Alright, so I’ve been seeing this whole “sweater tied around the shoulder” thing popping up, you know, that preppy vibe. Figured, why not give it a shot? I’m always up for trying something, even if it feels a bit out there for me at first.
So, the first step was obviously finding the right sweater. I dug through my closet. Didn’t want anything too bulky, ’cause I imagined that would just look like I was carrying a small animal on my shoulder. Found this kinda lightweight, navy blue crew neck. Seemed like a good candidate. Not too flashy, classic color.
Then, the base outfit. I thought, gotta lean into the preppy thing, right? So I grabbed a simple white collared shirt – an Oxford, I think – and a pair of khaki chinos. Pretty standard stuff. I put those on, felt like I was heading to a boat club I’m not a member of. Ha!
Actually Doing The Tie
Okay, here’s where the “practice” part really kicked in. I stood in front of the mirror. My first attempt, I just kinda draped the sweater over one shoulder and then tried to tie the sleeves in a knot in the front, sort of diagonally across my chest. Man, it looked… weird. Like, really off. The knot was too bulky, and the sweater body was just hanging there awkwardly.
I undid it. Took a breath. Okay, attempt number two. This time, I tried to make the drape a bit more deliberate. I laid the center of the sweater body more squarely on my shoulder, so it covered the shoulder cap a bit. Then, I brought the sleeves around. Instead of a tight, chunky knot, I tried for a looser, more casual knot. A bit like how you’d loosely tie a shoelace before you make the bows.
This was a little better. It wasn’t perfect, still felt a bit…costumey? I fiddled with it. Pulled the sleeves a bit to adjust the tension of the knot. Made sure the collar of my shirt was peeking out nicely. Shifted the whole thing slightly back on my shoulder.
- I noticed if the knot was too low, it looked sloppy.
- If it was too high, it felt like a weird bib.
- The drape of the sweater body over the back shoulder also mattered. Didn’t want it bunched up.
After a few more minutes of tweaking, pulling, and re-tying, I got something that I thought, “Okay, this isn’t terrible.” It actually started to look kinda like those pictures I’d seen. The key seemed to be a relaxed knot and making sure the sweater itself lay smoothly.
The Feel and The Verdict
So, how did it feel? Honestly, a little self-conscious at first. It’s definitely a look. Not something I’d wear every day. But once I got used to the slight weight on my shoulder, it wasn’t uncomfortable. The biggest thing was worrying if it would slip off, but the knot, even loose, held it pretty well, probably because of the texture of the sweater against the shirt.
I walked around my apartment for a bit. Did some chores. It stayed put. I even tried a few quick movements. Still good. I wouldn’t go playing basketball in it, obviously, but for just, like, walking around, or a casual event, it seemed fine.
My final thoughts? It’s a neat way to add a bit of personality or a different layer to an outfit, especially if you get too warm to wear the sweater properly but still want it handy. Took a bit of practice to get the tie looking natural and not like I just threw it there in a panic. I think I might actually try this out in public sometime, maybe for a casual weekend brunch or something. It’s not gonna be my go-to, but it’s a fun option to have in the style toolkit. So yeah, that was my little experiment with the preppy sweater tie. Success, I guess!
