Style Sheet: Colorful Summer Sweaters
May 14, 2018
Every woman I know owns a crewneck sweater in a summery color — pink, green, yellow, etc.. We buy them at J.Crew, and Banana Republic, and Ann Taylor, and we tell ourselves how much wear we’re going to get out of them. How they go with everything. But how do we wear them?
Sweater: J.CrewFactory Teddie Sweater ($38) // Blouse: Mango Printed Blouse ($60) // Necklace: Lonna & Lilly Quartz Necklace ($55) // Dress: Theory Poplin Shirtdress ($355)
Sweaters. Whichever color you choose, J.Crew is always a good stop for brightly colored sweaters. Banana Republic’s silk cotton crewneck and machine-washable merino sweater are also good options. Plus-size? Try this LL Bean sweater.
Blouses. I like the bold floral print on this Mango blouse. The fruit, the blossoms, it’s a good kind of busy. I also like this black and white Karl Lagerfeld blouse for its simplicity. For a more casual look try this gauzy pink-and-white blouse from J.Crew Factory.
Necklaces. A collar necklace with a crewneck sweater is a nice pairing. I like to match different tones in the same color family. This beaded necklace from Baublebar for Target comes in a vibrant blue that would look lovely with a light blue sweater. This blush-colored necklace would look great with a brighter pink sweater.
Dresses. The easy choice would be to layer this crewneck sweater over a simple sheath dress. But why not do something a little different?
I own a poplin shirtdress (like this one), and I love it. But it’s a little too casual for the office, and my last office was too chilly to wear a sleeveless shirtdress without freezing to death. Add a sweater over the top to stay warm and keep the look professional. Looking for a new shirt dress? This Gal Meets Glam dress is lovely and sophisticated.
Love these posts!! I imagine it’s a ton of work, but this is what helped me build a functioning adult wardrobe. Thanks for the great ideas as always!
Love the suggestions, however wouldn’t the ties on the sleeves of the shirt dress look kind of lumpy under a sweater? This is always the thing that stops me from wearing the lighter J.Crew sweaters over cotton shirts/dresses. Is it just a matter of buying a slightly larger size sweater? I have fairly large arms girth-wise so maybe most people don’t have this problem.
Yes, the tie on this particular dress might be an issue depending on how snug the sleeve is.
I love this post, and the concept behind it. Usually when I do a layer of sweater and blouse like this, I stick with blacks and grays. I love the color. Thanks for the ideas!
As someone who grew up in Georgia and now lives in DC, the concept of a “summer sweater” has always mystified me. Do you treat this like a cardigan–throw it on when you arrive at work, then remove it when you leave for the day? Either way, this would be a beautiful spring look! I’m a huge fan of letting a slightly-too-loud blouse peek out from under a sweater.
It’s basically a tool to deal with air conditioning controlled by men.