Types and Differences between Jumpers, Cardigans, and Sweaters

now is the perfect season for cozy knitwear. It’s a good time to understand the differences between a cardigan, pullover, jumper, turtleneck, sweater, and cardigan.

Sweater

A sweater is a hip-length garment knitted from fairly thick yarn with long sleeves. A key feature of a sweater is its high collar, at least 5 cm high, covering the neck. The sweater style developed in the mid-19th century, and by the end of the century, it had become especially popular. Interestingly, doctors recommended it as “weight-loss clothing”: to lose weight, they prescribed vigorous exercise while wearing a sweater. That’s why the name “to sweat” for this garment actually means “to sweat.”

Jumper

The jumper is the most versatile item of clothing described in the introduction. Here’s what’s known for sure: a jumper is a knitted garment that reaches to the waist, hips, or slightly lower. A jumper may have a collar, but its height should not exceed 5 cm (otherwise, it would be considered a sweater). A jumper may also have a side or front fastening, but this fastening should not extend the entire length: a jumper must be pulled over the head. According to classic definitions, a red jumper may even be sleeveless or have short sleeves. It’s likely that in the 19th century, a jumper was primarily considered sportswear: it was worn for training, for which long sleeves are not always appropriate. Today, a jumper is most often defined as a knitted garment with long sleeves, no fastenings, and, as a rule, a round neckline. Turtleneck

The word “turtleneck” is officially considered colloquial by dictionaries, although this garment can certainly be distinguished from other similar ones, such as a turtleneck (or banlon) or a turtleneck. A turtleneck is a tight-fitting sweater made of thin (unlike a sweater) knitwear. The name originates from the form-fitting collared garment worn by divers under their diving suits.

Sweater

The jacket itself is considered the “progenitor” of the sweater, jumper and other so-called shoulder-length items of knitted clothing. It is not known exactly when and how exactly the jacket appeared – according to some sources, such clothes were already worn in Ancient Egypt. Distinctive features of the sweater: material – jersey, fastening from top to bottom, length approximately to the hips. As a rule, the sweater does not have a very high collar, and also does not have a very deep neckline.

Pullover

A pullover is considered one of the jumper options. These garments are identical in that they are made of jersey and are approximately waist or hip length. The main difference between the pullover and its other “brothers” is the absence of a fastener and a V-shaped neckline. The pullover got its name from the English pull over – “to pull, put on from above”: this refers to the way to put on this clothing – exclusively over the head.

Cardigan

A type of sweater. The main features of a cardigan are: a fastener from top to bottom (in addition, a cardigan can be tied to a belt or have no fastener at all, but have two shelves) and a V-shaped neckline. It is believed that the cardigan is named after the English general Lord Cardigan, who is credited with inventing this garment. A knitted jacket with buttons without a collar was worn under the uniform by soldiers: the cardigan did not restrict movement and kept you warm. The cardigan (as, by the way, the sweater and other models of traditionally “male” knitwear) was introduced into women’s fashion by Coco Chanel at the beginning of the 20th century.

The secret of the sweatshirt

Nowadays, this name can often be found not in everyday speech, but, oddly enough, on the price tags of knitted items in clothing stores. Previously in demand, now this word is almost never used, but it remained prescribed in GOST standards, which required strict handling of terms, including those denoting names of clothing. Dictionaries define a sweatshirt as “a warm knitted shirt, with or without sleeves, worn down for warmth or worn on top.” It follows that the term “sweatshirt” can denote a fairly wide range of models. That’s why on the price tags you see “knitted sweatshirts” or “sports sweatshirts,” which in essence can turn out to be pullovers, T-shirts, and jumpers.

Types and differences between a jumper and cardigan and a sweater