The most useful piece in a Québec wardrobe
The climate here changes several times within the same day. You leave at 12 degrees, you walk into an air-conditioned office, you step back out into the sun. The cardigan is the only piece that handles all three without you having to change.
It is also one of the rare pieces genuinely worn twelve months a year, simply by changing weight.
Choosing the right weight
This is the most important decision, and it often comes after colour.
Light. For air-conditioned summers, cool evenings and the office. It goes over a camisole or a t-shirt and packs easily into a bag.
Medium. The most versatile. It covers spring and autumn, and goes under a coat in winter.
Heavy. For winter and days at home. It keeps you warm on its own, but it sits poorly under a fitted coat.
If you only own one, make it the medium. It serves the greatest number of days in the year.
Length changes the silhouette
Short, at the waist. It marks the waist and works well over a high rise, jeans or pants alike. It is the length that lengthens the leg most.
At the hip. The most versatile. It goes with just about everything.
Long. It creates a vertical line and covers more. It calls for a more fitted bottom to avoid stacking two volumes.
Open or closed
An open cardigan creates two vertical lines down each side of the body, which lengthens the silhouette. It is the most common way to wear one, and the easiest.
Closed, it works like a sweater. That is interesting with a collar that gives structure up top, and it completely changes the look of the same piece.
Fastening only one or two buttons at the waist is a third register, dressier than open and less strict than fully closed.
The three most common mistakes
Stacking two volumes. A long, roomy cardigan over wide leg pants makes the silhouette disappear. One of the two needs to give structure.
Neglecting the shoulder. As with a shirt, a shoulder seam that falls too low gives a slumped look. A roomy cardigan should be roomy by design, not because it is too big.
Choosing the wrong weight for the use. A heavy cardigan bought for the office rarely ends up worn, because it is too warm indoors.
Three ways to wear it
At work. A light or medium cardigan, plain, over a blouse or a t-shirt, with straight pants or dark jeans. It is one of the safest combinations in an environment where a suit is not required.
On the weekend. Open cardigan over a t-shirt, jeans, running shoes. Nothing more.
In the evening, in any season. A light cardigan worn over the shoulders or put on properly, over a dress or a camisole. It is the answer to terraces that cool off.
Care, in two habits
Always follow the label and the product page, since compositions vary a great deal from one knit to another.
Two general principles hold almost always. Fold rather than hang: a hung knit warps at the shoulders over time. And dry flat where possible, rather than in the dryer.
Frequently asked questions
Which cardigan weight should I choose? A medium if you are only getting one. It serves the greatest number of days.
Cardigan open or closed? Open lengthens the silhouette. Closed turns it into a sweater.
What length with a high rise? A short or hip-length cardigan shows off the waist.
How should a cardigan be stored? Folded. A hung knit warps at the shoulders.
