Sporty sweaters, jumpers or jerseys as they are called in British English, can be worn if one of the following two conditions is fulfilled: One, if you are finding yourself in a setting where you are doing sports, such as the gym or jogging down the street.  The second one is if sporty sweaters are part of your personal style. Guys who wear urban clothes make (fashion) statements by wearing casual sweaters on daily basis. These sweaters reflect their point of view and take on things. For the urban guy, wearing something big and bold is important, as in this environment you need to go big to be noticed.

There are many types of casual sweaters and many brands that sell them. Most of them don’t look great to be honest and this is why we are quite retentive to such pieces. However, this is not always the case. There are some brands that do a great job at creating sporty sweaters. For example, California Crown is a brand that offers sweaters and caps, or “crowns” as they like to call them to the urban guy. What we like about their sweaters is that they are very simple. If you are wearing such a big piece, that is generally very dense and strong, it needs to be as simple as it gets in terms of cut and design.

Because urban sweaters are generally thick and bulky, they don’t need to be heavy in terms of prints or colors. A sweater that is too colorful will only add too much volume to a piece, and, even though you want to look well, this is not the way to go. There are other ways in which thin men can look bigger. If you are a thin guy and want to appear bigger, wearing oversized clothes will make you look smaller, as you will appear to be drowning in them. Casual sweaters have a boxy design, but this does not mean that you should wear them in a large size. Find your size and go with it!

There are more types of sweaters when it comes to design in terms of the neckline style. Therefore, there are v-neck sweaters, crew-neck sweaters and turtle neck sweaters. There is not much difference between them, just that the neckline makes your undershirt/chest more or less visible. In this segment, it all comes down to your personal preference. So, whichever type you prefer, you should know that sporty sweaters are to be worn only in casual settings, they are not even semi-formal.

Do’s and don’ts

To make things easier, we made up a list of 10 do’s and don’ts you should be following when you are wearing a sporty sweater:

1. A good sweater should always be made from a good fabric. Always stay away from synthetic fibers, they don’t look good and don’t feel good. The last things you want to see are sparks when you are taking it off, or for someone to say “ouch” when they touch you! The California Crown sweaters we mentioned earlier are made from 100% Peruvian cotton, which is a very good fabric, as it allows your skin to breathe and it feels well to the touch.

2. The big don’t of sweaters you need to remember is to never tuck your sweater in your pants. There is no excuse for that.

3. If you want to wear something underneath your sweater, you should keep in mind that it should be something light. You can wear a t-shirt, a tank top, a long-sleeved t-shirt or a muscle shirt. Never wear sporty sweaters with dress shirts or button-down shirts!

4. When it comes to matching your sweater to your pants, you can wear a sweater with jeans, shorts, chinos or anything in between. Never wear a sporty sweater with dress pants and under no circumstances should you wear it with sweatpants. That combo is reserved for the gym and the gym only!

5. Always pay attention to the shoes you are putting on when wearing a casual sweater. You can wear it with sneakers, “in-betweens” or very casual slip-ons.

6. Never wear a casual sweater with dress shoes. There’s not much to say here, besides that you should always keep dress shoes reserved for formal or semi-formal clothing.

7. If you want to wear a jacket over your sweater, you should always put a very thin jacket on. Today, thin fabrics can keep just as warm as bulky ones, so you will be able to find something appropriate. Don’t wear a dress jacket, a sports jacket or a blazer.

9. To polish your look, you can wear accessories that will compliment your outfit. Sporty men’s sweaters are casual, so you should always wear casual accessories with it. If you want to wear a wrist band, you can opt for a woven one. You can also wear a cap, a casual belt or sporty watch.

10. If you choose to not wear anything under your sweater, you should be aware of the fact that sweat stains might appear. Not only are they unaesthetic, but sweat also damages the quality of a garment. This is why, if you wear a casual sweater with nothing else beneath very often, we recommend that you wear an undershirt. If you are wearing them with no undershirts, that’s OK too, but make sure that the sweater’s fabric is of high quality, as you want only the best of fabrics to be touching your skin.

If you are a sporty guy, there are a lot of ways in which you can express your personality without wearing gym clothes on a daily basis. Casual sweaters are very appropriate if you have an urban style overall or if you go hiking or working outdoors. So, open your closet to sporty sweaters, but don’t forget: if you wear it while exercising, you should change it the moment you’re done! Sporty sweaters can be good companions if worn right; you can be sporty, comfortable and look great, all at the same time!

Fraquoh and Franchomme

Further reading:

Style and comfort: 4 advantages of wearing a hoodie

P.S. What do you make of casual sweaters? Do you like them? When do you wear such a piece? Share your thoughts in the comments below!