Sweater search

November 28, 2023 9:27 PM

Maybe it's just the Succession revisiting, but I bought one of these half-zip merino sweaters last year and I wish I'd bought a couple more.

What distinguishes this sweater from its genre is that it is neither a sporty, clinging base layer, nor a hearty oversized outer layer, but a normal-fit sweater that just happens to have a half-zip, one that you can get away with wearing on its own sometimes in a business casual office and that won't look weird with tailored wool pants.

I'm having a lot of trouble finding other sweaters like this--Everlane's other half-zip is a felted merino and the cut is huge, places like Smartwool are selling outdoor wear and even designated "first layers" tend to be on the thin and clingy side, etc. It needs to be merino (or I guess cashmere, though that's likely to be price-prohibitive): I feel strongly about natural fibers and a coarser wool would be too itchy (the yak blend in the original is pushing it a little, but I can stand it).

Any suggestions?

posted by praemunire to Clothing, Beauty, & Fashion (13 answers total)

Best answer: Half a lifetime ago, I had exactly what you're describing, and I got it at Banana Republic.

I just checked their website -- they don't seem to have it in a women's cut (we get half-length + buttons), but if you can do men's sizes, it looks like they have one that's merino.
posted by Metasyntactic at 11:11 PM on November 28, 2023 [1 favorite]

Also, if you're willing to buy used, eBay has several options for the sweater that you linked.
posted by Metasyntactic at 11:13 PM on November 28, 2023

Response by poster: Hm, the BR men's black is all sold out, but I will try it in the blue-grey and see how it looks. Sometimes I can get away with a men's sweater.

Other suggestions still welcome!
posted by praemunire at 11:24 PM on November 28, 2023

MUJI usually has these in the men’s section every year, and this season shows some for women as well.
posted by minervous at 1:23 AM on November 29, 2023 [1 favorite]

LL Bean has something in a merino blend that might suit. It's a merino/polyester blend, not pure natural fiber, and it's a waffle knit and plastic zipper that probably reads a bit more casual than the Everlane "luxe" sweater. (LL Bean calls this style "quarter-zip" rather than "half-zip", in case that's a helpful search term more broadly; it seems like the zip is nearly as long as the zip on the Everlane one.)
posted by mskyle at 5:10 AM on November 29, 2023

Best answer: Naadam has a merino/cashmere blend on sale, but unfortunately it's final sale. I haven't bought anything from them but have heard it's pretty good.

Sezane has great knitwear and currently has this half zip merino/cotton blend in stock. Their stock changes all the time so it's worth looking again in a month if you like their style. Poshmark and the like tend to have a ton of Sezane sweaters but usually not at much of a discount.

Quince has a merino half zip that's currently out of stock in most size and color combinations, but they actually do restock and email if you join the waitlist.
posted by A Blue Moon at 6:27 AM on November 29, 2023 [1 favorite]

Best answer: Woolovers doesn’t have any in women’s but has a cashmere/merino half-zip in men’s, if that works for you. I’ve bought a lot of stuff from them and the quality has been good. (Also I know you specified merino, but their lambswool sweaters are also nice and wear very well, and I don’t find them especially scratchy.)
posted by tchemgrrl at 7:13 AM on November 29, 2023

I haunt Poshmark for stuff like this. Sometimes I luck out!
posted by maryellenreads at 9:29 AM on November 29, 2023

Best answer: Charles Tyrwhitt do a men’s version - but they have a large range of sizes and colors. I own a couple of their cardigans and the quality is high.
posted by piyushnz at 9:35 AM on November 29, 2023

Quince has a very similar one: https://www.quince.com/women/alpaca-quarter-zip-sweater?color=black
posted by lomes at 10:00 AM on November 29, 2023 [1 favorite]

I've seen lots of polo-collar sweaters this fall in merino. Typically they don't have a zip but are open, without buttons. Here's the Quince version, and I saw these in the store at J Crew Factory and Banana Republic Factory and other places just this weekend. So, this is a thing now if you can give up the zip.
posted by bluedaisy at 10:55 AM on November 29, 2023

Best answer: Men's sweater but I've been eye-ing this one for my partner for Christmas
posted by amaire at 2:38 PM on November 29, 2023

Response by poster: Forgot to mention: no ribbing in the body (see: necessity of avoiding clinging).

Seems like the men are being unfairly favored by fashion this year in this regard, but what can you do.

(P.S., yeah, I know, the original is not really "luxe," but I didn't pick the name, so, again, what can you do.)
posted by praemunire at 3:25 PM on November 29, 2023