At times I find myself inexplicably drawn to the bright, colorful and dramatic. Almost every spring, as a matter of fact. It’s like I come out of winter with the highest of hopes, thinking that The New Spring Me will suddenly turn into someone who wears tassel earrings and ruffled, puff-sleeve crop tops.
Spoiler: she does not wear the tassel earrings nor the ruffled tops.
Why This Cropped Gray Sweater Is My Current Outfit-Maker
So in the midst of shopping attempts for dramatic tops for spring, I threw this cropped cashmere sweater in my cart. I wasn’t really interested in the sweater, per se, but it was on sale and gray and that’s the rules, so.
Turns out it does have a bit of a dramatic sleeve.
There is something about this sweater, though. The slightly dramatic sleeve as mentioned, and sure, the soft color and fabric (oh hey lightweight cashmere), combined with the cropped shape make it feel unexpectedly special. It’s a fresher, spring-y take on my winter turtleneck sweaters, and it — quite simply — goes with all of the joggers and jeans that I want to wear right now.
I get that sort of solid, YUP, THIS’LL WORK result with basically everything I throw at it. Jeans are so confusing these days, it’s nice to find a sweater that works with ALL of them.
How I’m Wearing This Alice + Olivia Sweater
If I’m going out of the house, my default outfit is this sweater + straight-leg jeans + white sneakers. I’ve also been layering a silk cami underneath for extra warmth and optimism (someday I can lose the sweater to the sunshine).
I’m wearing a size small in the sweater, a size 26 in the jeans (they’re rag & bone Maya – my favs), and both pieces are on sale. My adidas sneaks are a limited edition that came out a while ago, but if you check adidas they’re almost always doing something cool to Superstars.
sweater | jeans | sneakers | bag (or similar)
And any sweater that can elevate my joggers after a solid freaking year of nothing but freaking joggers…
STRONG WORK, SWEATER. Strong work.
If I look back over the last few months, I’ve also been wearing this cropped sweater with (drumroll please)…even more joggers, more jeans and — just recently — a dress. Whoa. It’s that cropped shape, man. So surprisingly easy to wear.
sweater (small) | gray joggers (small) | dress (size 1, inclusive sizing) | adidas sneakers | jeans (size 26) | green heels
More Cropped Cashmere Sweaters in V. Exciting Neutral Colors Like Gray & Taupe
I have a type and I’m sticking to it.
Anyone else stumbled upon a piece they can’t live without? A piece they would — and this is the ultimate test — rebuy if it ever got lost or stolen?
Don’t come for my gray sweater, man.
xo,
S
 + the cropped shape...unexpectedly special.){kind=link}
I just want to thank you, wholeheartedly, for the machine washing instructions for cashmere that you’ve provided. Truly a game-changing tip. I hate going to the dry cleaner, and the chemicals they use. So much easier to do at home! (Also, in the midst of pandemic-brain fog, I accidentally threw my NAADAM cashmere in the dryer, and it miraculously did not shrink – I would not recommend this as a long-term or low-stress strategy BUT for anyone wondering, NAADAM cashmere can survive 1 dryer trip).
Love this! But your HAIR though. It’s soooo pretty! Could you share your stylist? I’m in Boston, but I’d be willing to road trip for an appointment.
If you’re in Boston, you want Margaret Cunningham! She’s amazing for this look. She just opened her own studio in Hudson. I sound like a weird ad or something, but I’m just a happy client! You can find her on IG at @thecolorconnoisseur
love the sweatshirt but alas it’s sold out… more importantly I’m loving your hair! Please share how long the process took to go from brown to blonde. I’ve tried to do a bit of a balayage but my hair just throws a real brassy orange hue… your however is amazing!! X
This sweater style is calling to me for Spring. It looks like everything I want to be wearing right now! Love it with all of the pieces you’ve styled it with. So so good. Also, your hair looks AH-MAZING! Just gorgeous!
Yes, I’m a gray sweater junkie too! Gah! These options are all so gorgeous.
And I agree with Maria—your hair is simply lovely. I’d love to hear whatever you want to share about care for it, coloring, etc. (and I strongly suspect I’m not alone in that!). I’m sporting far more grays than I did pre-pandemic and for the first time contemplating coloring my hair. Just not quite ready for the gray onslaught yet!
My NAADAM cashmere hoodie did not survive my accidental dryer trip, so proceed with caution!
Oh Emilie, thank you! I’ve just moved here and I’m in search of a stylist. This is an amazing recommendation, thank you! Btw that is a different Maria below … I *am* obsessed but not enough to comment twice 😂