What’s your sweater rotation look like? The usual suspects? A navy crewneck, a gray one, maybe a cardigan or half-zip. All perfectly fine. Also a tad forgettable. This season, aim for something with a little more going on. Marled merino, where two colors of yarn are twisted into one. Space-dyed cotton that shifts tone as it travels around the body. Shetland wool brushed out until it looks like it’s been through something. Patterns that would have made your grandfather nervous, and then quietly jealous. These knits are a bit funky and a bit strange, in the best possible way. They do most of the work for you. Put one under a plain overcoat or over a white tee and the outfit is done.
Better still, texture gives you visual weight without much extra bulk or heat, so you’re not sweating through a bold choice. Lean toward cooler colors, like slate, moss, ice blue and charcoal. They read as confident rather than loud, and they let the yarn show what it can do. Up close, the depth shows. From across the room, it simply looks like you know something. Here are the ones worth buying right now.