There’s something to be said for the majority of quarter-zip sweater imagery circulating the internet featuring men staring wistfully into space surrounded by natural landscape.
Like all good clothing that serves our new normal of hybrid working, the quarter-zip neck sweater has emerged post-lockdown as one item of clothing that
It’s tidy casual rolled into one singular garment, less uptight than a crewneck, but smarter than, say, a casual sweatshirt or hoodie; smart enough for a Zoom call and just the right amount of vagueness required from clothes when you’re daily schedule teeters between formal and casual environments.
While Prime Minister Christopher Hipkins makes a convincing case for a hoodie off-duty, he, like many men in power, can still soften their Monday to Friday attire with a simple layer of a quarter-zip sweater under a sports blazer; or like every tech entrepreneur’s uniform at the moment, underneath a gilet.
The quarter-zip sweater is a garment already worn deliberately by Prince Harry and British PM Rishi Sunak, two men that require their outfits to visually signal a sense of being respectful while appearing casual in the public eye.
Several womenswear brands have highlighted the quarter-zip sweater in their collections too, with a range of options available evoking a sense of sporty elegance that works well layered over jeans or a full-length pleated skirt for the perfect balance of transeasonal comfort.
While it has long been a staple for a sensible, middle-aged wardrobe, much like Crocs or aviator-shaped spectacles, there’s a slight sense of irreverence when a quarter-zip neck sweater is styled with other casual pieces like a crisp pair of jeans and a white T-shirt.
And, of course, you can’t speak of the timely renaissance of a quarter-zip sweater without acknowledging costume designer Michelle Matland’s deft hand on Succession. Here, a quarter-zip sweater — albeit a luxurious Loro Piana version — is employed by the likes of Kendall and Logan as a way of signaling an ‘if you know, you know’ approach to dressing that taps into the concept of discreet luxury currently permeating the collections of several designers right now.
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