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You Need to Sport a Shawl Cardigan This Season

If you’re looking for one of the best sweaters for men this winter, then start (or end?) your search here. We’re putting you on the path to sweater-wearing excellence, all thanks to one style in particular. That would be the rugged shawl cardigan (or shawl-collar cardigan). Think of it as your classic cardigan, with a V-shaped open front or front buttons, but beefed up with a — you guessed it — shawl collar. The collar adds visual (and actual) heft, giving the cardigan some serious layering potential and extra warmth. Shawl cardigans are also typically made of heavier fabrics, amping up the potential for layering with classics like your favorite henley or a chambray shirt. But back to our picks: Some of the best shawl cardigans can be found below.

Grayers Belmont Plaited Cardigan Sweater

Grayers Belmont Cardigan Sweater

Grayers comes through in the clutch with a versatile, pleasingly rugged yet casual cardigan to pair up with the brand’s expertly cut chinos on a cold winter day.

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Buck Mason Vintage Cashmere Shawl Cardigan

Buck Mason Vintage Cashmere Shawl Cardigan

For the ultimate in accessible, surprisingly affordable luxury and classic style in equal measure, turn toward Buck Mason. The Vintage Cashmere Shawl Cardigan is at home on the road or at the office but might look best with your favorite pair of blue jeans, a classic henley, and a hot cup of coffee in hand on a cold winter morning.

Billy Reid Patchwork Quilt Cardigan

Billy Reid Patchwork Quilt Cardigan

If you want to kick things up a notch and go all-out with a truly unique, one-of-a-kind cardigan from an American menswear master, you’d do worse than this Patchwork Quilted Cardigan, a guaranteed menswear winner no matter what you wear it with.

Faherty Brand Flecked Merino Wool Cardigan

Faherty Brand Flecked Merino Wool Cardigan

For top-notch comfort and easygoing style, Faherty Brand makes one of the best shawl cardigans you can buy. The exceptional fabric and winter-friendly color separate this handsome number from the pack.

Peregrine Waffle Cardigan

Peregrine Waffle Cardigan

As to be expected from a brand sold by Huckberry, Peregrine has a long, long heritage when it comes to making incredibly long-lasting sweaters and jackets. This Waffle Cardigan might just take the cake as one of the best shawl cardigans we’ve seen this year (and beyond).

Beau Hayhoe
Beau Hayhoe is a freelance men's style writer, consultant and PR pro based in Brooklyn. Beau's menswear and gear writing has…
The 11 Best Camp Collar Shirts to Wear This Season and Beyond
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Though camp collar shirts have been a surefire summer-style piece for years, you could argue that our current preoccupation with how to handle pandemic dressing has cemented the shirt as a definite menswear must-have. The shirt (some know it as a Cuban collar, revere collar, or simply a vacation shirt) is believed to have its origins in the traditional guayabera -- usually constructed of cotton, linen, or silk -- that’s designed to beat the hot and muggy climes of the Caribbean. Their more recent fashionable return is mostly credited to Miuccia Prada, who for her fall-winter 2016 menswear collection sent a sensational camp collar down the runway, ultimately leading to the modern versions that we’re so drawn to today.

Camp collars have undergone several aesthetic and functional changes since their invention, but one crucial element has prevailed over the years: the flat, open collar. Along with the most common fabrics they’re crafted in, it’s this feature that makes them naturally airy and ideal for the sweltering heat. Style-wise, there’s a touch of refinement to camp collars due to their overall shape and structure, but these shirts are inherently casual. It’s this fine balance that give them a step up, if you must, from your basic T-shirt, allowing them to work wonders in the age of pandemic fashion when the uncertainty around dressing up or down has come to a head.

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In the world of fashion, we are constantly seeing new trends pop up on the runways, in magazines and on Instagram. It sometimes feels like a rat race to constantly keep up with the latest and greatest if we want to remain even remotely relevant. But here at The Manual, our fashion experts aim to bring you practical and sustainable advice for a wholesome, long, and stylish life. Sure, we like to cover trends, but our real closet recommendations lie in wardrobe staples that bring actual value to your life from quality products we believe in. Enter: Faherty’s Heritage Motif Cardigan.

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If you haven't pulled that ugly Christmas sweater out of the back of your closet yet, now is the time. Ugly Christmas sweaters are as much as part of the holiday season as drinking egg nog or watching your favorite Christmas movie. In a year where many Christmases have had to be put on pause or canceled altogether, it's important to keep the traditions can safely celebrate alive, and wearing an Ugly Christmas sweater on your family Zoom or FaceTime call is sure to put everyone in the holiday spirit.

The best ugly Christmas sweaters are nostalgic, fun, and lucky for us, there are more options for ugly Christmas sweaters than ever. Consider the ugly Christmas sweater a nice change of pace from one of your favorite Christmas jumpers and consider it a solid way to switch things up from your regular rotation of the best sweaters for men in general.

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