What to Wear With a Red Sweater to Look Stylish in Any Situation


You have plenty of options.

A red sweater is a interesting peice to add your wardrobe. Sweaters aren’t typically the most exciting items to wear, but choose a red one and the color makes it stand out.

I’ve always liked wearing red. Red clothes—especially darker shades like those in this article—have been a staple of my wardrobe for years. And there’s one rule I like to follow when wearing these pieces: make the red the focus of the outfit.

What this means is that I like the red item to be the thing that is most likely to catch people’s attention. I try to keep the rest of the outfit relatively toned down so it doesn’t become too busy.

I tend to pair red with neutral or dark colors. Shades like khaki, black, navy, and gray blend into the background allowing the red to take the center stage.

I tend to keep my red sweater for casual occasions. Although I think it is also a good way to shake up a formal outfit for the right occasion. Maybe parties with a smart dress code that allow a bit of experimentation.

With that in mind, here are five ways that I like to wear my red sweater.

What to Wear With a Red Sweater: 5 Easy Outfits

Wear with Beige

Red Sweater Blue jeans Beige Jacket
The Brdwlk

I like this outfit for two reasons. First the beige shacket and the sneakers (Nike Daybreak) looks great alongside the red of the sweater. Meanwhile, the casual nature of those two pieces and the jeans make the outfit easy to wear at the weekend.

There are other ways you could combine beige and a red sweater. For example, you could flip this outfit around by wearing beige chinos and a denim jacket. Or you could wear chinos and put a shirt on underneath for an easy business casual outfit.

Add Darker Shades

Red Sweater Black Coat Navy Chinos
The Brdwlk

Dark shades go great with red, especially the maroon color in this outfit. The navy chinos, black boots, black shirt, and black coat are a surefire way to stay stylish in winter. The chinos and shirt under the red jumper give the outfit a smarter vibe that you could easily wear to the office. You could take it up a notch by swapping out the quilted coat for a wool one and wearing oxford shoes instead of desert boots.

Gray Slacks Work Well

Black Denim Jacket Gray Pants Red Sweater
The Brdwlk

Gray, red, and black is a combination that always works well together. This is another outfit that straddles the line formal and casual. The shirt, sweater, and slacks wouldn’t look out of place when paired with a blazer and shoes. But I choose to wear Vans and a black denim jacket to give the look a casual vibe.

Keep it Casual with Jeans

Red Sweater Blue Jeans
The Brdwlk

This is the simplest outfit on this list and, to be honest, it’s the one wear most. It’s easy to throw on when heading to a bar in the evening or when going out at the weekend. It’s also where I think the red sweater comes into its own: the color makes an incredibly simple outfit stand out a lot more than if I wore a plain sweater in another color.

Black Slacks and Shoes

Red Sweater Black Pants
The Brdwlk

This outfit is the most formal on the list. The dark red sweater looks great with black pants and black shoes and is perfect for formal occasions when you need the warmth of a sweater. This winter I wore this outfit to both a Christmas party and a wedding reception that had a relaxed dress code. At the wedding I put a dark shirt on underneath the sweater.


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Duncan Elder

Duncan is the founder and editor-in-chief of The Boardwalk. He's a menswear writer who has spent the last 15 years developing his own sense of style, which lies at the cross-section of mid-noughties indie and Uniqlo-inspired minimalism.

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