Shawl Collar Cardigan: One of My Favorite Things

The shawl collar cardigan is hands-down one of the greatest pieces of clothing a man can wear.  It can stand in when a sport coat would be a little too formal, it’s an easy on-and-off layer for those days when you’re moving between indoors and outdoors, and just looks downright great on almost anyone.

Before looking at what’s available right now, there are a few things to consider.  You can go with something slim, which will work as a jacket-replacement, or you can go for slouchy and oversized.  They serve different purposes, but whichever you chose, I think the collar has to be of a substantial size.  There are too many on the market with wimpy shawls, which never look quite right to me.

As far as material goes, wool is going to wear warmer, look a little more dressed up, and should (if taken proper care of) hold its shape for a very long time, while cotton won’t be quite as warm, looks a little more casual, and what it lacks in longevity it usually makes up for in price.

If you choose the later, I think it wise to keep the thing under $100.  You’ll get a few years wear max, even if you fold it nicely and take care not to jam you arms into it too forcefully.  Just the nature of cotton knits – they stretch out and trying to shrink them almost always ends ruinously.

J Crew usually has a few good options that have the added benefit of being widely available.  This grey cotton example isn’t nearly as slouchy as it is styled in this photo, and the one I picked up in the pre-Christmas sales has been serving me well so far.  With the patch pockets it looks almost like half-sweater, half-bomber combo.  Casual enough to go with jeans, but also good for the evening with slim flannels and a tie.  The navy lambswool’s collar isn’t quite as good, though the post-holiday sale price is tough to beat.

There are surprisingly few good options in a middle price-point this year.  Rugby has one shetland option, only in charcoal, which isn’t perfect but presents pretty good value.  Paul Stuart only has cashmere, Ralph’s got pretty much nothing, and Brooks Brothers’ are mostly sold out after the sales, though you might still be able to catch their Saxxon cable cardigan at it’s sub-$200 sale price.  Ben Silver’s lambswool is only a few dollars more and is really excellent.  Plus it seems well stocked (unless, like me, you need a size small) and comes in some good colors.

Ovadia & Sons’ shawl is on the pricy side for lambswool, at just over $500, but it comes in classic but interesting colors, is as solid as a cardigan can get, and is the sort of thing you’ll have for years.  I personally like the camel and rosemary colors best, but you can’t really go wrong with any of them.  The allure of cloud-soft cashmere might be softened (pardon the pun) when you think about how much more durable lambswool is over it’s more luxurious cousin.

If you really want to shoot for the top, there’s no question: Drakes’ four-ply cashmere shawl.  I think it was Jesse at Put This On who said it’s the sweater he wants to be buried in.  Why wait till then.  Sure with the current exchange rate it ends up being just over $1000, but we’re not talking about a budget play here.  The thing is crazy thick, crazy soft, and looks like a million bucks.  Mark from The Armoury shows us how it’s done.  Go flannel grey or go home.