Where Can I Find a Sexy Cardigan?

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Is there such thing as a sexy cardigan? I envision a slinkier number that’s cut slim in the arms, but enough layer to keep me warm with a camisole underneath. Obviously I can layer up further for going outside. —Kelsey

You’ve come to the right place! As a staunch proponent of the vibe known as “slozy,” I am pretty much perpetually on the lookout for clothes that are soft and warm and yet also hot as hell.

Still, this is something of a tall order. Most cardigans are, according to stereotype but also cold hard truth, not terribly alluring. However, if a cardigan is too tight and/or cropped, it can tiptoe dangerously close to bolero territory. (Which, dance what you feel, but that does not seem to be the spirit of the request here.) Also, right now everyone seems hell-bent on putting ruffles and bell sleeves on every piece of fabric imaginable, and even the simple cardigan can’t seem to escape that fate.

But we at Racked are not quitters, and so to your question: I like the looks of this one from Anthropologie, which isn’t crazy expensive at $78. Unfortunately, it doesn’t come in terribly exciting colors — just cream and yellow right now.

Moving onward, slightly unusual requests take us to slightly unusual places, like Urban Outfitters, a retail establishment I haven’t frequented since opening a 401(k). Anthro’s sexier and more insolent little sister has a couple of promising options, like this slinky cardigan that should maybe not be called “the Lolita” but does fit the bill, and this more oversized version, although I can’t tell if it’s actually sexy or if it just looks that way because it’s modeled by someone wearing nothing else but a leotard and a smirk. (I also checked out Free People, the third corner of the dubious trinity, but right now all of its cardigans look like they’re made from unicorn pelts and dragon eyelashes or some shit, so don’t waste your time.)

If you’re looking for something on the cutesier or more retro side of sexy, Modcloth has a few options, including this cropped cardigan that comes in a rainbow of colors for only $29. And here’s a curveball! I know I made fun of ruffles not one paragraph hence, but I think I really dig this ruffled cardigan from Sincerely, Tommy ($185). Maybe that’s because the shop is located in my neighborhood and sell great coffee in addition to being intimidatingly cool; at any rate, that is a promising amount of cleavage.

Here are a couple more on Garmentory because this is so fun and I would rather look for sexy cardigans than do any other task required of me right now: this Hesperios number that comes in a bunch of fun colors ($120), and this cropped cashmere Beklina sweater ($155) that’s a little slouchier in the arms than what you’re looking for but I think could be styled to achieve a laid-back, California-y vibe. It also comes in a ¾-length cotton version ($90).

Above all, remember: Any cardigan — nay, any garment — can be slozy if you just set your mind to it.

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