Well before Kurt Cobain wore his infamous orange moth-ridden, distressed orange cardigan on Nirvana’s MTV’s Unplugged, the cardigan was a menswear staple. While the garment has wavered between Ivy League essential and Mr. Rogers cliché, it’s an ideal layering piece, both formal and inherently nonchalant.

Though a historically preppy garment, since Cobain’s breakout as a male style icon in the mid-'90s everyone from Supreme to Japanese fashion stalwarts like Number (N)ine and Wacko Maria have toyed with the garment. Today, the shaggy, oversized versions are arguably as popular as the slim, fitted varsity iterations that Northeast elite wore for decades. Toeing the line between tailoring separate and cozy casual sweater, cardigans are the wardrobe chameleon, offering countless styling and outfit possibilities. Some, however, are less versatile than others, and with the continued prevalence of dad style, the increasingly popular staple is having its moment.

Given that everyone from Uniqlo to Hermès make some version of a cardigan, you’re best best is to find one that’s well made and, despite a wide array of uses, is distinctly you.

Rather than have you endless search for the perfect version, we have rounded up a selection of our favorites from across the menswear spectrum. With quarantine in full effect, each is also perfectly suited for either an afternoon of lounging around the house watching Netflix or quickly buttoned up for an impromptu Zoom meeting. Stay cozy, friends.

Tags: fall-fashion, fall-style, spring-fashion, spring-style, beams-plus, thom-browne, cardigan, maison-margiela, gucci, saint-laurent-paris, lacoste, golf-le-fleur, supreme