Come winter you will find everyone around you donning coats, crew neck sweaters, jackets, blazers, turtleneck sweaters, and cardigans.  Of this wide array of cold weather clothing, I personally prefer cardigans.  Cardigans can be styled in numerous ways to look casual or formal; they can be dressed up or down. You may want to wear your cardigan sweater white, blue, red, yellow, black, navy, brown, grey; the fact that they come in a rainbow of hues (and numerous patterns!) only increases their appeal.

The most common purpose of winter weather cardigans is to provide warmth.  As a result, cardigans come in a variety of materials, including cotton blends on the low end and luxurious materials like cashmere and angora on the high end.  Cardigans are excellent layering pieces that are typically color-coordinated with the rest of the attire so as to blend in and to form a put-together look.  True, every wardrobe is incomplete without sweaters of basic colors such as a black cardigan sweater.  Yet you should have at least one cardigan that can be worn as the focal piece of an ensemble.

For instance, you could wear a sequin or beaded cardigan when you want to go clubbing, a lace-like one when you are feeling all feminine, an animal print cardigan for the days you want to stand out in the crowd or a cute bright red sweater when you are going out for a casual date.  Each of these cardigans is quite striking; thus, the rest of the outfit should be simple in order to complement the sweater rather than compete with it.

Once you have a couple of basic hued cardigans in your closet, then feel free to mix and match these timeless pieces with all your clothes and splurge on that one stunning cardigan that can be the central piece of your outfit.