Sweater Wraps

I'm certainly not a fashion aficionado, as my girlfriend would quickly tell you.  However, I do appreciate fashion and definitely know what's stylish, what's "in", and what hasn't been in fashion since the disco era!

So I'm wondering what all the hoopla is with these sweater wraps I see almost everywhere.  I guess some people refer to them as shawls or half sweater wraps. Honestly, I don't know the "official term".  All I know is that I'm seeing these things everywhere I turn, so I simply began wondering what all the hype is about.

Ok, maybe it's not really hype because I'm not reading much about sweater wraps in any publications or fashion magazines, but I am, in fact, seeing these things every place I go.

So I ask myself.... "What the heck is this thing"?  Are manufacturers short on cotton these days or do they lack the funds to manufacture entire sweaters?  .... or are these things actually stylish.  :)

I recently took a cruise to Mexico, which is where I first spotted this invasion of these half sweaters.  As you know, a cruise has different styles of dress depending on the particular night. Some nights are strictly formal wear, where the men wear suits or tuxedos and most of the women wear dresses.  But then we have our semi-formal nights, which I would consider more like a business casual look.  This is where these sweaters were coming out of the woodwork!  But I must say that they're actually quite nice.  Some women wear them with jeans, others wear them with slacks and even skirts.  They seem to be very versatile and really fit well with many different occasions.

So I asked my girlfriend about these wraps and what she thought of them.  While they aren't her particular style, she informed me that she actually likes them because of their versatility. Apparently, many of her friends wear these for various occasions, and they seem to come in handy at both the workplace and most commonly for casual nights out - such as happy hour or dinner.

All of this makes me wonder if it's easier for men to purchase clothing for different occasions or is it, in fact, an easier task for the ladies.

It seems to me that men don't really have as many options when it comes to fashion flexibility. After all, my choices seem limited. I'm either casual, corporate casual, or I'm in a suit. For example: There are similar wraps for men, but it would seem that they'd look silly with dress slacks, and of course, could never be worn with a suit or a shirt and tie. So I feel limited right there. Not that I'd ever wear one of these things anyhow, but I'm just sayin'! Additionally, it seems that women have a plethora of options when it comes to shoes. It isn't uncommon to find a women shopping at Payless for a cheap, but "expensive looking" pair of shoes that she intends to wear for just one specific occasion. Men don't seem to have that same option, because as far as I'm concerned, when it comes to men's style, the shoes make the outfit. And as a suit and tie guy for more than two decades, I can tell you that I can spot a cheap pair of men's shoes immediately, where the same is not true for women (in my opinion anyway).

What really got my attention with this whole sweater wrap issue was that when I was on the cruise, I noticed women wearing these wraps in the cooler, air conditioned confines of the ship, and they were actually able to wear them outside where the weather was considerably warmer. I even saw a few women sporting these wraps with shorts.

As for the guys, I think the sweater wraps convey more of that Hollywood pompous look that says "Hey, look at me! I am a film producer so I'm tying something in a knot around my neck to wear on my sailboat". As a matter of fact, I don't see much use for these sweater wraps for men other than wearing them to go boating. Anyway, that's my personal stereotype. I'm sure there are non-pompous, non-obnoxious men who wear these types of sweaters, yet it seems to me that women have many more options with this sort of garment than the men.

So in a nutshell, this was my absoultely meaningless reivew of sweater wraps. I like them. Women look fashionable and pretty in them, and can seemingly wear them for many types of occasions in varying climates.

So go out and get yourself a sweater wrap ladies!  You'll find they come in handy for a wide variety of situations.  But then again.... what do I know???