Cardigan Commanders: How to Wear Cardigans in Street Style and Actually Mean It

Cardigans: the sweater you forgot you had, until suddenly it’s everywhere and looks cooler than your leather jacket ever did. In 2025, cardigans have crawled out of grandma’s knitting basket and are retooling street style like surreptitious little rebels. This is not about frumpy layers — it’s about neutral weaponry in knit form.

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ASOS DESIGN Crew Neck Cardigan

ASOS DESIGN Crew Neck Micro Cardigan

Monki Oversized Cardigan

Runways and street style alike have spotlighted oversized, cropped, belted, and deconstructed cardigans. Vogue calls chunky and draped knits must-invest items for autumn 2025, signaling that more is more when it comes to cardigan layering. Meanwhile, the “short-waist cardigan” is back — yes, that Katie Holmes silhouette is getting a revival.

ASOS DESIGN Fisherman Rib Knit Cardigan

ASOS DESIGN Frill Cuff Cardigan

Pieces Short Sleeve Boxy Cardigan

Why cardigans? They’re nimble. They straddle the line between knitwear and outerwear, ready to be buttoned, belted, or tossed over your shoulders like a scarf. They carry structure without suffocation, texture without drama, and let the rest of your outfit flex.

ASOS DESIGN Floral Boyfriend Cardigan

H&M Loose-Fit Cardigan

H&M Collar Cardigan

Outfit Ideas for Cardigan Street Style

1. The Layered Minimalist
A longline ribbed cardigan in oatmeal, buttoned halfway over a crisp white tee and architectural black trousers. Add chunky loafers and tiny gold hoops. The kind of outfit that says, I edit but I don’t try too hard.

2. Cropped Cardigan + High Waist Drama
Pick a waist-defining cardigan (think cinched or shortened) and pair it with ultra high-waisted wide-leg jeans or a midi satin skirt. Sneaker or block heel — either way, you’re giving shaped silhouette, not shapeless silence.

3. Cardigan as Outerwear
Oversized slouchy cardigan unbuttoned, worn over a slip dress or tailored shorts. Throw on a belt bag and square sunglasses. It’s a transitional-weather trick: knitwear, but make it coatish.

4. Print Clash + Texture Play
Take a fair isle, argyle, or intarsia cardigan and clash it with an unexpected piece — say a leather mini or a vinyl trouser. Texture conflict is your friend. Let the cardigan be the cozy anchor while your bottoms raise eyebrows.

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Photos:

• Aimonda Kulikauskiene/Getty Images

• Hanna Lassen/Getty Images cardigan

• Getty Images

• Hanna Lassen/Getty Images cardigan