At what feels like the end of the world, in the time of COVID, just before the most nerve-wracking U.S. election ever, I am sitting in my closet looking for something to wear that will help buffer against the chaos of modern life. I grab a cardigan, the most comforting piece of clothing I can think of.
Beloved of soccer moms and librarians—and made venerable by Mister Rogers—the cardigan may have first appeared on a lieutenant general during the Charge of the Light Brigade. It was later popularized for women by Coco Chanel, who didn’t like pulling sweaters over her head because they messed up her hair. (Relatable.)
Cardigans have had a few fashion moments (my personal favourite is the one Kurt Cobain wore on MTV Unplugged), but they’re not particularly stylish.
Even when worn by the grungiest rockstar, a cardigan feels sincere and dependable—hey wait, is this a sartorial stand-in for how I see myself?—the opposite of cool. It’s an honest, sensible piece of clothing that maintains a hint of virtue knit right into its very fabric.
I also discovered last week that cardigans have a feminist history, adopted by women in the in the early 20th century who prized their own comfort over societal norms:
The public backlash was massive. Men hated the cardi because it concealed women's bodies and obscured their curves. The media dubbed the women who wore them "Sloppy Sues." A 1947 article in Life lamented the sweaters and was shocked that these women "sometimes even ventured out of dormitories in rolled-up blue jeans and large men's shirts with the tails out. ... like a girl who does not care whether or not she looks like a girl."
But honestly, my choice of a cardigan on this day is less about feminism and more about the fact that it’s shaped like a big hug.
Cardigans are essentially good, and I am doing everything I can to look for the good right now.
It’s been such a long year, and we don’t know what heartbreaks are waiting for us in the days ahead. So please consider my ramblings a wish for you today, whether you’re fighting a losing battle like Tennyson’s six hundred, facing personal demons like Cobain, standing up for your right to live (and dress) the way you want, or in desperate need of a hug: I wish you softness and warmth, a feeling of being protected. I wish you a ridiculous amount of cardigans—just stacks and stacks, piled way up high but never falling over.
:) Teresa
What is happening even?? Closet Dispatch is a free, limited-run, weekly newsletter by Teresa Wong. I normally publish on Wednesdays but didn’t want to add to the post-election noise, so you’re getting it a day early this week.