Men will be channeling Mr. Rogers, famed children’s television icon, this fall when they slip into this season’s must-have: the cardigan. Or as I like to call it, the mandigan. Never before has one item of clothing been associated with such a wide range of iconic and proverbial figures: ladies who lunch (paired with a pencil skirt), your 4^th grade teacher (worn with khakis and loafers), your grandfather (that smelled of stale smoke), and Cliff Huxtable (which was immediately removed by the oft amorous Claire Huxtable). It’s the uniform staple for soccer moms and members of the PTA, and every third woman at church sports one with a camisole and string of pearls.

Indie artists and the cute quiet intellectual in your art history class have been on the forefront of this trend for sometime now, transforming the cozy garment from ultimate nerd-ware to chic must-have. Now everyone from Pharrell Williams to Gossip Girl’s Penn Badgley can be seen wearing the cardigan with unapologetic confidence. There are many ways to wear a cardigan and, if you’re wondering, the effortless combination of jeans and a well worn t-shirt is the most irresistible. The only downside of a cardigan is that it can teeter dangerously close to screaming “I don’t wear anything with zippers, lest they damage my ever fresh manicure.” Remember boys, you’re aiming for sexy and smart, not anal and anti-social.

The best thing about the cardigan is that it ranks right up there with jeans as an item that will never go out of style. It’s a wardrobe investment and worth spending a little money on. And if you’re lucky, maybe you’ll find it still fits in 45 years and you can wear it to take the grandkids to the park. On second thought, we might be living on Mars by then and I hear the weather’s a bit cool there. A cardigan might not cut it.

Until then, find mandigans aplenty at Bluefly.com or Urban Outfitters.

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