Things I'm Looking Forward to This Fall
Episode 2 - Graphic Sweaters
Fall is right around the corner, and as always, I couldn’t be more excited. Today is the first in a series of posts on the Things I’m Looking Forward to This Fall. They may be things I that I have been anxiously awaiting the first dip below 60 to pull out of the storage bins in my closet, or any of the items still sitting in my cart waiting for the right sale, or 4-beer courage, to pull the trigger or just anything I’ve been obsessively posting to my instagram stories.
Todays Obsession: Graphic Sweaters
I love a sweater. loooove a sweater! Own many of them! Shetlands, Cricket, Shaker, the grey fleece sweatshirt, rollneck, turtleneck!. But they all have one thing in common: they’re kinda plain. Which isn’t to say they’re bad! I love my yellow shetland and my grey crewneck, but I also bought them for the specific reason of wearing them over button downs for work all winter. Case and point:
And the sweater over the button down has been a pretty big staple for me for almost a decade now. But I’ve been fascinated with wearing a sweater solo, it’s something I rarely do, I usually opt for a hoodie instead, but have been doing much more recently. There’s a certain roguish and sexiness that comes from wearing it. So this fall, much like my quest to diversify my t shirt collection, I’m turning to graphics. With no further ado, here’s my new obsession: Graphic Sweaters.
Ralph Lauren
Ralph is the GOAT for a reason: he makes icons. The Flag and Polo bear (in all his neat little outfits) sweaters are perenials for a reason. On top of being good sweaters, they just fun. And I think thats what makes graphic sweaters so great. The OG polo bear is my favorite. Although they have a high retail sticker, the ubiquity of the PBS means they’re all over ebay (finding one with a good bear outfit is another story). Flag sweaters are even easier to find and should never run you more than $100.
Polo Country has recently returned as a proper RL sub-line, including a remake of this old polo country patchwork/quiltwork (?) sweater (which can be found on ebay in their original form on ebay).
And of course, my all time grail: the skateboarding Polo bear from the Palace x PRL collab. I think it truly speaks to how iconic the Polo Bear sweater is, that Palace would choose remix it.
Woolrich, Glenncroft, and Heiritage Brands
The great news about graphic sweaters , like a lot of prep/IVY/heiritage stuff I like, is that they’re based on very obvious vintage references. Heritage brands have been making sweaters with pictures knit in them for DECADES, and they still are. So its super easy to find one for much cheaper than a contemporary brand.
I’ll first shout out Glencroft, a company thats been making knits for like a hundred years. And they’ve been making this adorable sweater honoring their own sheep since like the 70s. Its also the inspiration for last years Woolrich x ALD collab. And this fall, I’ll be wearing the OG. I’m very excite to pair it with some denim or loose fit cords. I have had a vision of wearing it under a carhartt jacket that haunts me. I wake up the middle of the night sweating cause its too god damn hot still for me to pull off that elite outfit idea.
Next up: Woolrich. A favorite company of mine. A great source of barn coats, chamois shirt jackets, and wool sweaters. Woolrich has also been a round for a looooongg time, and as such ebay is full of awesome sweaters, including an adorable Duck Hunter I shouted out in the last window shopping report. Look for classic hunting motif options like mallards or dogs.
Ebay is a deep, dark hole filled with many wonders… if one knows wear to look! I suggest checking deep into LL Bean, Woolrich, Pendleton or any other classic british or american brands for sick deals on these. What I love most about this genre is how badly its begging to be paired with work wear (aka the cheapest way to get cool pants/jackets). Contrast the intricate, but hardy knits with rough and tumble drill cotton or denim or duck canvas, while simultaneously letting the outdoorsy graphic establish an overarching motif.
Contemporary Streetwear
I love the recent blend of streetwear-meets-menswear, cause it’s easier for me, a guy who wears khakis and button downs to work like 3-4 days a week to justify buying something insane from a really cool brand. Case and point: this supreme sweater.
I’m obsessed. Like I’m googling “supreme droplist this week” and I spent about 5 mins trying to figure out how bots work before giving up. I love it. Its so goofy, but also its like a very seriously crafted piece of knit wear? Its like a graphic T but its also a knit sweater?? Can they do that?? Either way, I love the vibe and it has really tipped the scales on my interest in adding one of these guys to the ol’ closet.
If learning how Supreme drops is of zero interest to you there are plenty of other options (fair warning: not cheap!). ALD has done many over the years and I spied a polo quited inspired one in the lastest lookbook. Check out these options from Our Legacy, Stussy, Norse Projects, Undercover, Story MFG and even J Crew.
Long story short, I’m tryna be a graphic guy! If you have any leads on a supreme bot or my grail Palace x PRL skateboard bear sweater please let me know! Or if you’d like to show off your new ebay score!