
The most stylish cardigans for men
From Old Hollywood to contemporary high fashion, from high school jock to grunge rock, the humble cardigan has found a place in every style subculture of the past 70 years
All products are chosen independently by our editors. Luxury London may earn commission on items purchased.
Have you ever bought an item of clothing, fallen in love with it, then wished you’d job-lotted the thing because, after wearing the arse out of it, you discover they’ve stopped making it, or changed the material, or discontinued the colour, or added a stupid detail? It happened to me with a cardigan. A five-button lambswool number from Sloane Street stalwart Oliver Brown (which you can now find in both St James’s and The City, by the way), in what I’ll loosely describe as a vibrant mossy green. That sounds awful. Like something even the buyers at TK Maxx would swerve. But it was top, or at least I thought it was. I wore that figure-hugging cuddle of a button-up jumper into oblivion. Then I went to reorder it and… gone. Rollocks.
There’s a thin line, when it comes to wearing a cardigan, between Steve McQueen and that dog whisperer from Channel 5. Looking back, for the purposes of this article – I’d never given it much thought before – it seems I’ve always been a fan. It might have been Grease. The final scene when Zuko swaps his leather jacket for that white Rydell High varsity cardigan. ‘I can’t believe it. Danny Zuko turned… jock?’ It’s a sartorial transmogrification meant to represent our man selling out. Becoming a simp. I thought he looked great. (But then I can’t pull off a biker jacket, so I would say that. Always more Winkler than Travolta, however big the collar.)

Steve McQueen appreciated the soft power of a good cardigan, seen here sporting two shawl collar numbers

My university years coincided with what someone on TikTok or at some alt-culture mag – sounds very Vice-y to me – subsequently called ‘indie sleaze’. To our Babyshambles-loving band of brothers, that meant a low-maintenance look involving skinny jeans, white plimsols, a vest — the looser fitting the better — and some sort of cardigan, invariably from Topman. (Sidenote: I often think we forget just how big Topshop/Topman was and find it funny how we never really questioned how easily it evaporated into the mists of Covid. That always struck me as weird.) No one was aiming for Kurt Cobain, of course. (Cobain’s cardigan, the one he wore on MTV Unplugged in 1993, sold at an auction in LA in 2015 for approx. £110,000.) We were all going for Pete Doherty (but were far too suburban to go the full heroin hog).
On the subject of Pete Doherty (great Louis Theroux interview by the way, shame it wasn’t longer), an interestingly on-topic fact was unearthed during the research for this article. Doherty, lover of cardigans, was once sued by David Brudenell-Bruce, current Earl of Cardigan, after the singer trashed the aristo’s Wiltshire mansion. Brudenell-Bruce is the descendant of James Brudenell, 7th Earl of Cardigan, protagonist of the doomed Charge of the Light Brigade and, you guessed it, giver-of-name to the V-neck subject of this piece. Brudenell was something of a dandy, it turns out, spending thousands of pounds each year outfitting his regiment in unnecessarily swanky new uniforms. Cad. His version of the cardigan was basically a knitted woollen waistcoat. Sadly, for his troops, it proved of little resistance against an onslaught of Russian bullets.

I then fell into journalism, the ‘men’s lifestyle’ kind, fortuitously, a job that seems to involve an insubordinate amount of time looking at pictures of well-dressed men, movie stars mostly, from the middle of last century (because, 70 years on, that’s still who all men want to dress like). Cary Grant, Paul Newman, Robert Redford, Steve McQueen, you know, the ones they make coffee table books about. All of whom, like Zuko and Cobain, must have contributed in my mind to making the cardigan an essential bit of kit. I don’t think I’ve ever not had at least a couple kicking about my drawers.
In 2019, Steve McQueen’s son, Chadwick McQueen, sued Tom Ford over the designer’s ‘McQueen’ line of cardigans. ‘Certain sartorial items in fact became synonymous with McQueen,’ submitted McQueen’s attorney. ‘One such garment was a wool cardigan sweater with a shawl collar… McQueen made that sweater cool – so much so that James Bond wore one 40 years later.’ He was talking about Daniel Craig, of course, who, in Casino Royale, wore a navy John Smedley ‘Cullen’ cardigan. Big fan. Another big screen runout for the shawl collar cardigan came courtesy of Guy Ritchie’s The Gentleman (the film, not Netflix series). I’ve no idea the name of Charlie Hunnam’s character, his role, if he was a goodie or baddie, but I remember the cardigan. It fitted him a lot better than the M&S rip-off I went out and bought.

Kurt Cobain, and cardigan, play Milan in 1994

Daniel Craig as cardigan-loving James Bond in ‘Casino Royale’
If you’re still not sold on the style virtues of the cardigan, consider some of the garment’s most voracious champions of this century. To wit: Pharrell Williams, Michael B Jordon, Lucien Laviscount, Jacob Elordi, Lewis Hamilton, Skepta, A$AP Rocky, Brad Pitt, Ryan Reynolds, Nicholas Alexander Chavez, Tom Holland, Pedro Pascal… In fact, Google the name of pretty much any famous man today, the author of this article can reliably inform you, followed by the word ‘cardigan’, and you’ll get a match. So is the all-conquering, all-season, way-to-layer merit of the humble (and not so humble, in the case of the chaps below) cardigan.
What follows is a compendium of some of the most stylish cardigans for men out there today. We’ve kept things simple: long-sleeved, rather than short-; V-necked, rather than crew-; buttoned, rather than zipped; monocoloured, rather than patterned. Otherwise, we’ll be here until ‘indie sleaze’ rolls around for another outing (here’s hoping).

Pharrell Williams and Lewis Hamilton giving it the big cardigan big ‘un at Chanel’s 2022 Paris Fashion Week show and the 2023 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, respectively

Drake’s Green Lambswool 6 Button Cardigan

Rest assured, whichever wardrobe staple you’re searching for – Oxford shirt with a proper collar roll, plain white T-shirt of just the right weighted cotton, corduroy chore jacket that fits like a dream – all sartorial roads, invariably, lead to Drake’s. The utilitarian lambswool cardigan is no exception.
THOM SWEENEY Shawl Collar Ribbed Merino Wool Cardigan

Thom Sweeney recently opened a store in Miami’s Design District. It’s four-storey townhouse on London’s Old Burlington Street, adjacent to Savile Row, has become a one-stop shop for timeless tailoring, like this Steve McQueen-aping shawl collar cardigan. For sartorial soft power, see Thom Sweeney.
Sunspel Extra Fine Merino Cardigan

Let’s be honest, you need to be of, or more accurately, under, a certain BMI to pull off any sort of figure-hugging merino wool. Buttons doing battle with a dad bod is no look. If the love handles are here to stay, stick to something thicker – lambswool hides all. If, however, you are still in possession of a pair of external obliques, well done you. Might as well make the most of merino, and go extra-fine.
BRUNELLO CUCINELLI Slim-Fit Cashmere Cardigan

Cashmere is the happy halfway house between clingy merino and cozy lambswool, close-fitting enough to provide a svelte silhouette, but not so suffocating that you feel conscious every time you sit down. ‘King of Cashmere’, Brunello Cucinelli, has been working with the super-soft stuff for half a century. Cardigans like this prove how the Italian power-tailor earned its moniker.
Pringle of Scotland Archive Lambswool Blend Cardigan

The leader of Scotland’s heritage brands by proxy, Pringle is not just a British royal warrant holder, but one of the oldest continually operating fashion companies anywhere in the world. A large part of the brand’s reputation might have been built off its mastery of cashmere – it’s been producing the material since 1870 – but Pringle works magic with lambswool, too. As attested by this chic, Archive blend cardie.
John Smedley Petworth Extra Fine Merino Wool Cardigan

Proudly made in England by the same family – now in its 8th generation – since 1784, John Smedley works out of one of, if not the, longest continually-operated factories in the world. Plenty of time to perfect its extra fine merino wool, then.
N.Peal Double Breasted Cashmere Cardigan

After opting for a John Smedley cardigan in Casino Royale, N.Peal became Daniel Craig’s go-to knitwear provider for his final three outings as 007, variously seen sporting a cashmere cable roll neck, a cashmere-blend army sweater, a round-neck cashmere T-shirt, and chunky cashmere beanie hat. We’d like to bring to the attention of the incoming Bond this lesser-spotted double-breasted cashmere cardigan. We’re sure you’ll agree it has serious screen presence.
Hilditch & Key Serpentine Lightweight Cashmere Cardigan

Such a fan of Jermyn Street stalwart, Hilditch & Key, was Karl Lagerfeld, that the German fashion designer supposedly owned more than 1,000 of its shirts (all in white, presumably). We’re not sure how many Hilditch & Key cardigans Mr Lagerfeld was in possession of, but he’d have 10 shades of cashmere from which to choose – including this ‘serpentine’ green number.
WILLIAM LOCKIE Oxton Cashmere Cardigan

You’ll notice that half the names on this list hail from north of the border – must be something to do with the weather. William Lockie, another big-name Scottish heritage brand, plies its trade – some of the softest knitwear money can buy – in Hawick on the banks of the River Teviot. Invest in a ‘Lockie’ and you’ll be supporting a business that has remained family-owned since 1874.
Johnstons of Elgin Ribbed Shawl Collar Cashmere Cardigan

And another. Based out of, you guessed it, Elgin, north of the Cairngorms, Johnstons can trace its story back to 1797. This ribbed shawl-collar cardigan is an investment, obviously, but actually represents value for money compared to some of the knitwear the brand white labels for the likes of Burberry, Chanel, Hermès and Louis Vuitton.
House of Bruar three-ply Cashmere Cardigan

We’re not familiar with the snappily-titled Robert Burns poem, The Humble Petition of Bruar Water to the Noble Duke of Atholl, either. According to verse, it was the Falls of Bruar themselves that beseeched the Duke to plant a load of trees in the then-desolate landscape. Two centuries later, the cascading Bruar waters spoke again – to husband-and-wife entrepreneurs Mark and Linda Birkbeck, who named their now-burgeoning knitwear business in tribute to the, er, tributary, in 1998.
Sirplus Oat Wool Cardigan

The first garments Sirplus made – boxer shorts – were constructed from fabrics leftover from the shirt industry, surplus materials, geddit? Since then, the London-based brand has become best known for its distinctive Nehru jackets, collar-less grandad shirts, and workwear chore jackets. So shout out to Sirplus’ cardigans, because it has strong game there, too.
COS TEXTURED MERINO WOOL CARDIGAN

Add some texture to your top half with this merino wool cardigan from trustee high street saviour Cos. Featuring a hobnailed knitted detail and ribbed trims at its cuffs and hems, this buttoned V-neck in muted mole would work just as well under a no-frills chore jacket as a tailored blazer. Or, alternatively, on its own over a simple white T-shirt.
Suitsupply Sand Merino Oversized Cardigan

When the rest of the high street fails you, Suitsupply has evolved into a trusty source of tailoring basics – slim-fit suits, rain-beating macs, summer-suitable chinos, wedding-ready tuxedos, and on and on, it increasingly seems. Add to that list oversized cardigans. In this case, in a chic, sand-coloured merino wool.
OFFICINE GÉNÉRALE Miles Ribbed Cardigan

It turns out that snug, weather-conquering knitwear isn’t solely the preserve of longstanding heritage brands from rain-beaten Blighty. Flying the flag for France, Paris in particular, is Officine Générale. The brands was only established in 2012, but, as you can see, has already mastered the chunky-knit, dress-up-or-dress-down tonal cardigan. Magnifique!