Guide to Men’s Sweater Knits and Prints A good sweater is more effective than mistletoe

Sweaters serve two main functions:
1. They keep you warm.
2. They incite pheromones.
Seriously, though. There’s an effortless, artful sexy that comes with knit garments, which makes you the perfect candidate for cuddling up with.
More effective than mistletoe, here are six sweater knits and prints you should try this winter.
Sweater Knit: Cable

Kinnaird Guest House
The cable knit sweater is a maritime and prep-style classic. The thick stitching resembles a two-ply cable or a fisherman’s basket. Originally developed for fishermen, the heavy knit was meant to keep boaters warm and dry on rocky waters.

Paul Smith
Now the sweater is a sophisticated staple. There’s something very attractive about the ornate stitching and its allusions to navigating an unpredictable sea.
Sweater Pattern: Color Block

Paul Smith
This minimalistic, high contrast look serves a statement in aesthetics. It’s bold, simple, modern, and artsy in a low-key way. Think: underground techno bar.

Myntra

J Crew
Sweater Pattern: Argyle

Tommy Hilfiger
Argyle pattern consists of variously colored diamonds that are layered to create a sense of dimensionality. And it’s a time-honored pattern in formal and semi-formal menswear.

Tommy Hilfiger
Scottish clans in the 1600s created argyle for kilts and plaids. Then in the 1920s, the Duke of Scotland started wearing argyle while golfing, on jerseys and long socks with plus-fours trousers. Thus argyle as fashion was born.
Sweater Knit: Fair Isle

Joseph
Fair Isle simply means knitting with multiple colors to create patterns. The traditional Fair Isle knit has a limited palette of five colors with no more than two colors per row.

Lookastic
The Prince of Wales popularized this pattern in the ’20s by wearing Fair Isle sweaters in public. So even with modern renditions of the knit, you’ll still look quite princely.
Sweater Knit: Ribbed

Uniqlo
Ribbing is a stitch pattern of ridged vertical stripes. It’s similar to pinstripes, but instead of alternating colors, ribbing consists of alternating textures.

Paul Smith

Urban Outfitters
Sweater Knit: Jacquard

Lacoste
Jacquard fabric has a raised pattern that’s woven into the cloth, instead of printed on.

Southern Tide
Popular jacquard designs are damasks, florals, and geometrics, but today, “jacquard” describes almost any knit fabric with a raised, stitched-in pattern.
Read next: The Essentials of Men’s Pants
Janet Hu
Latest posts by Janet Hu (see all)
- Which Sunglasses Style Should You Rock This Season? Take the quiz so you can be the hottest guy there, no shade - April 5, 2019
- Why You Need to Wear a Linen Suit Impeccably suave without sweating your apples off - March 29, 2019
- The Non-Iron Dilemma: How to Remove Formaldehyde From Shirts Is any exposure to carcinogens bad? - March 28, 2019