Regular maintenance is essential for longevity. A sweater can last years, even decades, if cared for properly. 

Sweater Colors/Patterns

Sweaters in solid, conservative colors are going to be more versatile than sweaters with loud patterns and bold colors. Your safest bet is to stick with classic, solid colors such as navy, white, cream, black, and gray for your first couple of sweaters.

After you’ve covered the basics, branch out into patterns such as stripes, checks, and plaids, and experiment with bolder colors like red, purple, and orange. 

However, that’s just general advice. If you really want an (unfortunately named) “Cosby sweater” for your first sweater and it fits with your style — I say go for it. 

Sweater Materials

Sweaters are commonly made from cotton, wool, and/or synthetic materials. 

Synthetics and synthetic blends are best for athletic sweaters — sweaters you’d wear on a backpacking trip or to the gym (or when you want to look like you might go to the gym). Acrylic and polyester are two of the most common synthetics used in sweaters.

A blend of synthetic and natural materials can make for warm, stylish sweaters that have some stretch for comfort. 

Cotton sweaters are what you’ll most often find on the shelf when you visit the mall.

A cotton sweater is a good choice for your first sweater because since they’re relatively inexpensive, you can “test the waters” and see if you like wearing knits before spending a lot of money on a higher quality (and more expensive) sweater. 

Wool, as an animal product, is more costly to produce than cotton. Generally, wool sweaters are of higher quality than their cotton counterparts.