Suits and Sweaters

Its winter. Its cold. We all want warmth and comfort. But we still have to go to work, parties, meetings, etc. and look professional. Layering a sweater with your suit is a great way to bring a little bit of that warmth and comfort into your professional style. There are two key characteristics your sweaters need in order to pull this off. One- it needs to be a fairly thin sweater. This both avoids bulk and keeps you from being uncomfortably hot. Two- it needs to be a trim fit. Otherwise it will look sloppy under your suit.

There are a few great ways to work this look. One is to replace a suit vest with a V neck cardigan as in this picture for Thom Browne. Its a little unexpected. This look is more common with trousers and a sport coat, so wearing it with a suit makes for a unique pairing.

Leaving the bottom two buttons undone gives it a slight "devil may care" attitude while still appearing very polished. In this photo a tie and pocket square keep it fairly dressy, but this look could work equally as well with an open collar.

For a simpler take, wear your basic crew or V neck sweater under your jacket. Its an easy no-brainer ensemble that works well in a nice business casual environment. You can even add a quality white tee under the sweater for a more layered look (and added warmth) as John Hamm shows here.

Work in a collar and tie environment? Joseph Guardiola shows just how dapper this look can be!

And, if you read our September series featuring the hottest trends of the season, then you already know that a turtleneck sweater will be THE way to wear this look right now!

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