Fall-winter 2026-2027 knitwear: how to choose a sweater

Guide to the season · Autumn-winter 2026-2027

Two sweaters hanging next to each other can look like the same garment, while one costs three times as much as the other. The difference is almost never visible from a distance: it is written on the composition label, the one nobody reads in store and almost nobody looks for online. That is why this guide starts with the label, not the trends.

Below, you’ll find how to read a composition, what each fibre actually does and how to choose a style based on where you will wear it. The selection is in women’s knitwear and men’s knitwear.

What “cashmere” on a label really means

In our knitwear, dozens of styles mention cashmere, but garments in pure cashmere can be counted on one hand. All the others are blends, and the actual percentages listed on our product pages range from 10 to 30 per cent. It is not a trick used by brands: this is how knitwear has always been made.

A concrete example, taken from garments we currently have in stock. The MC2 Saint Barth sweaters with embroidery contain 20% cashmere, 35% wool and other fibres for the remainder. The Marella roll-neck sweaters are 70% wool and 30% cashmere. A hooded Lardini is 57% wool, 28% cashmere and 15% polyamide. Three different garments, three different designs, and none of them is a compromise.

20% cashmere is not there to add bulk: it is there to change the hand of the yarn, meaning how the sweater feels against your skin on first contact. The remaining 80% helps it hold its shape, which is exactly what pure cashmere cannot do on its own.

The fibres, and what each one does

Wool is the backbone of almost all winter knitwear, including ours. It holds its shape, is hard-wearing and only felts if mistreated in the washing machine. When you see merino written on the label, it means a finer fibre: the same wool, but without the itch that made an entire generation of children hate sweaters.

Cashmere offers the best warmth-to-weight ratio found in nature: it provides substantial warmth while weighing almost nothing. In return, it's delicate, tends to pill in the first few weeks and doesn't forgive a hanger hook. A pure cashmere crew neck like those from Alpha Studio is a garment to treat with care, not throw into your bag.

Alpaca is shinier and lighter than wool for the same warmth, with that slightly unruly long fibre that's recognisable at a glance. Viscose doesn't provide warmth: it helps the garment drape and gives it that soft weight wool alone doesn't have. It makes sense in a mid-season sweater, much less so in one for January in the mountains.

Polyamide deserves a paragraph of its own, because it's the fibre that makes luxury seekers wrinkle their noses, yet it's the one that helps the garment last.

Crew neck, turtleneck, cardigan: which one do you really need

The right question isn't which one is more beautiful, but what you'll wear over it. The crew neck is the style we carry in the greatest depth across both departments, and the reason is that it's the only one that works on its own, under a jacket and over a shirt. If you buy only one, choose this one, in a solid colour and medium weight.

The turtleneck solves a problem no other garment does: it replaces a scarf and shirt at once, and under a coat it's the reason certain silhouettes look clean rather than crowded. It has just one rule: it must be thin. A thick turtleneck under a jacket gives you a rugby player's neck, and that's not an effect you can fix.

The cardigan is the only garment on this list that can be removed without messing up your hair, which makes it the right piece for days that begin at eight degrees and end at eighteen - in other words, almost all of autumn around here. It is also the most delicate to choose: a short, fitted one is worn like a top, while a long, heavy one is outerwear and should be treated as such.

The half-zip pullover is the fastest-growing item in the men's department, and not because of a trend: it looks equally good zipped up or open over a shirt, and works for the office without a jacket. At Jeordie's and Roberto Collina, you will find it in the cleanest versions.

Available now

Crewnecks, cardigans and turtlenecks

Mc2 Saint BarthWomen's Mélange Wool Half-Zip SweaterMc2 Saint BarthNew Queen DIVA Lurex Alpaca SweaterMc2 Saint BarthWomen's MC2 Saint Barth New Queen Printed SweaterMM MAX MARAMACINA Cotton Yarn Crewneck SweaterEmporio ArmaniWomen's Virgin Wool Sweater with RhinestonesEmporio ArmaniWomen's Virgin Wool Sweater with RhinestonesPinkoWomen's Cropped Sweater with Pinko Love Birds LogoPinkoPinko Cropped Plaid Sweater with Frayed Hem

Yarn weight, which no one looks at but changes everything

Two sweaters with the same composition can behave in completely opposite ways depending on the yarn weight. A fine-gauge knit - the smooth, almost silky knit seen in elegant crewnecks - fits under a jacket without adding bulk and can be worn from September to May. A thick-gauge knit, with cables or wide ribs, is much warmer but fits under nothing: that is the sweater that is the outerwear.

It is the most common purchasing mistake we see in the boutique: buying the cable-knit sweater because it looks best on the mannequin, then never wearing it because it does not fit under a coat. Before choosing, decide whether you need a layer to wear underneath or one to wear over other clothes. They are two different purchases.

Sizing, and why oversized is a choice here, not a mistake

Knitwear is the only category where taking one size up can be the right choice. An oversized crewneck is a design: dropped shoulder, long sleeve, roomy body, and the garment is designed to fit that way. A crewneck in your usual size bought one size up is simply too wide, and you can tell from the shoulder falling in the wrong place.

The difference is clear from the product description, not in the mirror: if the style is designed to be oversized, it will say so. If it does not, choose your usual size. For size conversions between brands, use the size converter, and if in doubt, the measurement that is useful to send us is your chest circumference.

How to care for a sweater so it lasts

Do not hang it. It is the rule most often broken and the one that ruins the most garments: a hanger puts all the weight on two points, and within one season the shoulders develop two peaks that never disappear. Knitwear should always be folded, even heavy knitwear.

Pilling during the first few weeks is normal on short, soft fibers, including cashmere: these are surface fibrils that emerge where the garment rubs, under the arms and along the sides. Remove them with a wool comb or by passing a razor flat over the surface, never by pulling them with your fingers - if you pull them off, you also remove the good yarn. After the first winter, the process stops on its own.

It needs washing less often than you might think. Wool is self-cleaning: almost always, simply air the sweater overnight between wears. When washing is necessary, use cold water, a wool cycle and the lowest spin setting, then lay it flat on a towel to dry. Hanging it while wet stretches it under its own weight, and it will not recover.

The season's other guides: how to choose a coat, autumn-winter colours and boots.

A substantial-weight sweater calls for trousers that do not add volume, which is why certain looks seem heavy even when the individual pieces are right. How to choose the fit is explained in the trousers and jeans guide.

Frequently asked questions

Is a pure cashmere or cashmere-blend sweater better?

It depends on how you will wear it. Pure cashmere offers maximum warmth with minimum weight and is the softest to the touch, but it is delicate and holds its shape less well. A wool blend - for example, 70% wool and 30% cashmere - is more durable, retains its structure longer and costs less. For a garment you plan to wear often, the blend is usually the more sensible choice; pure cashmere makes sense as an investment to keep for years, provided you care for it properly.

Why does my designer sweater contain polyamide?

Because it helps the sweater last longer. Polyamide is added in limited amounts, usually between 10% and 20%, and works where the garment tends to lose its shape: cuffs, hem and elbows. A 100% luxury-fiber sweater is beautiful when new but gives way sooner at points of strain. A small percentage of synthetic fiber does not lower the garment's quality: often, it is a sign that it was designed to be worn in real life.

How do you prevent pilling on a sweater?

Pilling cannot be avoided completely; it is normal on cashmere and soft wool during the first few weeks. You can reduce it by limiting friction — pay attention to shoulder straps and backpacks carried on the same side — and remove it with a dedicated comb or by running a razor flat over the taut fabric. Never pull pills off with your fingers. After the first season, the garment tends to stabilize.

Can the sweater be machine-washed?

Yes, if the washing machine has a wool cycle: cold water, specific detergent, and minimal or no spin. The real damage is not caused by water but by heat combined with movement, which felts the fiber irreversibly. To dry it, lay it flat, never hang it: when wet, the garment stretches under its own weight and does not regain its shape.

What is the difference between a crew neck, turtleneck and mock neck?

A crew neck has a round neckline at the base of the neck. A turtleneck has a high, folded collar that covers the entire neck. A mock neck is the middle ground: high but short, not folded, and reaching halfway up the neck. Under a jacket, the mock neck is the most comfortable of the three because it does not create bulk under the lapel.

When is the best time to buy winter knitwear?

Between September and October, when the selection is complete and all sizes are available. Knitwear is the category that sells out first: by November, only the extreme sizes of the best-selling styles remain. If you are looking for a mid-range size in a specific color, waiting for the sales almost always means not finding it.

For outerwear — coats, down jackets, parkas or bombers — there is a guide of its own: how to choose it by reading the filling and membrane.

Available now

Men's knitwear

JEORDIE'SPure Shaved Wool Crew-Neck SweaterMANUEL RITZMen's Merino Wool and Acrylic Jacquard SweaterMANUEL RITZManuel Ritz Men's Virgin Wool SweaterPeutereyPeuterey Exmoor Men's Wool and Cotton SweaterPeutereyPeuterey Exmoor Men's Wool and Cotton SweaterPeutereyPeuterey Exmoor Wool and Cotton SweaterPeutereyPeuterey Exmoore Men's Cotton and Wool Crew-Neck SweaterPeutereyPeuterey New Marlon NC Men's Wool-Blend Pullover

Editorial team at Vittorio Citro Boutique, Roccapiemonte. We have been selling fashion since 1917.