Sweater vests: Do you like them?

Dear Community,

Now that it's late summer / early fall, sweater vests are actually a great idea. Not too warm and not too cold—they're perfect to wear over a T-shirt. Do you like sweater vests, or not so much?

Slipovers are definitely practical and useful, but I don’t like them at all.

No, because I need something that keeps my back warm.

A vest is much more practical for me.

I really like sweater vests. I think they look cute on kids, sporty yet chic on women, and I also find them very flattering on men with a shirt underneath.<\/p>

I also think it’s practical that they keep your upper body warm without the long sleeves of a sweater or jacket, which can sometimes be “too much of a good thing.”<\/p>

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Best regards<\/p>

I really like sweater vests; when worn over a matching blouse, they often look chic, and this combination keeps you warm enough—especially at the office. With sleeves, it can sometimes be too much. 

Best regards, Sabine

I used to not be a big fan of slipovers. But by now I’ve already knitted three of them myself and really enjoy wearing them in the in-between season.<\/p>

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It seems like people either really like them or not at all. I’m in the second group. But looking at it positively, they save on material—after all, there’s only a front and a back. For me, they’re neither one thing nor the other. It’s like those quilted vests for outdoor wear. They’re just missing the sleeves to be a complete garment in my book. But to each their own.

Best regards, Ina

I think slipovers are great. They don’t restrict your movement. Plus, when it gets cold, my arms don’t get as cold as my torso. I also like to use up leftover yarn for them, and they can look really good if you don’t just knit horizontal stripes but also change the knitting direction (across, diagonally, in modules) or knit simple intarsia patterns. 

But the most important thing is probably how you style it. A colorful slipover needs a neutral background to really stand out. On the other hand, a simple solid-color slipover can “tie together” a striped skirt and a floral blouse, for example, if it’s knitted in a color that appears in both of the other garments. 

Best regards from Krümelmonster

Sweater vests were already awful to me in my childhood, pure horror, and that hasn’t changed to this day. My siblings loved them.

Best regards, Inge

When I was a kid, we still called them “vests.” 

Best regards, Ina

A vest is like a jacket—you can unbutton it—but a slipover has to be pulled over your head like a sweater. At least that’s how it is here in the Rhineland and the Ruhr region.

Tastes vary. They used to be “in,” so I wore them back then, too. Where I’m from, we called them “Westovers.” I had one in black, with a white blouse underneath—it looked chic—but from today’s perspective, I don’t like them at all. 

You don’t always have to follow fashion. I agree with Ina. I need the “full package with sleeves.”

Yes, Andrea, you’re right. These were called “Westover.” Even men used to wear them.
A vest had buttons in the front. I didn’t like either of them, so I forgot the terms a long time ago. But it’s nice that we got to talk about it :-)

Best regards, Ina

I’m a fan of both slipovers and vests. I like them both. 

I now have a few blouses, and I wear slipovers over them. My arms usually don’t get cold, but I do like to keep my back warm. And if the whole thing is a bit loose and comfortable—perfect. 

Best regards, Petra 

Sweater vests are totally back in style—they have a different shape now than they did in the past, when they were worn in a more classic way. Today, they usually have dropped shoulders and a looser fit, often in eye-catching patterns. I think they’re really nice—they’re very fashionable if you style them well. But I don’t wear knitted sweaters anyway, so I don’t really have to be for or against them. Everything always comes back, just in a modified form.

But they are practical if you just want something warm on your upper body. 

And the ones made of cotton fibers are great too, because you can wear them on their own. Or over a flowy dress or thin shirt, so that any transparency is only on the sleeves. 

Ina, for us, a vest was a jacket without sleeves or with short sleeves—one that opens in the front. 

 I used to dislike those things, whether they opened in the front or not. Now I’m thinking about whether I should actually knit one for myself. Because I often only get cold on my back, and I still need some “breathing room” for my arms 😅 

Best regards, Marita 

Sorry, I just noticed this was already mentioned. . 😥

Hi everyone,

I saw a “Kieler Kragen” online the other day. It was featured on SWF by Tanja Steinbach. It looks like a sweater draped over the shoulders and tied together at the sleeves. But it’s really just a “piece of fabric” over the back with two “ends” tied together in the front. I really liked it. That way your back stays nice and warm, and it looks chic. Not as old-fashioned as a slipover. But tastes vary, of course. Maybe someone here will like it.

Best regards 

Oma Heidi

Unfortunately, I can’t insert the picture; there are probably rights on it that prevent copying, which is a shame. 

I think sleeveless sweaters are great, but only if they’re casually crocheted or knitted. I also love them with a hoodie-style hood. I don’t really like them when they’re form-fitting.

@Oma Heidi,

It’s great that you’re joining the conversation here, but please remember that, as a rule, images that aren’t yours may not be uploaded here, regardless of whether they have copy protection or not.