I’ve always talked about how important it is to have what we call, a third piece. I’ve written about it in this post on how to make your outfits more interesting. Basically, a third piece is a finishing touch to an outfit to complete your look. Your top (piece one), your bottom (piece two) and then something else (the third piece). It can be a variety of things. Usually some sort of light jacket, blazer, cardigan, belt, bandana and so on. But lately, I’ve been leaning onto one specific third piece out of pure laziness. And it’s the sweater draped over the shoulder. And I can’t stop, won’t stop.
How To Wear A Sweater Over Your Shoulders
This is really the easiest trick in the book. And probably why I’ve embraced it so much recently. It’s also ideal for someone like me who gets hot very easily. I don’t have to fully commit to wearing an extra layer on my entire upper body.
While this trend tends to feel a bit more preppy, as someone who is SO not preppy, I beg to differ! I feel like it’s all about how you style it. So no matter what your personal style is, you can definitely try this trend out.
There are just a few real tricks I have when it comes to trying this lazy styling trick. It helps to make it look more intentional and less like you’re just throwing a giant sweater over your shoulders.
Try A Thin Sweater Or Pullover
Thickness is key here. You don’t want to throw on a giant thick and heavy knit sweater over your shoulders. Or an insanely oversized sweatshirt. Keep the weight of the fabric in mind. This will feel less bulky and more like a nice piece that is polishing off your entire look. This particular sweater in today’s look has been my go-to. It’s from Sezane and is the perfect piece!
Cuff The Sleeves
There’s something about having the arms of your sweater or pullover just being as is that feels so blah. I like to roll up the sleeves just a touch, even one messy cuff, to give it a bit of a styled look. It makes the item feel more intentional. It just feels a lot less like you pulled it off the rack and more like you put in some effort. And really, did you put in THAT much effort? Absolutely not. But it does look like you did! And that’s what matters.
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Coordinate!
I feel like this is a no brainer, but I have to mention it. This is really where you can pull an outfit together. Make it more interesting and stylish. And also give it your own touch of personal style. By looking at what you’re wearing, you can coordinate your light pullover for your shoulders to pull the whole look together.
Staying within a similar color family, or going opposite of the color wheel to create contrast. You can add texture and dimension with knits. Or you can add a bit of interest with a stripe or print.
Today’s outfit would look a bit on the boring side if I just added a cream sweater or even just a solid navy one. Instead, I pulled from the navy and went with a navy and striped open knit sweater that has some texture. Below are a few other ideas to see how you can really play with this third piece to make your outfits a little more exciting!
