The Essential Cardigan Sweater!

By Gracie Lynn

Style and Fashion from Pre Pin-up to Post Zombie

Hello Lovelies!!! 

It is so wonderful to be with you all here at The Model Bag (thanks so much for inviting me to join ya all here!). I just wanted to take a few moments to introduce myself and then we can get down to the real business… 

FASHION!!!   

My name is Gracie Lynn and I work predominately as a Pin Up model, but I have been modeling for over 18 years now. I started out as a standard size model, have been a plus size model, still do fitness/bikini modeling and am sometimes even an actress. I have a passion for the entertainment industry, pinup/car culture and a serious love of fashion (lets not even get me started on shoes… we will save that for another blog).  I am also a firm believer in looking great on a budget, and believe me we will talk about that too. I can not wait to spend time with you all here and will happily answer any questions you may have (and know that if I don’t know the answer I can find someone who does!).  Well, that is a bit about me, and I look forward to getting to know all of you, so lets start off this first blog with one of my favorite pieces of clothing/accessories…. 

THE CARDIGAN SWEATER!!!

You all may not know, but the Cardigan sweater was first considered men’s wear… Shocking, I know. According to my sources (those fine folks at Google) “A cardigan is a type of sweater or jumper that typically buttons down the front. Named after the 7th Earl of Cardigan, James Thomas Brudenell, a British military commander during the Crimean War”.  Of course, we all now know the cardigan sweater as that nifty button or zipper up sweater that we can throw on over everything from jeans and a t-shirt to the most formal of dresses for the ladies or with dress pants or khakis for the gentlemen.  The best thing about the Cardigan sweater in my mind though is that it can be used all year round and since it is a light weight sweater it does not take up too much space, so is easy to haul around with you everywhere.

Of course there are a million styles of Cardigan sweater.  From the twin sets made popular by the ladies of the 50's to the rather frumpy sweater many of us may remember our childhood TV teacher Mr Rogers wearing, this versatile accessory has been around and in rotation in wardrobes of both men and women since the 1700's and shows no sign of ever truly going out of style. You want an idea of the variety of Cardigan sweaters available today, just hit up Google images  (or your other favorite search engine of choice) and you will see that styles range from short and cropped to almost knee length and from rock to ruffly. You may think they make men look rather preppy, but believe you me, rock and roll/alternative guys can rock the cardigan as well. I have a Goth pal who can wear a Cardigan like no one else, so you folks who view yourself as having an alternative style… the Cardigan is for us all! 

 Now in my opinion you need at least 3 of these awesome sweaters in your wardrobe at all times(mind you, I have waaaaaayyyyy more, but for those of you just starting out...3 is the magic number). Now I Love color and pattern, but you can not go wrong with the basic essentials.  In order to cover ALMOST every wardrobe need you just really need 3 basic sweater colors. Black, white and grey… now you may ask why these 3 vs the many other available options well the answer is really as basic as the colors, they go with everything. Prints, solids, and colors, out of these three sweaters you will always find one that will go with your clothing choice for the day. And don’t feel that you have to spend a ton of money to get a great sweater. They come in all price ranges and I am actually a huge fan of hitting the clearance rack between seasons and stocking up (that is how I get my fun color and patterned sweaters and not worry about breaking the bank) and of course, my white sweaters as well since I go through at least one a season (white is so hard to keep white after all).  Wear them open, buttoned up with one button buttoned or even belted, this versatile sweater will get you through chilly mornings, cool summer evenings, an extra layer under that heavy winter jacket or the sub artic AC temperatures in Florida in the summer. This sweater works for every day.

Well,  I am gonna keep this blog entry a bit short, so as not to overwhelm ya with all the details. But I would love to hear from you, with any questions, or comments you may have. We will also discuss in later blogs topics like what to wear out, what to wear to a go see and many other topics.  I look forward to “chatting” with you every week! 

Hugs my Lovelies!!!

Gracie Lynn