myself, particularly with a menswear layer underneath.