Wings and Things: This Season’s Hottest Cardigan Sweaters Have Flare

It’s time to pack away that cute but plain fitted cardigan if you want to look like you are on the cutting edge of fashion. Because this season’s cardigan sweaters are all about the wings – batwings, that is!

Loose fitting, lace or lace accents, and longer styles are a few of the cardigan trends I’m seeing in magazines, on friends, and in stores. It’s a trend very reminiscent of some of the looks from the 1980s. I just picked up a cute navy and cream striped sweater with some fun, huge wings, and it’s so comfortable! The sweaters I personally like the best have extra frill around the edges and feature a looser and cozier fit so they comfortably flow over whatever I choose to wear underneath. I noticed a lot of solid-colored and tighter knit options available, but the one I chose incorporates another one of this seasons hot looks – the looser, more see-through type of knit.

Hesitant to try out a batwing style? Don’t be. It’s really quite a flattering look for most body types, assuming you choose a color and thin enough knit so that the wings themselves aren’t the focal point of the sweater. Also, make certain that you choose one that’s long enough. You don’t want to raise your arms and have the wings raise your entire sweater up!

Another great thing about these pretty cardigans is that they can be paired with almost anything, from any season really. If you have one of this fall’s hot denim or chambray shirts, you can freely pair any cardigan, in almost any color you imagine, right over top as the weather gets cooler. How about that black summer dress with the cap sleeves? Good news: you can wear it a few months longer by simply adding a complementary colored or patterned frilly cardigan, some leggings, and a pair of boots.

Cardigans like this truly add a lot of flexibility to your wardrobe while serving a very pragmatic purpose: keeping you a little bit toastier on those cold days.

The best part is that this style lends itself to many different kinds of eyeglass frames. A thin metal frame like this one from Vera Bradley would look great, but so would these thick black frames from Ray-Ban.

No matter what style you choose, you’ll still be able to don your trendy new batwing cardigan and take flight! (Okay, maybe don’t actually try to fly, but you’ll sure feel like you’re on Cloud 9!)