For a long time, tying a sweater around the shoulders was reserved for the preppy elite, or for those panicky moments when breezy weather takes one by surprise. But recently, I’ve noticed well-dressed people all over the globe doing it — not out of desperation, as far as I can tell, but by choice. I’ve spotted hip Brooklyn moms wheeling strollers in the park with the sleeves of their pastel pullovers woven together on their clavicles. Dickies-wearing design guys have tossed their vintage cable knits across their shoulders with the masculine savoir faire of a Greek fisherman. During a recent walk through Tribeca, I saw a handful of gallery girls decked out in The Row who had topped off their well-tailored pants and blazers with neat little sweater capes. I’ve even noticed streetwear heads knotting $300 sweatshirts across their bodies on sneakily cold spring days. But though we’re all now united by a common goal of using our torsos as walking coatracks, how you choose to half-wear your sweater may vary. Which method are you?
1.
Casual Waist Knot
Flannels, jean jackets, and hoodies belong here. It’s reliable, vaguely athletic-looking, and maybe even gives your waist a cinch.
2.
Sweater-As-Scarf
This multifunctional style is for “It” girls who can get away with looking a bit messy, such as a French influencer or an Olsen twin.
3.
Sweater-As-Fanny Pack
The transitional-weather equivalent of wearing a fanny pack across your chest and the preferred tying method of anyone you may see on line at the Soho Supreme store.
4.
Over-the-Jacket
A somewhat pointless technique: Are you going to take off your coat, put on the sweater, then put your coat back on? Are you simply running out of closet space?
5.
Classic Knot
You are a young urbanite with a fashion- or art-adjacent job. When you need to free your hands to carry a farmers’-market bouquet, you drape your cardigan over your shoulders like a millennial shawl.
6.
Bella’s Signature
Named for Bella Hadid, who appears to have gotten halfway through putting on her sweater and then changed her mind.
7.
About to Fall Off
Those dangling sleeves lend you the flair of a gently disheveled but lovable ’90s rom-com star who swears her life is in shambles.
