A SWEATER REFRESH
Disclaimer: I live in Southern California and therefore have very little need for sweaters. This does not, however, prevent me from amassing a collection of knits that rival any hardened East Coaster staring down the barrel of blizzards and snow-squalls. They sit proudly on display, in my open closet, waiting for days when the temperatures dip below 62 degrees. And honestly, I’m not even mad at myself for this excess. I’m too busy being warm, cozy, and looking cute. But the time as come to take a long, hard look at these shelves and admit to myself that some of these sweaters just ain’t cutting it anymore. Let’s get into it.
I organized all these sweaters into various groupings: “classic, could / do wear like all the time,” “classic, but could use an update,” “wished it was better, but it’s just not great,” and, “unique, and therefore, a keeper.” I like categorizing and organizing things in this manner, it helps streamline my mind and gives me a roadmap to better curate my little closet. What I found was what I knew all along, deep down - that there were some pieces I had deemed, “classic,” and therefore didn’t want to consider potentially updating - that needed an update.
A lot of the sweaters in the “no-go” pile had some common denominators: 1) the fabrics were synthetic, which meant the shape and colors weren’t holding up over time, and 2) the cuts were just not my style - too cropped, too deep a v-neck, too blouse-y a sleeve, and 3) some really skimped on the quality - looking at you, cardboard-feeling-cashmere.
I’ll go more into detail on each piece - why it didn’t work, what I secretly always disliked about it, and then share what I’m replacing each sweater with and what I hope to improve upon for my next iteration of a “classic wardrobe staple.” Enjoy.
OUT WITH THE
OLD
BROWN CABLEKNIT
I should never have bought this. I got really into (still am too) the dark brown trend, and convinced myself I needed a brown sweater like yesterday and that my closet was simply incomplete without one. So I bought this from Madewell, tried it on, washed it, and called it mine. But it kinda sucks. The color isn’t rich, the v-neck looks sloppy, the fabric is cheap, the cropped length is too swingy, it’s not structured enough - literally it’s the opposite of everything I like about clothes. Why did I buy this? Ugh. Facing my truth and adding it to the donate pile. Hopefully I learn and grow from this mistake?
STRIPED FUNNELNECK
I got instagram-influenced into buying these. One of my favorite bloggers launched a line and these looked so cute on her I had to have them - and in both colors! They arrived, and I pretty much knew they weren’t right, but true to form I decided that they were actually great, my gut was wrong, and I would love them forever. Well, they shed like crazy, the threads catch on absolutely everything so they look ratty already, and the extremely cropped length has me feeling like a cos-play Gen Z-er. Lesson learned: just return it if you don’t love it - don’t try and force it.
NAVY V-NECK
Not going to lie - this was a fantastic sweater. Cotton, just the right about of style with the cable detailing and raised v-neck, heavyweight so it kept me warm, looked good tucked into jeans and pants… why am I getting rid of this, it sounds perfect? Well, it’s faded, the v-neck is actually annoying because it drops too low, and it’s too long on me to feel polished. So off it goes. I kinda feel like v-necks might not be for me, if this exercise in reflection is imparting any wisdom at all here…
TAN CASHMERE
Cashmere is something one should invest in. When it feels too cheap to be true, well, it probably is. Take this Everlane cashmere crew. It was maybe $100, and feels like cardboard. Also the orange-tan color is so not flattering. I had some good wears, liked the pop of yellow on the cuffs, but it’s time to admit that I don’t reach for this sweater for a reason - it’s just a solid “meh,” and life is just too short to wearing anything "meh.”
TAN CABLEKNIT
This sweater has been in my closet for years. Another Madewell buy, it was that ideal chunky sweater that girls posed along with their Starbucks red cups and Rag & Bone booties - you know the look - very early 2010s. But honestly, I never really felt like “me” in it. Rather, I felt like I was trying to be someone else - it didn’t help that I always got a ton of compliments when wearing it - but finally, the cableknit snagged and there’s a big broken thread hanging off the front - so it’s goodbye imposter sweater and hello whatever comes next - let’s make it more me this time, yeah?
