Some people call them dusters or longline cardigans, but essentially they’re any cardigan that reaches the knee or lower.

Now for someone like me, that’s most cardigans, ha ha. I’m a shorty short shorty…with short legs, to boot. So a long duster-length cardigan can overwhelm me, just like a too-long, too-full dress can. I have to keep an eye on that so I don’t feel like I’m playing dress-up in my mother’s clothes.

Always Keep Proportion in Mind

But if I keep to shorter lengths and thinner fabrics with a more fitted shape (I’m looking at you, shoulder seams), they’re a wonderful addition to my wardrobe.

And I think this might be true for most body types: when wearing a longline cardigan, keep whatever’s underneath trimmer…like, not bulky (I have neither think nor words today)…to keep a neat silhouette under the cardigan.

I especially like their versatility – they look good over both pants/shorts and dresses/skirts. I have a dress/skirt thing (#shocker). If it has/shows a fitted waist (as opposed to a shift or swing dress, or skirt with shirt worn outside the waistband), I prefer a crop-length cardigan that ends near the waist.

Am I speaking the English today? Why is everything “coming out of my mouth” (YKWIM) sounding so stilted? Too much haiku?

ANYWAY (focus, Bettye), yes. Longline cardigans. I started liking them a few years back because they helped give a smooth, seamless, lean look to whatever I was wearing, skimming over any and all (see? there it is! does that sound like something I would say? I swear I’m writing this myself) lumps and bumps. And I pretty much converted my entire cardigan catalog (ha ha who AM I?) into long, duster-length cardigans.

MISTAKE. Ha. Because while I do love them…and wear them LOADS (you know this)…I struggle with them in cold weather when I’m wearing winter coats…because they’re considerably longer than my coats…and it feels like an awkward length disparity to me. I don’t mind an inch, maybe two, of cardigan peeking out under a coat, but 6″? No.

Sometimes I’d say to myself stop being such a big picky baby and just wear the long cardigan under the short coat…and I’d do it…and MAN did I regret it every second of the day. It’s up there with Really Bad Hair Days. So. No more. I’ve started bringing hip- and crop-length cardigans back into my life. And it is good.

I like them over skinny jeans…I think this is a nice casual office look.

I like them over dresses…it just finishes off the look to me.

I like them over regular straight leg jeans. I think they take a casual look and elevate it slightly.

Re: this maybe reading awkwardly….I think I’ve been writing, uhm…”freestyle” ? so much lately that it is awkward to write…uhm…nonfiction (ha ha) if that makes sense. I have been writing A Lot. A LOT. Not just here. But like…just for myself, I guess. Some topic will pop into my mind and I have thoughts and I have to get them out so I start writing. And it might be a paragraph or it might be three pages. It might be on the concept of aging or it might be my thoughts on wooden shutters (#dustcatchersfromhell). But, especially over vacation, there’s been a lot of wild wild west writing and today I’m trying to be all cultured (ha) again. I think WWW is winning 🙂

Anyway, just wanted to explain in case this seemed weird to anyone else (overthinker right here). Okay, that is all.

words, like teenage boys,
– awkward ungraceful clumsy –
don’t always flow smooth

Okay, NOW that’s all 🙂

This post contains affiliate links, which means that I may receive a small commission if you buy something as a result of clicking that link, at no extra cost to you. I appreciate you shopping through my links.