If you told Katie Holmes that sweaters are the new scarves today, she’d probably agree, given that she just walked the streets of New York wearing, yes, a sweater as a scarf. This is not a new look. It harkens back to the preppy look that reigned supreme in the ’80s, and the fashion crowd (especially the NYC chapter of the fashion crowd) has revived the styling trick of draping a sweater over your shoulders again. It feels much less preppy and costumey in 2021 though, as most choose to wear it with a mix of clothing styles.
There’s no denying that the sweater draping trick makes even the most casual of outfits a little more polished—Holmes’ wool coat, light-wash jeans, and Gucci loafers with socks included. If you’re into the look, keep scrolling to shop sweaters that we think would work well as defacto scarves (which are medium-weight crewnecks), and see how a few NYC-based fashion girls make the trend their own.
Next up, the 19 best black sweaters on the internet.
